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Humanity of Satan in John Milton's Paradise Lost Essay Example

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Humanity of Satan in John Milton's Paradise Lost Essay Example
It can be argued that Satan is the hero of Paradise Lostand God is the ruler of an oppressive hierarchy in heaven according to the way Milton initially portrays each of them. Milton uses literary devises such as tone and characterization to make Satan appear as the true martyr of the poem. Because of Christianity, Satan is commonly viewed as purely evil. There are images of him as a jealous, venomous snake, whose sole purpose is to tempt man to disobey God. Milton paints a more complex picture that shows Satan as dynamic character, and God as a being capable of unfair and unjust behavior. They have more sides to them than just classic good and evil. In the beginning, Milton shows God as an unforgiving, all-consuming force that expels His rebellious angels out of His supreme kingdom as well as damns them to an eternity of miserable torment. Since Satan led the angels in a revolt against God’s thrown and God Himself, he suffers the most torture. This initially allows readersto feel sorry for Satan. They come to the conclusion that it was not entirely Satan’s fault that he got expelled from heaven. He is pushed by the injustice, unfairness, and close-mindedness of God. God’s attitude of supreme rule and having no allowance of competition and opposing force pushes Satan to stand up for what he thought was right and challenge God for power in order to show God that he was not truly qualified for the job of divine king. Milton mentions the fact that God gives all His creations free will to choose to do what they feel is right or wrong. However, Milton highlights the fact that He punishes the people that use this power by denying them the glory and majesty of Heaven. Using this argument, Milton sparks disbelief and conflict in the reader. Is God truly the epitome of good? Are His actions just or does He go against His own will when it’s convenient for Him or when He feels threatened? These questions play in the mind of the reader, and he questions all of the biblical
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