Elise Steele

9/10/17

World History/Western Humanities

Essay #1

Miltons Satan

Satan is known to many as the epitome of evil, the enemy of mankind, and the enmity of

God. Driven by free will, Satan acts blatantly against the standards of good. However, according

to Miltons Paradise Lost, Satan is more complex and tangled than many are led to believe.

Many even see Miltons Satan as a tragic hero driven to villainy by loss, remorse, and jealousy.

While a clear vision of good and evil would make for a simpler story, Milton uses Satans

characterization to illustrate the intricate discrepancies of the two opposing natures. Specifically,

Milton uses an authoritative God, Satans vulnerable feelings, and Adam and Eves relationship

with evil to increase the rationalization of Satans evil doings. Furthermore, Miltons

impressionable purpose allows readers to weave judgements of Satan through both disdain and

pity. Character complexities make Satan a contradictory character. In Miltons Paradise Lost,

Satan is evil by free will, yet, invokes sympathy in readers.

Milton portrays Satan as the sympathy-inducing hero of the fallen angels by pitting him

against a questionably authoritative God. To demonstrate, Milton utilizes otherness in order for

God to appear as a risen leader, rather than the natural ruler of all. Anderson defines otherness as

elements that are literally or figuratively outside the rule of God (198+). For example, Milton

uses Chaos, an infinite existence, to challenge Gods own infiniteness. In further explanation, if
God assumes a role in resemblance to a political figure, rather than the omnipotent creator,

readers are able to rationalize Satans anarchical motives. Anderson adds:

Though Gods goodness is explicitly sound, concrete, and consistent within his
own creation, otherness positions the reader well outside of that creation and
allows us to judge the system entire, functional and consistent though it may be.
After all, a system, a machine, may be both functionally sound and utterly
undesirable. (198+)

Milton validates Satans disapproval in Gods system by establishing Satan as an element of

otherness. If Satan has a right to dislike his higher power as a human has the right to dislike his

or her government, Milton can tie Satans outsider feelings to those of the reader. In relation to

this idea, God cannot force love onto his people. Rousseau elaborates on this idea in On the

Social Contract by stating, the power that comes from the peoples love is doubtless the

greatest, but it is precarious and conditional (88). Rousseau distinguishes a line between a ruler

and a people. Satan, being part of the people is rationally allowed to feel disdain towards God.

Readers begin to associate Satan as a potential protagonist with a revolutionary mindset and

furthermore, view God as a more distant figure. In additional support, Anderson claims:

Milton needs to uphold the authority of God while simultaneously legitimizing

opposition to the will of God. Milton needs to vindicate elements in the poem
contrary to Gods will in order to add weight to the readers choice either to
figuratively uphold or reject divine law. (198+)

Andersons develops the barrier between God and Satan/reader. With readers in a distant

standing from God, Milton presents the questionability of divine authority Satan is familiar with.

If readers find themselves in a position comparable to Satans they begin to see him from a new,

more personal, perspective. Therefore, readers begin to rationalize Satans motives as they

rationalize their own. Miltons character set-up invokes sympathy towards Satan as personal

insights show him to be as intricate and complex as the readers themselves.

 Part of the reason Paradise Losts Satan is so complex is because he acts on free will.

Readers can easily define good and evil through innate nature. With this significant twist, readers

hesitate from standing in pure opposition based off preconceived notions of Satan. In Paradise

Lost, Milton supports the possession of free will in both mankind and Satan. Satan admits in self-

comparison to mankind, Hadst thou the same free will and power to stand?, / Thou hadst

(Milton IV. 66-67). Similarly, God also exclaims, Whose fault? / Whose but his own? Ingrate,

he has of me / all he could have; I made him just and right, / Sufficient to have stood, though free

to fall (Milton III. 66-69). Both of these direct quotes validate Satans possession of free will

and choice. The question stands: why did Satan chose evil? In the beginning of Book IV, Satan

argues with himself over his choice and expresses his most vulnerable feelings. The exiled angel

feels remorse, regret, and extensive pain. With these overwhelming feelings, readers easily

sympathize. Satan knows he did wrong by turning on God, but he feels it is now too late. Now,

Satan will never live up to Gods new creation, mankind. Furthermore, Satan feels God would

never allow true forgiveness. (For never can true reconcilement grow / Where wound of deadly

hate have pierced so deep) (Milton IV. 98-99). All of these factors and points are moves by

Milton to invoke sympathy for the tragedy of Satan. Readers can potentially interpret Satans

soliloquy as an outpour of hurt and the emotional motive that drives Satan to Paradise. Satan will

never live up to mankind, more loved by God than Satan will ever be. Satans feelings are of hurt

and unimportance are easy for humans to relate and sympathize with. However, while Satans

reaction is true evil, how far are his actions of manipulation and jealousy from mankinds own

reach?

Like Satan, mankind is neither intently good nor intently evil. Free will is a major factor

that connects Satan and mankind. It is important for Milton to make the two relate in order to
encourage sympathy. If both act on free will, both chose evil. Readers can begin to rationalize

Satans fall into evil, as they understand their own fall into evil. Evidence in Paradise Lost

supports the claim of mankinds free will. In Paradise Lost, God determines mans will. God

expresses clearly, I formed them free, and free they must remain / Till they enthrall themselves

(Milton III. 24-25). Since God cannot force mankind to be obedient and reciprocate his own

love, he allows choice. In further support, Rousseau claims the peoples love cannot be coerced,

as previously mentioned. This is why God decides to grant mankind free will. Satan is an

example of how the people will not naturally love a figure of power. If mankind has free will,

they have a choice between good and evil. In a secular frame, certain Psychological theory

supports the claim that mankind does not have a predetermined nature, but rather, environments

and outside forces shape individuals. Locke wrote multiple books on the subject. A study of

Lockes work states, Book I argues that we have no innate knowledge. So, at birth, the human

mind is a sort of blank state on which experience writes. In Book II, Locke claims that ideas are

the materials of knowledge and all ideas come from experience (Uzgalis). Therefore, the

presence of evil in Paradise is an influence on Adam and Eve. In Paradise Lost, God states,

Self-tempted, self-depraved; man falls, deceived / By the other first (Milton III. 130). With

Adam and Eve in a nave state, Satan is the influence of evil that disrupts their bliss. Milton

purposefully intertwines mankind and Satan in the web of free will in order to tie them together,

in relation.

Milton thoughtfully characterizes Satan to make him closer to mankind. Milton

purposefully connects Satan and mankind in order to encourage sympathy. Upon first interaction,

Satan influences mankind in Paradise and exposes Adam and Eve to evil. After this pivotal

moment, mankind becomes knowingly vulnerable to evil in many various forms. Modernly,
mankind express evil in forms of malevolence, cruelty, immorality, etc. This familiarity with sin

connects mankind to Satan, the embodiment of evil. Furthermore, Adams motives toward sin

even coordinate with Satans. In explanation, the Adam of Genesis sins against God after Eve

gives him the apple; the Adam of Paradise Lost sins against God not because of what he gives

him, but because of what he needs of her (Luxon & Silverstein). Adam sins because of his

desire for Eve. Satan sins for his desire for attention from God and jealousy since God values

mankind more than himself. Therefore, like Adam, Satan finds evil indirectly through another.

Milton uses this connection to spark more sympathy through likeness and understanding. In

addition, Satan shows similarities to mankind through his sensitive emotional state. Attention

held them mute. / Thrice he assayed, and thrice, I spit of scorn, / tears such as Angels weep, bust

forth (Milton I. 619-620). Satan is susceptible to vulnerable emotional states just like mankind.

If humans can relate to Satan on a detailed scaled they feel the need to sympathize for

themselves as well as Satan. In other words, readers do not want to personally relate with Satan,

so when Milton makes them feel they do, readers feel the need to rationalize Satans actions and

therefore, make sense of their own. All in all, Satan familiarizes with characteristics and actions

of mankind in order to draw them closer together.

Although Satan chooses evil and tempts mankind, his character is complex and intricate

enough to encourage sympathy. Readers begin to distort the norms of good and bad as Satan

expresses vulnerability, regret, and other human characteristics. Therefore, evil takes a new form

in Paradise Lost as Satans character forces readers to question pre-conceived notions of him and

open up to a new proposal of the King of Hell. In efforts to encourage sympathy, Milton uses an

authoritative God figure, Satans sensitivity, and Adam and Eves relation with evil to fixate
readers on an intriguing perspective of Satans personal heroism. Although, Miltons Satan wills

himself into evil, he encourages readers to succumb to various feelings of sympathy.

 Works Cited

Anderson, Jarod. "The Decentralization of Morality in Paradise Lost." Rocky Mountain Review,

vol. 64, no. 2, 2010, pp. 189+. JSTOR. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.

Luxon, Thomas & Sara Silverstein. "'Haile wedded Love': Milton's Redefinition of Marriage

" The John Milton Reading Room, Trustees of Dartmouth College, 1997-2017. Accessed

27 Sept 2017.

Luxon, Thomas & Zuckerman, Cordelia. "'Things Invisible to Mortal Sight:' Milton's God." The

John Milton Reading Room, Trustees of Dartmouth College, 1997-2017. Accessed 27

Sept 2017.

Milton, John. Paradise Lost, 1667. Dover Publications, 2005.

Rebhorn, Wayne. "The Humanist Tradition and Milton's Satan: The Conservative as

Revolutionary." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 13, no. 1, 1973, pp. 81-93.

JSTOR. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. On the Social Contract. Translated by G. D. H. Cole, Dover, 1913.