“Paradise Lost” is an eminent success of world literature, one of the most distinguished samples of literature epos. Its contents are quite manifold and its difficulty and contradictoriness have reflected on its fate for many generations of readers. As most of the storyline of “Paradise Lost” was created on the basis of Biblical stories, it was considered a book of heavenly-minded character and viewed as a poetical interpretation of the Bible.
Heroism is one of the main characteristics of epic poetry, and as this poetry is considered to be of that sort, it sure has elements of heroism. May I remind you that this poem was thought of as godly literature, and only at the beginning of the 19th century a British poet Shelly had started questioning the theopathy of Milton, however, nor Shelly, nor other writers and critics who have noticed the divergence of the poem from the religious dogma were unable to alter the popular belief.
It was not until the 20th century when critics have actually recognized the true meaning of this great poem. It turned out that “Paradise Lost” is not simply fluctuating from religious teachings, but in fact contradicts it most of the time.
In order to understand the complex subject matter of the poem, there is a need to find the firm historical ground. “Paradise Lost” is starting off by portraying the war between heaven and hell. From one side there is God, His archangels and angels, and from the other – the fallen angel Satan, and all the rest of demons. It seems that everything is quite clear and simple. But it takes simply reading the monologues of hell’s inhabitants, as this plainness and simplicity start becoming supposed. The fallen angels are planning to rise against God. It is hard not to notice how they name Him the king of heaven, and monocrat. This points to the fact that they treat God as a despot, tyrant, and oppressor.
For the puritan Milton, God was high holiness. For the revolutionary Milton, any autocratic power is unbearable. We can understand that all black-hearted comments are said through the lips of evil for whom it is natural to curse God. However, it is difficult to miss how Milton surrounds Satan with a nimbus of heroism.
Satan’s addressing of his henchman after a defeat appears to have elements of heroism. However, it is hard to say whose feelings are expressed in this courageous speech. Was it the feel of the character created within the imagination of the poet, or maybe it was the creator of this figure, a revolutionary and a spokesperson of revolutionary ideas, whose feelings were portrayed in this speech? It is possible to argue endlessly on this subject, and it may be that it is the beliefs of both – the poet, and his character which are present in Satan’s addressing.
This speech is quite appropriate coming from Satan, who was rejected from heaven and had suffered defeat in battle with an angelic army of God. But maybe Milton himself could say this about himself, as after the restoration of the monarchy he remained a republican – adherent to the government by the people.
In book one of “Paradise Lost,” there are quite a few lines that break the strict logic of the Biblical scripture. It almost seems like there are two types of thinking in Milton’s consciousness. The first one is that God is the embodiment of the highest amenities, and Satan and his followers are a limb of the devil. The second interpretation could be summarized as God being the heavenly king, and as being such He is associated with earthly kings, which are hated by the poet. In this case, Milton can not resist sympathizing with the side which rises against the monocracy of God.
In this way, we are able to view the evil side led by Satan in a totally new epic perspective of valor. In book one of “Paradise Lost,” John Milton extra clearly redefines the concept of heroism by making the positive and negative sides exchange their places by portraying the negative evil party from a heroic point of view.
There is however another contradiction in the poem. Milton is expressing his awe of the heroic disobedience of Satan to the degree that shows the irreconcilability concerning any tyranny, earthy or heavenly. But the rebellion does not end with a defeat by accident.
It was not from the Bible, but from own imagination that has processed the effects of contemporaneity where the poet had drawn the colors to describe the battle of good and evil. Milton had a possibility to make sure that the English revolution which had revealed its limit of purposes and selfishness of the middle class did not bring a celebration of goodness to earth. This view echoes in the poem by saying much about the meaninglessness and harmfulness of war and violence for humankind.
Book one of “Paradise Lost” discloses many social problems present at the time and uses redefined heroism to stress the absurdity of the political events.
Works Cited
Catherine Gimelli Martin, The Ruins of Allegory: Paradise Lost and the Metamorphosis of Epic Convention (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1998).
John Milton, Edmund Spenser, and John Lydgate, “28. Milton’s Paradise Lost,” Explicator32.4 (1973): 57.
John Milton’s theological poem Paradise Lost, which was first published in 1667, explores the relationship between God and mankind. The poem tells the story of Adam and Eve, their creation, and how they happened to lose their position in the Garden of Eden, also known as Paradise. It resembles the Bible’s book of Genesis in many ways, but John Milton enlarged it into a lengthy, intricate epic poem with a new take on Satan. Although Satan starts a war against God, is condemned to hell, and pursues retribution throughout the poem, he still emerges as the protagonist. In the face of Satan, who entirely overpowers the imagination, Milton constructs the primary protagonist. He is perhaps the most fascinating and even appealing character in the entire narrative. Conversely, in Paradise Lost, Eve is shallow, rebellious, and clearly unequal to Adam. She is portrayed by Milton as being feeble, yet she is also compared to Satan since she rejects authority.
Satan, as portrayed by Milton, is frequently regarded as one of the most nuanced and intricate representations of “evil.” He is more engaging as a person than the holy and faultless God and Jesus in certain respects, captivating and appealing. Milton was a devout Christian; thus, it seems doubtful that he was attempting to establish the case that Satan is superior to or more precious than God. A triad of gods and a personal devil are both refuted by Milton’s theological dissertation De Doctrina Christiana “I am the Lord, and there is none else; I produce the light, I create darkness…” (Isaiah 45:6,7). It follows that no one can compare to him because it is both unbearable and unbelievable for a bad force to be more powerful than a good one. Satan’s charm is seen to be persuasive and overpowering when he first persuades the fallen angels to carry out his scheme and then seduces Adam and Eve. However, it is rather a representation of the temptation to sin since doing harm and acting immorally can be enticing rather than clearly wicked and repulsive.
Just a few Old Testament verses, such as those describing the creation of woman from a man’s rib and the tempting of Eve by the “subtil” serpent, are expanded upon in Paradise Lost. Instead of being innocent and submissive, Milton portrays Eve as a defiant and selfish figure. The ‘Mother of Mankind,’ who is intended to be obedient, just like Satan, rebels against the system. She rebelled by leaving Adam to labor alone in Eden, consuming the fruit, and sharing it with Adam. Each time, she acts out of a desire to do things her way rather than submit to God’s or Adam’s will. She is intuitive, talented, and stunning, but her only real advantage over Adam is her appearance. Her inferiority and inequality were revealed right away: “Not equal, as their sex not equal seem’d”. Eve has been associated with the imperfection of vanity since the moment of her creation, when she stares at the water and is captivated with her own reflection, implying her narcissistic nature. It was Milton who gave her character particular complexity, including contradictory force and great sorrow, all while highlighting her particular responsibility.
Readers have admired John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost” because of the several perspectives he uses to describe Satan and the multifaceted portrayal of Eve. Satan is typically viewed as the evil spirit who resists God and defiles humanity, but Milton provided everyone with a fresh lens through which to view Satan. Satan demonstrates potential as a protagonist, but at the same time, people still view him as the personification of evil and temptation. Milton’s portrayal of Eve, which also highlights her rebellious and unscrupulous tendencies, is not surprising since the assumption that women are inferior to men has been cemented over history.
Work Cited
Holy Bible. American Standard Version, Bible Domain Publishing, 2013.
The introductory part discusses the renaissance literature and the body part analyses the literature by comparing the two great works, namely, ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus’ and the notion of hell portrayed in the two works.
Introduction
Renaissance Literature is referred to as the literature written during the Renaissance in the15th century in Europe. At this era, most of the people in Europe, mainly the orthodox, believed in rebirth and the people liked to know more about renaissance and this made the writers at that time write about renaissance rather than other subjects in order to give more ideas and information to the people. So, the writers published a lot of books than ever before and as the demand for books increased, books were provided at lower prices. Renaissance literature is different from the past literature which specifies innovative concepts like culture, beliefs, politics etc. The renaissance literatures consist of not only literature but also art, architecture, and poems. However, the people did not give much importance to renaissance poems except some poems written by famous poets of that period, when compared to literature. There were also the dramas performed on the basis of the renaissance literature. The renaissance literatures mainly related to the cultural and social activities in Europe. The idea about renaissance was received from Italy where the renaissance developed before Europe and this renaissance literature changed from English literature to modern Elizabethan literature which is referred to as golden age in the English literature. “A brief survey of significant historical and social events in this period suggests that the flowering of English literature was part of a larger whole. The development of the printing press led to a communication revolution and increased literacy.” (Renaissance English Literature).
The renaissance literature was written in a very simple, natural and nice way and while reading we will feel real affection or attachment to the characters in the story.
John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’
John Milton is regarded as the last renaissance poet and his ‘Paradise Lost’ is the greatest and the noblest achievement. Milton shared the renaissance of humanism as it is seen in his work ‘The Paradise Lost’. The main feature of the renaissance period was that people were concerned more for knowledge, power, questioning everything, and freedom. This can be seen in Milton’s works as he put forward some questions such as “If the world was created by a good, just, and loving God, why is there little evidence of goodness and justice in the world? What does it mean for humankind to be created in the image of that God, and how does humanity endure in a fallen world?” (Milton). Thus, the major theme of the poem is the first disobedience of man to God and God’s Way to man. As he had the power of invention, deep knowledge of mankind and human nature and imagination, he knew the fine distinction of human character, such as vice and virtue. In the Garden of Eden, both Adam and Eve were free and independent and a change occurred to them only after the temptation by Satan which resulted in their disobedience to God and finally led to their fall from heaven. “Who first seduced them to that foul revolt? The infernal serpent, he it was, whose guile stirred up with envy and revenge.” (Milton, 726, 35 lines).
According to Christian belief, hell is a place from where the souls of the offenders suffer the outcome of their sin and it came from the teachings of the New Testament. Hell was considered as a place in which the person who discards Jesus will suffer greatly and this thought can be seen in most of the classical works as the dwelling of Satan and Lucifer. In Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’, the image of hell is clearly visible during the depiction of Satan’s fall and also Adam and Eve’s fall and the epic concerns the Judo-Christian legend of the fall of men; Satan’s temptation towards Adam and eve and their exclusion from the Eden garden. This is clearly illustrated in the epic as the very first line says “Of man’s first disobedience and the fruit of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste brought death in to the world.” (Milton, 726).
The image of hell can be seen in the Epic in the beginning itself. Through the depiction of Satan, one can easily identify the fact how Milton treats the concept of hell in his work. Satan is described as the protagonist who is very ambitious, proud and he even denies the omnipotent God, and as a result he was expelled from heaven to the most dreadful hell. Here, one can see the Christian perception that those who disobey God will surely reach hell and have to suffer greatly the consequences of their sins. In ’Paradise lost’, Satan fell into hell and he suffered deeply from the bitter experience from hell. It is clearly illustrated in the epic in the opening section itself. It reveals the pathetic condition of Satan in hell as he was portrayed as lying on a lagoon of fire. The piteous condition of hell is obviously described in the epic, but Milton’s concept of human value can be seen through the words of Satan. Lying on the fire, Satan proudly declares that it is better to reign in hell than serve in heaven through these lines “hell doomed, and breath’s defiance here and scorn, where I reign king and to enrage thee more, thy king and lord.” (Milton, Line.695). Through him, Milton presents the view that mind will decide fate and one can make even the hell of heaven and a heaven of hell and also human life has its own virtue as it is not a painful preparation of life after death. This idea is clearly visible through the actions of Satan as he prepares to fight against God even after the bitter experience in hell. Satan, disguised as a serpent, enters the heaven and tries his best to make both Adam and Eve to disobey God so as to revenge the Almighty.
Adam and Eve – God’s first creation of man – had their own dignity and delight as they were very innocent and obedient to everything. Milton shows the delight they got from Eden through this line “moved our grant parents in that happy state.” (Paradise Lost, 726). Thus, they were the true innocent symbol of human nature and this way they attained perfection, dignity and delight. They were made to believe Satan’s persuasion that the forbidden fruit gave knowledge and it will help them to attain perfection. Satan chose Eve to pursue and attain his goal very easily as Eve was very timid to bend. Satan flattered Eve by praising her amazing beauty and this had a great effect as she fell blindly in the trap. Thus, the first time of disobedience to God happened which resulted in their ultimate fall from the dream land Eden. Soon, Satan returned with great success to hell and there again he could see the image of hell soon after the fall of Adam and Eve. They reached “such a place eternal justice had prepared for those rebellious.” (Milton, 726, line.78). The place they reached after their fall is similar to hell as there is no hope, dream and dignity in that place.
The next theme – God’s ways to man – is also portrayed in a better way as one may think Satan said the truth. Milton says “I may assert eternal Providence and justify the ways of God to men.” (Milton, 726). Both Adam and Eve obtained some awareness about their life soon after eating the fruit and thus, one can assume that the forbidden fruit was actually a knowledge giving fruit. The expulsion of both Adam and Eve and the curse of God indicate the Christian notion that those who deny God will be thrown out to hell and will receive bitter punishment from there. The awfulness of the curse and their present condition can be seen through these lines “Regions of sorrow, doleful shades where peace and rest can never dwell, hope never comes.” (Milton, 726). Milton rightly portrayed the sufferings of disobedience through Satan, Adam and Eve in ‘ Paradise Lost’ and also expressed the idea of hell and how their followers suffer because of their deeds through these lines ” there the companions of his fall, overwhelmed with floods whirlwinds of tempestuous fire” (Milton, 726 seventy-fifth line) Thus, “Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ has more characteristics of the Renaissance because it shows more Renaissance features, namely, a use of classical models, a use of an exalted literary style and a use of classical allusions.” (The Renaissance Period).
Christopher Marlow’s “Dr. Faustus”
Renaissance does not simply mean the revival of learning, but it also stands for the reawakening of the mind. ‘Dr. Faustus’ is a melodious combination of Renaissance and Reformation. To the students of English literature, Marlow is unquestionably one of the greatest dramatists of the Elizabethan era. “Like the earlier play, Tamburlaine, Doctor Faustus is a play of deep questions concerning morality, religion, and man’s relationship to both.” (Marlowe). One can see in this drama that Dr. Faustus, because of his thirst for knowledge, leaves his morality, his belief towards god and went with Mephistopheles. The hero suffers and dies, but his suffering or death is effectively forced from outside. Marlow’s protagonists also suffer and die but the most important part of the drama lies in the courageous struggle of the hero against the forces which eventually prove severe to them. In Marlowe’s ‘Dr. Faustus’, Faustus’s desire for sublunary bliss, his delight of beauty, his unquenchable curiosity, and his passion for unlimited knowledge make Dr Faustus a typical product of the Renaissance. “A sound magician is a mighty god, here Faustus, tries thy brains to gain a deity.” (Marlow, 463, Line 62-63). All those who move away from the celestial customs and follow the devilish path will suffer the torment of hell. Men will suffer eternal damnation if they discard the God and religion and turn to super human knowledge. One of the preaching of the Reformation is that one should have unshakeable faith in God and should turn away from the trap laid around him by the devil. Marlow links the quest of the Renaissance for beauty and power, with a lack of regard for moral and religious principles. Faustus’s story is a story of damnation. “THE TRAGICAL HISTORY OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS was based on the medieval legend of the bargain with the Devil.” (Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)). Faustus goes to do magic tricks alone, and alone he concludes his deal with devil. Once the deal is signed, all that happens to Faustus is the devil’s vocation. Faustus’s dishonesty is not an involuntary one with the devil’s agreement. In spite of his earnest desire to know the truth, the seeds of decay are in his character from the beginning. Faustus says to Mephistopheles that, “Lo Mephistopheles, for love of thee, I cut my arm, and with my proper blood assure my soul to be great Lucifer’s, chief lord and regent of perpetual night.” (Marlow, 472, line.53). Necromancy attracts him, not because of its promise of power and knowledge, but because it is forbidden. He worships Lucifer to gain terrestrial delight, and illegal knowledge. He is aware of the existence of god, but he chooses Lucifer because he is easily acquiescent. The result is the intellectual clash between his principles and requirements. The conflict is embodied by the Good Angel which represents virtue and moral principles and Mephistopheles which signifies sin and damnation. Good Angel argues that, “Faustus, repent, yet God will pity thee’. (Marlow, 475, line 188). The conflict in the mind of Faustus is the clash between hopelessness and revolt, good and evil. What provides Faustus with tragic status is his consciousness of evil and good. Faustus is aware of the after-effect of his contract with Lucifer. One can say that Faustus is a pathetic figure who reflects the never-ending predicament in man, namely the steady clash between the wishes of the spirit and wishes of the flesh. In presenting the fall and slow moral collapse of an enthusiast, Marlow has depicted Faustus’s spiritual sin of exchanging his soul to the powers of evil.
In the beginning itself, Marlow gives a description about the real supremacy of God and the main idea that the writer gives through this drama is that God will forgive an offender if he apologizes for his sin. When Dr. Faustus, by disobeying God, went with Lucifer and Mephistopheles, good angel and bad angel warned him and asked him to go back to heaven, but the evil force influenced him to remain there in hell itself. When Faustus thinks to go back to God, Lucifer with the Seven Deadly Sin enters and redirects him from going back to Heaven. First, Faustus tried to repent for his mistake, but by the interference of bad angel his wish to go back came to an end. Even after he signed the agreement that he will exchange his soul to Lucifer, he got an opportunity to repent for his mistake and go back to heaven, but he himself makes a way for his own damnation. Faustus has no idea about the place hell at first, and he asks Mephistopheles and even though Mephistopheles gives him a description about hell, for Faustus it remains a fable. Mephistopheles says that he will show him the hell.
In the drama “Dr. Faustus”, Marlow discusses the divine concept of hell. When Faustus asks Mephistopheles how he reached away from hell, he says that he will make the place wherever he reached as a hell. Mephistopheles had been in heaven once, and as he committed a sin by disobeying the almighty, he too came to hell. The great mistake which Faustus did is that he wished to become a God by achieving all powers and for that he exchanged his soul to the devil. Even though Mephistopheles warned him for his pride, he didn’t give much consideration to it. At last, he understood his misdeed and realized that he can’t escape from it and he requested for giving back his soul. At last, Faustus says by himself,” Let Faustus live in hell a thousand years, A hundred thousand, and at last be saved.” (Marlow, 492, line.92-93).
The comparative analysis of the two works reveals that the renaissance literature aims to portray the freedom of the human race and also points out the value and virtue of life. The Christian notion of hell and sin can be clearly seen in the two works. One can conclude the analysis with the idea that both the writers are highly aware of the human nature about sin, death and the sufferings of the soul in hell as they depicted in their works. The outcome of the renaissance was that men cared more for the terrestrial world than the celestial world. “Renaissance writers were fascinated by the thought of going beyond boundaries set by the chain of being. A major example was the title character of Christopher Marlowe’s play Doctor Faustus” (Renaissance). People in the Renaissance possessed the vaulting thirst for knowledge and power without caring the obstacles in the way. These can be seen in the two works especially in the nature of Dr.Faustus and Satan.
Works Cited
Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593). Books and Writers. 2008.
Marlow, Christopher. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. Scene 5. 475.
Satan is one of the central characters of Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost which is based on the Christian story of the fall of humanity. Making Satan the main antagonist of the poem, Milton shows the inner struggle in the character’s soul and the process of his devolution, depicting him as a fallen angel gradually transforming into a devil.
The beginning of the process of Satan’s devolution is depicted in the first book when this character starts forming an army of fallen angels, planning a rebellion against God. The main factors which influenced Satan’s decision to organize an attack on God were his arrogance, enviousness and unruliness. The main fallen angel prefers reigning in Hell to serving in Heaven.
Even coming to realization that God’s power cannot be overcome, Satan suggests uniting the efforts of all his followers for planning a rebellion against God. Convincing his followers to make evil out of good, Satan sounds persuasive.
In general, Milton’s presentation of the main negative character in the first book surprisingly makes Satan look as a hero of the poem. Showing how powerful Satan is and even comparing him to titans, the author describes the process of devolution of the main antagonist.
Presenting Satan as a military hero who manages to unite hundreds of thousands of fallen angels for creating a powerful army of demons in the first book, Milton shows the inner processes in the soul of the main negative character which preconditioned his devolution.
The process of Satan’s devolution continues in Milton’s second book which illuminates the debates in Hell concerning the plans of taking revenge on God by doing harm to a new race called Man. After building the Pandemonium, the castle of devils, some of the fallen angels settled down and offered to stop their struggle against God, satisfying with what they have. Satan, as the leader of Hell, could not be satisfied with the achieved results and his inner suffering makes him continue his planning of rebellions.
God’s power remained the object of Satan’s envy, and along with Satan’s hurt pride, it motivated the main negative character to build plans for making evil out of good and taking a revenge on God. Thus, the process of Satan’s devolution was not over and at this stage, Satan’s plans become more sophisticated. The main antagonist realizes that the direct attacks of God are senseless and decides to use alternative methods.
The direct protests and attacks are replaced with the insidious plans of tempting men and hurting the feelings of God who favors this newly created race. Satan’s continuing devolution prevents him from putting an end to the struggle against God and motivates him to invent new more sophisticated methods of attacks.
With all the attempts of making evil out of good which were not crowned with success, the tension in Satan’s soul grew, continuing the process of his degradation. In the fourth book, Milton shows Satan’s despair which intensifies suffering of the main negative character and catalyzes his insidious attacks of God.
At this stage the process of Satan’s devolution is irreversible and he will never be forgiven by God. “Farewel Remorse: all Good to me is lost;/ Evil be thou my Good; by thee at least” (Milton Book IV). Mentioning remorse in the fourth book, the author implies that previously the main fallen angel hesitated about his actions and his degradation can be regarded as a gradual process.
The despair which overwhelms Satan in the fourth book is expressed in his soliloquies. Milton’s depiction of Satan cannot be regarded as single-valued. Demonstrating the inner struggle and suffering of Satan, the author tries to view the evil from various perspectives, not limiting the depiction of the fallen angel to mere presentation of his actions.
Initiating the readers into the processes in the inner world of the main antagonist, Milton allows them to understand the preconditions of his disobedience, drawing the parallels with their own weaknesses.
With the continuing process of Satan’s devolution, in the ninth book he is deprived of the feelings of remorse and his inner struggle is almost over. Good is lost for the fallen angel forever and will never enter his soul again. The view of the beauty of earth makes Satan feel anguish. He cannot enjoy the beauty of this wonderful world and this is the only reason for his hesitation before proceeding to actions this time.
Preoccupied with making evil out of good and fulfilling his insidious plans, the fallen angel forgets about remorse and there is no inner struggle in him anymore. The absence of doubts concerning his evil inclinations in the ninth book shows the final stage of Satan’s devolution when the back side has overcome the good side of his soul entirely.
Showing the gradual process of Satan’s devolution which started from the inner struggle in the character’s soul and finished when the good was forever lost to him, Milton made his main antagonist a complex and dynamic character which transforms from an angel into a devil.
Works Cited
Milton, John. “Paradise Lost”. Dartmouth College Website. Web.
John Milton’s epic poem, “Paradise Lost”, primarily explores the repercussions of disobedience visited upon man after his fall occasioned by eating the forbidden fruit. Therefore, the poem inadvertently cautions against disobeying the instituted authority and moral structures.
However, through the actions of one of the main protagonists of the poem, Satan, the act of challenging authority is explored. Satan challenges the authority of God in heaven, and consequently, he is cast away into the depths of hell. Similarly, in Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”, the title character, Robinson Crusoe, decides to follow his long held ambition of exploring the seas.
Subsequently, he goes against his family’s, especially his father’s, wish that he settles down, establish himself in a respectable career, and create a socially expected and accepted trajectory of life amongst his societal contemporaries.
The common thread in the two characters; Satan in “Paradise Lost” and Robinson Crusoe in “Robinson Crusoe”, is that, they both wilfully defy the set authority that has guided and ruled over their lives. Instead, they decide to chart their own course in life independent of the influence of their separate father figure authorities.
Satan, primarily due to his immense hubris that sets him against God, decides to challenge the authority of God by leading a rebellion that intends to usurp the authority of God in heaven. The rebellion fails, and he is banished into hell. Nevertheless, Satan is determined to live a life that is independent of the influence of the fatherly authority of God; therefore, he decides to acclimatize to his wretched existence in the depths of hell.
He states that, he would be okay as long as he maintains his liberty in hell, and to this effect he reveals that he would rather reign in hell than serve in heaven (Milton Book 3, verse 77). Similarly, Robinson Crusoe goes against his father’s wishes, and thus authority, by deciding to forgo the comforting and relatively stable life of career men in the town of Hull. Instead, he casts his lot with the precarious nature of exploration and adventurism, much to the dismay of his father (Defoe 2).
Therefore, in both texts, the characters of Satan, Adam, Eve, and Robinson Crusoe bravely defy the authority of the father figures in their lives. Furthermore, they heroically choose to follow their own paths in life, which even while turning out to be dangerous, unpredictable, and almost suicidal for them, are worth the struggle because of the sense of freedom, liberation, and self-dependence that they subsequently acquire.
The Setting in Robinson Crusoe and Paradise Lost: The Town of Hull and Heaven as Harbingers of Disobedience, Defiance, and Revolt
The setting at the beginning of Paradise Lost and Robinson Crusoe provide a fertile ground for fostering dissent, especially for inquisitive and curious souls such as those of the respective characters in both texts.
In Paradise Lost, the setting of Heaven and the requirements by God that he be worshipped and adored by is creations creates a monotonous existence for his subjects/creations (Milton Book 1, Verse 18). Satan, his pride notwithstanding, decides to lead a rebellion against God because he states that angels are not God’s creations, therefore, are not bound to worship and adore God like the rest of God’s creations.
Thus, the streak of rebellion in Satan is borne out of the monotonous existence to be found in Heaven. Similarly, Adam comes across as curious; exploring the Garden of Eden and seeking answers from the angels on the nature of man’s existence (Book 1 Verse 17). Even though, he is more curious than Eve, he still worships God as required.
However, when Eve is tempted, and partakes of the forbidden fruit, Adam knowingly partakes too, even though he is aware that he is committing a sin. Just like Satan, Adam and Eve are living a mundane and repetitive lifestyle in Heaven. They are curious, and once Satan tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, Eve’s, and subsequently Adam’s, interests are piqued.
As God’s creations, Satan, Adam, and Eve are endowed with a sense of curiosity that is limited by living in Heaven and the Garden of Eden. Satan seeks authority and liberty from God, whom he views as an illegitimate Lord over Heaven. Likewise, Adam and Eve are eager to satisfy their quench for knowledge concerning life beyond the limited answers given by the Angels in heaven.
Therefore, the sphere of Heaven, the setting for much of Paradise Lost, although meant to be a safe place for God’s creations, ironically becomes the exact source of curiosity, defiance and revolt by Satan, and Adam and Eve.
These three characters, in a sense, are brave and act heroically because they refuse to settle and accept everything that they are told; instead, they are courageous enough to defy their precise creator. Satan decides to challenge the authority of God, the father of all creatures of heaven, while Adam and Eve, by partaking of the forbidden fruit, begin a post-lapsarian heroic journey towards discovering life, morality and death, beyond the theoretical knowledge they had received while in Heaven.
Robinson Crusoe also refuses to settle into the comfortable and predictable lifestyle destined for him by virtue of being his father’s son; a life that is expected of him by the fact that many of the citizens in the town of Hull lived their lives in such a manner. When Robinson Crusoe’s father realizes that his son is keen on exploration of the seas and new land in with an aim of making a chance fortune in such a manner, he quickly counsels him against doing so (Defoe 2).
Crusoe’s father wonders why his son would forgo the relative comfort and surety of life in Hull, and take his chances on making a fortune in wild and unpredictable sea adventures. However, what is lost on the father is that the exact comfort and predictability of life in Hull as the father desired for the son, was the sheer reason that the son desired explore the world – Robinson Crusoe wanted more out of life than the monotonous, mundane life that his father envisioned for him.
According to Althusser, when Robinson Crusoe attempts to make his son change his mind about the plan to become an explorer and adventurer, he invokes the authority of God in impressing upon his own authority as the father (105). Crusoe’s father almost pronounces a curse on the son, stating that, were Crusoe to ignore his pleadings, God would, in support of the father’s authority, inflict harm, pain, and suffering upon Crusoe’s life.
The mere fact that Robinson Crusoe still chooses to pursue his own desired path of exploration, therefore, points to his extreme dissatisfaction and abhorrence to the life that his father desired for him, which life was to be experienced in Hull, the setting of this given part of the novel.
Therefore, in both texts, the setting as portrayed by the authors are avenues for creating and fostering a sense of curiosity, and subsequently defiance and rebellion that make the involved characters desire more out of their lives than the paths envisioned by the respective authorities in their lives – their fathers.
The Heroic Nature of Satan’s, Adam and Eve’s (Humanity) and Robinson Crusoe’s Transgression against the Authority of the Father Figure
As discussed in the forgoing paragraphs, Satan, Adam and Eve, out of pride and curiosity respectively, challenge the restrictions set on them by God’s authority. In Satan’s case, he knows the all-powerful, all-knowing and ever-present nature of God, yet he still has the temerity to challenge God’s authority.
The rebellion he leads fails, and he is banished into hell. Yet, with the aid of his colleagues, Mammon and Beelzebub, he plots a way of reaching heaven again by accessing the Garden of Eden and corrupting the minds of Eve and Adam (Milton Book 4 Verse 12).
Satan volunteers to take the treacherous journey into heaven though the abyss, braving many dangers along the way before arriving at the Garden of Eden and convincing Eve first to partake of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, leading to Adam’s subsequent similar moral capitulation (Milton Book 4 Verse 25).
Satan’s journey through the Abyss is similar to the journeys undertaken by other heroes in classic Greek works such as Odysseus. Both Satan and Odysseus overcome many challenges and fight battles on their respective journeys, and like Aeneas in Aeneid rallies his troops behind him despite the great odds against them (Calloway 83).
Therefore, not only does Satan refuse to accept the defeat that led to his banishment from heaven, he also takes the risk of returning to heaven, this time with a more subtle plan of challenging God’s authority by winning over the minds of his creations through his infectious rhetoric and charisma.
Satan’s conviction in his attempts to challenge the authority of God stems from the fact that he strongly believes that God ruled heaven as a tyrant. He believes that his challenge of the authority of God, despite the heavy odds against him and his fellow rebellious angels, was a challenge against the whimsical, tyrannous and unfair leadership of God (Hiller 3).
This tyrannous and vengeful nature of God can be seen in the manner that he treats Adam and Eve after they eat of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
After Adam and Eve realise that they have sinned, and are thus consumed by immense guilt and shame, they decide to seek the pardon of God, who does not pardon them but rather lets them experience the full repercussions of their transgressions (Milton Book 9 verses 4-6). Adam and Eve are thus banished from the Garden of Eden, and in a sense Satan’s view of God is justified, and since Satan’s plan is realised, he managers to win a small battle over God in that instance.
On their part, Adam and Eve’s heroism stems from the fact that they not only ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (knowing full well the penalty was death), but also the fact that they willingly took responsibility for their actions. It is worth noting that, in a sense, Adam and Eve were living in the shadow and fear of the authority of God.
The fact that they were supposed to die, if they were to eat of the fruit, illustrates the fact that, despite God stating that they had the free will to do whatever they pleased, the extreme repercussions for this one transgression indicates a tendency to stifle and diminish this free will even before it is practiced.
Therefore, the bravery of Eve in partaking of the fruit (with a little Coaxing from Satan) with the knowledge that it would lead to her death indicates an intense desire to acquire the knowledge of God stored or hidden in the Tree of Knowledge. Subsequently, Adam also eats this same fruit after realizing that Eve had already done so, and knowing full well that he would be going against God’s will and would be banished from the garden of Eden together with Eve.
Thus, Adam and Eve satisfy their curiosity for knowledge, in the same vein challenging the authority of God the father, and subsequently take responsibility for their actions, neither laying the blame on Satan or God.
Robinson Crusoe overcomes many personal and societal restrictions in his pursuit of a life of exploration in the seas. Besides the authority of his father, which he transgresses, he leaves behind a family of three children – a matter society was not likely to view kindly. Thereafter, his father invokes the authority of God in a last ditch effort to try and convince him to stop his plans of exploring the high seas, telling him that God would bring harm on his path (Defoe 2).
Interestingly, on his exact first voyage, the predictions of the father are seemingly realised when his ship is wrecked in a storm, and he personally believes that his father’s warnings were haunting him in his journey. Yet, Robinson Crusoe recovers, both physically and psychologically, his love for exploration overcoming his fear of the unknown and the ominous warnings from his father.
Indeed, Crusoe encounters many hardships in his sea excursions, where he is captured and enslaved, before experiencing another shipwreck after escaping from slavery and becoming a plantation owner in Brazil, whereupon he finds himself in an island that he inhabits alone for twenty-eight years.
Crusoe’s heroism shines in all these circumstances because despite the father’s warning hanging over him like a dark cloud in all the unfortunate circumstances that encumber his adventures, he never once looses hope or despairs but remains true to his dream of self-dependence, liberty and fortune making.
Humanism and Civilization in Robinson Crusoe and Paradise Lost
In both Paradise Lost and Robinson Crusoe, the authors are concerned with the contemporary socio-political and economic issues in their societies. John Milton was ultimately concerned with the religious nature of man, his relation to his God within the context of free will and predetermination (Alderman 184).
According to Mondadori, when Milton allows man to fall and then take responsibility for his fall, he presents a liberated man and the consequences of man’s fall epitomise the nature of free will as determined by God (55). Therefore, Paradise Lost becomes an epic (as opposed to a tragedy) by virtue of the fact that it portrays the triumph of man through free will. Humans are thus free to exercise their God given free will in this life, and are portrayed as capable of making judgements that will enrich and enhance their lives.
On the other hand, Daniel Defoe through his novel Robinson Crusoe addresses and challenges the contemporary views on providence and free will. Similar to John Milton, Daniel Defoe believes in human beings charting their own successful courses in life through their own desires and plans, just like the character Robinson Crusoe does.
In a sense, the story of Robinson Crusoe pays homage to, and highlights the qualities admirable in a middle-class English man- adventurous, self-reliant, courageous and disciplined.
Shinagel states that the character of Robinson Crusoe vouches for the entrepreneurial spirit of the English man, which characterized the civilisation and expansion of the British Empire, as well as the colonizing tendencies of England, which are practiced by Crusoe on his Island (Island of Despair) and characterized the imperialistic match of the British Empire (24).
Conclusion
The form of both texts aids in the delivery of the various thematic contents of the texts. For instance, Milton utilizes nearly all types of genres available in his epic poem, which according to Fish may be interpreted as various scenes of a play, with the mind of the reader being the stage of the play (161).
Additionally, by using poetry in blank verse as the vehicle of transporting his message of the fall and redemption of man, Milton’s characters easily deliver direct speeches to state their points; a factor that would have been unwieldy had Milton not chosen this form of poetry.
Both Paradise Lost and Robinson Crusoe explore the theme of defiance or the transgression of fatherly authority. In Paradise Lost, Satan, together with Adam and Eve violate the law and authority of God, while Robinson Crusoe transgresses the authority of his biological father.
The heroism in the transgressions by these various characters lies in the fact that similar to the ideals espoused in the contemporary societies of the texts’ setting, they choose independence over dependence; freedom over bondage; discovery over complacency; and change over the status quo.
Therefore, by choosing to violate the laws that governed them by the authority of the father figures in their lives, these four characters chose the less travelled path, and in so doing opened a brave new world for themselves and, by extension, the reader(s); a less tyrannical world, more humanistic, and ultimately more civilised.
Works Cited
Alderman, Nigel. “Rememb’ring Mercy: Monuments, Memory, and Remembering in Paradise Lost.” Milton Quarterly 42.3 (2008): 183-196.
Althusser, Louis. “Robinson Crusoe and the drama of Interpellation.” In Transitions by Warrenn Montag. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print.
Calloway, Katherine. “Beyond Parody: Satan as Aeneas in “Paradise Lost.” Milton Quarterly 6.4(2005): 82-92.
John Milton lived in a period of significant changes that were taking place in England. Paradise Lost is a reflection of that period. In order to understand the poem fully, it is important to take into account these events. First, God is an allusion to the monarch while Heaven is the depiction of the degradation of the monarchy. God sacrifices everything with almost no regrets while making his sacrifices in a very pompous way. Secondly, the conquest of the New World is also revealed as Satan tries to win new territories and make them his new kingdom. Finally, Adam and Eve had to defend their right to believe and have their faith is the allusion to the changes that were apparent in the religious life of England. People were choosing their own faith as they could be Puritans, Anglicans, or even Catholics.
Anne Bradstreet also lived in the 17th century, but she left England to go to the New World. Her poetry reveals the aspects associated with living in the new community. She was a Puritan, which affected her life and worldview considerably. One of the emerging themes in her poetry was the role of a woman in society. Bradstreet lived in the times when women were regarded as inferior to men, which made them confined to their households and families. The poet tried to question this norm in her poetry. The Puritan society was associated with the focus on duty and serving God. These views make Bradstreet’s poems rather provocative as she confessed in a deep love for her husband. It was also essential for Puritans to have strong faith in God and endure all the difficulties of life in the New World as a lesson from God. Again, Bradstreet often revealed her doubts concerning the value of life after death if the earthly life is so miserable.
Nowadays, it is only the handful of uneducated Christian fundamentalists, who continue to refer to the Bible as the actual “word of God”, due to the fact that Christianity had long ago lost its conceptual validity, as theological doctrine. However, it would be wrong to think that such a situation came about as the result of particularly recent developments, in the field of empirical science. Even as far back as in 16th century, many European intellectuals were beginning to realize the sheer outdatedness of Christian worldview. And the reason for this was simple – ever since Martin Luther had translated the Bible from Latin into the secularly spoken German language, Catholic clergy was deprived of its exclusive right on interpreting the “holy book”. In his book “Protestant Thought and Republican Spirit: How Luther Enchanted the World”, Joshua Mitchell says: “Luther’s stress upon the pure inwardness of religious experience inculcated an attitude of quietude and quiescence toward worldly power. Religion perhaps gained in spirituality, but the state certainly gained in power” (Mitchell 1992, p. 689). In its turn, this explains why Christopher Marlowe’s play “The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus” and John Milton’s poem “Paradise Lost” provide us with unconventional interpretation of Hell – the fact that both writers’ worldviews have been affected by religious movement of Protestantism, caused Marlowe and Milton to adopt philosophical rather then literal approach, while dealing with the subject matter. In this paper, we will aim at substantiating the validity of this statement by analyzing Marlowe and Milton’s visions of Hell as being fundamentally different from those closely associated with Catholic tradition.
The reason why White Protestants became undisputed masters of the world by the end of 19th century is that they continuously sought to grasp the essence of highly abstract notions, such as the notion of divinity, for example, while striving to refrain from viewing these notions as intellectually petrified categories. Unlike Jews, Muslims or Buddhists, they were trying to associate religious laws with the notion of common sense. This is exactly the reason why the character of Satan in Milton’s poem cannot be referred to as a classical villain. Upon being exposed to Satan’s reasoning as to why he decided to rebel against God, we recognize it as not being entirely deprived of rationale:
“The mind is its own place, and in it self Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n… To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav’n” (Milton, Book I).
In his book “Milton”, while referring to Milton’s depiction of Satan, Walter Alexander Raleigh says: “Satan unavoidably reminds us of Prometheus, and although there are essential differences, we are not made to feel them essential. His very situation as the fearless antagonist of Omnipotence made him either a fool or a hero, and Milton is far indeed from permitting us to think him a fool” (Raleigh 1900, p.106).
The same can be said about Marlowe’s character of Faustus, who is being initially presented to readers as the very embodiment of Western existential values, which cannot be discussed outside of the concept of scientific progress. This character’s stance in life provides us with the insight on the principle of scientific inquiry as such that can know no limits, which in its turn, prompts us to think of him as being hero, rather then a villain, who was willing to sell its soul to Lucifer. Just as a true European intellectual, Faustus was well aware of the fact that one’s strive towards power through science is being absolutely natural in its essence, as it corresponds to fundamental laws of nature:
“Lines, circles, scenes, letters, and characters; Ay, these are those that Faustus most desires. O, what a world of profit and delight, Of power, of honour, of omnipotence, Is promis’d to the studious artizan!” (Marlowe, Prologue).
As it appears from play’s context, Faustus’ tragedy concerns the process of protagonist being slowly deprived of his posture of an intellectual and turned merely into a seeker of cheep thrills, rather with the fact that by signing contract with a Devil, Faustus has doomed its soul to eternal damnation. In his article “Marlowe and God: The Tragic Theology of Dr. Faustus”, Robert Ornstein makes a perfectly good point when suggesting that: “From the beginning, mean sensual appetites intermingle with Faustus’ Promethean aspirations. From the beginning, he is too glutted with self-conceit to see that his mastery over Mephistophilis is mere appearance. As an intellectual rebel, Faustus has mythic significance. As a writhing sinner, he seems merely another example of religious despair” (Ornstein 1968, p. 1380). Thus, Marlowe does not refer to Faustus’ greatest sin as such that is being related to his willingness to oppose God by siding with Devil, but as such that is being concerned with the protagonist’s inability to utilize his newly acquired powers in a meaningful way.
When we look at Satan’s existential evolution, throughout the “Paradise Lost”, it will appear that, just as Marlowe’s Faustus, this Milton’s character was also undergoing the process of transformation from “high” to “low”. Whereas, at the beginning of a poem Satan is being presented to us as the figure whose magnificence almost equals that of God’s, by the time poem ends he is being reduced to a role of petty troublemaker, who cannot possibly pose any danger to God. The fact that, while talking to Eve, Satan has assumed the exterior of a snake signifies the objective nature of his fall. Whereas, while addressing fallen angels in poem’s Book I , Satan appears as being intellectual, who understands the fundamental nature of socio-political dynamics, regardless of whether these processes take place among angels or among humans:
“Whom reason hath equalled, force hath made supreme Above his equals” (Milton, Book I),
in poem’s subsequent Books, he gradually loses his ability to reason, which eventually causes Satan to conclude that acting opposite to God may somehow increase his chances in confrontation with Creator. In his article “The Satan of Milton”, William Empson states: “The analytic mind of Satan, in his answering speech, does consider the question of God’s goodness; he says that his side, however impotent otherwise, will from now on do ill to oppose the good works of God” (Empson 1960, p. 35). In other words, it is not the fact that Satan’s intellectual powers were utterly inferior to those of God, which resulted in his ultimate demise, but the fact that he had chosen to utilize them in utterly counter-productive manner.
Apparently, the greatest misdeed on the part of both: Marlowe’s Faustus and Milton’s Satan, corresponded to their willingness to “disperse” their intellectual powers into the void. In its turn, this brings us to the discussion as to why, unlike Catholic Renaissance intellectuals such as Dante, Marlowe and Milton do not refer to Hell as the place where sinners undergo everlasting physical torments, but rather as dark, soundless and motionless state of energetic entropy, the “void”, in which sinners suffer from being separated from God, as the worst punishment possible. In his article “Paradise Lost and the Acoustics of Hell”, Matthew Steggle says: “The background condition of Hell is silence: “horrid silence”, containing “silent” locations, run through by the “slow and silent stream” of Lethe. What sound there is created by the damned. Hell itself, when personified as a geographical location, is actually rather frightened by noise” (Steggle 2001). The utter horror of Milton’s Hell is that its existence contradicts the laws of nature, which refer to the state of energetic entropy as being synonymous to the concept of death. Thus, as a true Protestant intellectual, Milton was striving to enlighten readers onto the true nature of the notion of horror as being something necessarily unnatural (fire radiates darkness instead of light), rather than simply frightening. Milton’s hell does exist, even though those unfortunate souls contained in it are dead, in spiritual sense of this word:
“A dungeon horrible, on all sides round, As one great furnace flamed; yet from those flames No light; but rather darkness visible Served only to discover sights of woe, Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace And rest can never dwell, hope never comes” (Milton, Book I).
Sinners that are being cast into hell will never be able to get out of there – Milton’s Protestant mindset rejected the possibility for the existence of “purgatory”. In this respect, Milton’s “hellish” allusions remind those of Marlowe – the reasons why evildoers can never escape Hell is because they bring Hell with them, no matter where they go. In her article “The Picture of Hell in Marlowe’s Dr Faustus”, Pushpita Ghosh reveals the true subtleties of “hell’s omnipotence”, for as long as the fate of Marlowe’s antagonists is concerned: “Faustus asks how he (Mephistophilis) comes out of the Hell. And in reply of this he says that he is not out of the hell but carries Hell wherever he goes… And all sinners carry the hell within their bosom. Where are the sinners there is only the Hell. Even Milton echoes the same expression in Paradise Lost; “Myself am Hell ” replies Satan” (Ghosh 2003). While answering Faustus’ questions as to what Hell really is, Mephistophilis refers to it as “void”, where even a trace of God’s presence cannot be found, by definition:
“Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it: Think’st thou that I, that saw the face of God, And tasted the eternal joys of heaven, Am not tormented with ten thousand hells, In being depriv’d of everlasting bliss?” (Marlowe, Scene 1).
Unlike poets and writers, associated with Catholic tradition, in their works Marlowe and Milton subtly imply that sin is something that cannot really be redeemed, simply because the perpetration of every sin draws a series of effects – the concept of “redemption of sin” would only make sense if such redemption could also eliminate sin’s consequences. For example, one can be well forgiven for perpetrating adultery by invoking God’s name, but this would not affect the fact that an immoral relationship between both adulterers often results in the birth of illegitimate children. This is the reason why Faustus decides not to proceed with his original intention of asking for God’s forgiveness, just before being dragged “down under” – despite Biblical assurances that no sin can be big enough in order to unable God to forgive it, Marlowe’s main character had a good reason to dismiss such assurances, due to the sheer severity of his misdeeds:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there’s no truth in us. Why, then, belike we must sin, and so consequently die: Ay, we must die an everlasting death” (Marlowe, Prologue).
However, Marlowe and Milton lived in time when the members of Christian clergy were still in position of sentencing “heretics” to death by burning, which is why they preferred to discuss Hell in terms of “undeadness”, rather then in terms of “death”. This; however, does not deprive the validity of both authors’ innate suspicion as to the very existence of religiously dogmatized version of Hell. It is exactly because Marlowe and Milton could not possibly think of Hell as the place where sinners are being forced to lick hot frying pans and to drink molten sulfur for eternity, as shown in Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, which allows us to refer to “Paradise Lost” and “The Tragic Theology of Dr. Faustus” as literary works that mark the beginning of the process of European prominent intellectuals being freed out of Christian mental imprisonment.
As true Renaissance thinkers, both: Marlowe and Milton were far from implying that it is namely people’s ability to utilize their sense of rationale, which distances them from God and consequently sentences them to Hell. The foremost message, contained in both literary masterpieces can be defined as follows: it is only when freed intellect becomes solely obsessed with seeking sensual (Faustus) or emotional (Satan) satisfaction, as opposed to seeking knowledge, which represents the initial stages of such intellect’s downfall.
Marlowe and Milton understood perfectly well that there was something seriously wrong with Bible, as the book that supposedly holds answers to all questions. Yet, they were not quite ready to recognize “holy book” as what it really is – a composite of old Jewish folk tales, which were meant to provide a conceptual validity to Jews’ belief in being “chosen people”, from theological point of view. This is why Marlowe and Milton strived to add intellectual appeal to Biblical message, by providing readers with their own explanation as to why evildoers are often able to get away with their crimes, why God appears being rather impotent then omnipotent, and why it is important to remain loyal to God, despite the fact that such loyalty does not make any rational sense. However, while doing it, they unintentionally revealed the theological fallaciousness of a Biblical fable, as being utterly illogical. Whereas, Marlowe and Milton describe Hell as the place where sinners are being deprived of any contacts with God, whatsoever, it is mainly because of such deprivation, on their part, which allows these sinners to act as fully sovereign individuals. On the other hand, Milton and Marlowe’s “good” angels, archangels and cherubs remind us soulless robots, who are only being programmed to constantly play harps and praise God, as their full-time occupation. Therefore, by being exposed to “Paradise Lost” and “The Tragic Theology of Dr. Faustus”, we inevitably come to realize that there are more reasons for us to associate Heaven rather then Hell with non-existence.
Thus, despite Marlowe and Milton’s original intention to revitalize Christianity, it is not simply by an accident that the publishing of “Paradise Lost” and “The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus” in 17th century coincided with the time when “religion of peace and tolerance” has been firmly set on the path of decline. And the reason for this is simple – both works encourage people to contemplate on the subject of divine. However, for as long as idealistic and educated individuals are being concerned, such contemplation usually causes them to realize that God (Heaven) and Devil (Hell) is not something to be sought for up in the sky or down underground, but within. Therefore, whatever the improbable it might sound – it is much more appropriate to discuss Marlowe’s play and Milton’s epic poem within a context of how religion continues to yield to science, as time goes by, despite both works’ formal affiliation with Christianity.
Marlowe, Christopher “The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus”. 1604. Project Guttenberg Ebook.
Mitchell, Joshua “Protestant Thought and Republican Spirit: How Luther Enchanted the World”. The American Political Science Review, 86. 3 (1992): 688-695.
Milton, John “Paradise Lost”. 1667. Project Guttenberg Ebook.
John Milton’s poem Paradise Lost is one of the most read epic poems in history (Kean 34). The poem is religious and focuses on the relationship between man and God. To be specific, the poem sheds light on how man’s fate was decided at the Garden of Eden. Precisely, this poem is a Christian poem that seeks to justify the actions of God, which may be unclear to man.
The poem has thousands of lines in the poem’s verses. The poem has been written in over twelve books, not mentioning the original ten book version that was initially written. The review of Book 1 of the poem will highlight the age of the poem. Moreover, the review will provide information about the poet and a thesis statement. A substantive summary of the book will be done with a conclusion.
Age of the poem
This poem was published in the year 1667, but was first initialized by the poet in the 17th century (Lewalski 686). This was the first edition of the poem, which consisted of ten books. Later, the poem was redone as a second edition in the year 1674 and consisted of twelve books.
An in-depth analysis of the book reveals that the poem is ancient and was done, when the need to emphasis the validity of the Christian faith was questionable. This can be justified by the poem’s insistence in illuminating the Christian faith from a traditional point of view, particularly by focusing on God, Satan, first creations and man.
The poet
John Milton is a renowned poet, who is sometimes regarded as a polemicist. The poet was born on 9th December 1608 (Milton XI) and has written several religious and political materials in his career. Born in London, the young Milton oversaw a shift of his religious views after being abandoned by his father. This was because, the young Milton who was brought up as a staunch Catholic converted to Protestantism.
However, Milton started to write poetry in the 1630s, while undergoing his studies. Much of Milton’s poetry can be traced in the various literary materials that focus on Christian religion and politics (XIV). Until his death on 8th November 1674, the English author was known of his contribution to British partisanship, which is still a contentious issue in modern Britain.
The poetic style known as the Miltonic blank verse style is named after John Milton’s poetic style, which is still relevant in both epic poetry and contemporary poetry.
Thesis statement
The poem Paradise Lost is an epic encounter that illuminates the significance of the disobedience of man to God. The poem’s emphasis on God, Satan, angels, and other godly creatures is of importance for man to understand God’s actions. The poem validates Christianity and offers relevance to the Christian religion.
Book Summary
As indicated earlier, the poem is an epic encounter of the Christian faith. The poem trends along with the story of the fall of man as a creature endowed with free will, but weak in faith. This is evidenced in the poem’s first lines, which introduce the subject of the poem. The first lines of the poem indicate the disobedience of man, the cause of the disobedience, the consequence and man’s redemption.
“Of man first disobedience/ and the fruit of that forbidden tree/ whose mortal taste brought death into the world/ and all our woe/ with loss of Eden/ till one greater man restore us….” (Milton 1-5).
The mentioning of the muses in the sixth line of the first verse is an indication that the fall of man may have been pre-planned for a greater significance in the future. A focus on the mentioning of the muses would reveal that Milton is referring to the Holy Spirit.
“Sing heavenly muse/ that on the secret top of Oreb/ or Sinai, didst inspire” (Milton 6-7)
The poet also mentions the aspects that define man’s failure in the presence of God. For example, the poet asserts his presence to hell with Satan. He refers to hell as a burning inferno, where there is chaos in the middle of nowhere. It is in the first book of the poem that the poet introduces the universe structure.
In this regard, the universe is created by God and consists of the earth, the stars, and other planets. The poet implies that the earth is beautiful to the extent that Satan is amazed by such creation, once he falls from heaven.
From the poem’s first book, the reader is introduced to the poem’s characters. Some of these characters are deeply mentioned in Holy Scriptures. An example of such is the mention of angels, archangels and Satan. It seems that the fall of man started from heavenly wrangles between God and Satan. This is attested by the poet who describes Satan as bewildered, once he is thrown out of heave and notices Beelzebub.
Together and some other angels, Satan also recounts on how they should attack God after losing in their first ordeal. In this occurrence, the disobedience of man to God is premeditated, once Satan and his counterparts want to revenge against God through man.
The poet description of Satan is that of a powerful evil that still posses some of the angelic features, such as feathers and monstrous physique. At one point, the poet describes and compares Satan’s shield to a big moon and his pear to a huge mast of a big ship. The rise and reign of evil begin at this moment when Satan summons his fellow fallen angels and counterparts and organizes them into various responsibilities.
The mentioning of the pagan deities in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament is likened by the poet to the leaders of the organized satanic angels. Such deities can be likened to the idol worshipping by the Israelites as numerously mentioned in the Old Testament.
Some of the pagan deities mentioned by Milton include the Chemos worshipped as a non-Hebrew god, soon after the Israelites came from Egypt. Another deity was Moloch popular in Syria and Jordan. Another deity was the Ashtoreth worshipped by the Phoenicians. Milton mentions a lot of deities that were part of the fallen angels.
As mentioned earlier, the fall of man may have been premeditated. However, such would not come easy considering that God had already created man. By using fraud, man could be used as the means to an end. The poet tries to show how Satan and his legions still deceive man through the greed of the material wealth.
From another perspective, the poem Paradise Lost is initialized by a focus on the beginning of the world, which was intended to be a paradise. God intention was to make the earth a paradise for his creations. However, such was lost along the way after the fall of Satan from heaven. Nonetheless, the poet tries to be truthful by using the Holy Spirit to imply his allegations as truthful.
The Holy Spirit is described as the muse, which is intended to keep the information truthful. This is revealed by Milton’s mentioning of the fallen angels by their names. This is an exemplary way of ensuring that his poem does not pass as a myth like any other epic poem with a Greek or Latin origin.
While Greek and Latin mythology focuses on heroic figures like Achilles, Milton’s story of the Paradise Lost is a journey for all mankind. Milton’s epic story is about the good against the evil, which is the most horrific battle that continues to date.
The large part of book 1 of the Paradise Lost poem is a description of the satanic character. The poet tries to explain the struggles of Satan and the eventful deception of man by Satan. At this juncture, the reader may be swayed to think that Satan is the hero of the story or the protagonist of the story. Satan whispers into the year of Eve and deceives her into eating the forbidden fruit.
The success of Satan’s deception may be likened to a character of a protagonist. Most protagonists struggle and emerge successful in their ambitions. The introduction of Adam and Eve in the story does not shift this perception that Satan might be powerful than man. This is evidenced when Satan is described not to have wavered in his evil quest. In fact, he takes pride and delight in evil rather than good.
“Falling Cherub, to be weak is miserable
Doing or suffering, but of this be sure
To do ought good never will be our task
But ever to do ill our delight…” (Milton 157- 160).
Satan becomes more optimistic of his plans, and at one point he envisions himself becoming the king in hell. Satan is powerful to understand the power of the mind. He knows that the mind can be corrupted to make a heaven out of hell or vice versa.
Nonetheless, Satan powers are unmatched to that of God. God demonstrates his immense great powers by lifting up the fallen angles from the burning inferno and unites them with Satan. God must have had a greater plan than Satan.
Perhaps, God had premeditated the fall of man and wanted to demonstrate his powers to redeem man from Satan’s evil plans. This can be evidenced by God choosing his son Jesus Christ to save man by grace. However, Satan does not seem to understand this plan and continues with his pride and thinks his intellects matches that of God.
Ironically, the poet description of Satan has certain shortcomings. The initial intent of the poet was to describe a powerful satanic force. The poet does so by using similes of the burning lake, the pandemonium, the big mast, and a hill.
“Lay floating many a rood, in bulk as huge/ as whom the fables name of monstrous size…” (Milton 196-197).
Such use of similes indicates that the size of Satan is relative. This description makes the reader to believe that Satan may not be that powerful, big or mysterious.
The book 1 of the poem Paradise Lost portrays Satan as a loser who was incapable of killing even a single angel in their initial heavenly battle. The poem also portrays Satan as a hero of destruction and only excels in acts that bring forth war and atrocities. In this context, mankind is advised against gong into war with Satan without God’s help.
The poet leads the readers to question their admiration of martial strength and the character of heroes who exist in literature. In so doing, the reader is prompted into understanding the virtues of the Christian faith. These Christian virtues entail being obedient, humble and patient in persevering temptations.
It is important to acknowledge that Milton’s description of Satan is not to provoke admiration from the reader. Milton does not expect empathy from the reader.
However, the poet wants the reader to notice the irony that surrounds Satan success. In fact, the poet wants the reader to understand that Satan only succeeds because God wants him to, but just for a while. It seems that Satan efforts and actions are also premeditated by another superior power, which is God.
The poet through symbolism creates the city of hell known as pandemonium, which Satan wants to perfect as hell’s capital. The city, which is made of gold, represents the worldly desires harbored by man. Nonetheless, the city is later revealed to be a sinful place that is full of confusion and disorder. This is a perfect representation of illusions of both Satan and man.
Conclusion
Three main themes are traceable in book 1 of the poem. The first theme is the significance of obedience to God in the Christian faith. The first book of the poem describes the disobedience of man as a succession of Satan’s rebellion against God. At one point, man is warned by angel Raphael that Satan is a threat to mankind. This depicts that obedience is a moral principle that depends on free will for its execution.
When free will is unable to counter against disobedience, mankind is doomed to continue into sin and moral degradation. The significance of disobedience to God has its own significance, since through repentance man is forgiven by God. The lack of acknowledgment of sin and repentance leads to eternal condemnation by God. To date, the significance of seeking forgiveness from God and repentance is a fundamental principle in the Christian faith.
The second theme depicted in the poem is the structure and nature of the universe. The poet gives a layout of the universe in his poem by depicting how God is positioned above all other things. In this context, heaven, hell, and earth are given various proximities in the universe. In this universal hierarchy, the poet positions various creations about God’s proximity. With each level of proximity, certain aspects of power are given to the same creations.
Above all, God is the Supreme Being of all and the creator of all other beings positioned in the universal hierarchy. God’s son Jesus Christ is amongst the top in the hierarchical commands, followed by angels and then a man and ultimately animals.
The positioning of Jesus Christ as superior to all angels prompted the rebellion of Satan and other fallen angels. In this respect, it is important to note that man can only remain obedient by respecting this hierarchy. To this very day, the Christians give allegiance to the Son Jesus Christ in respect to being obedient to God.
The final theme depicts disobedience to God as partly fortunate. After the revelation of the savior of humankind, Adam is happy and sees man’s fault as a means to a happy ending. Through the fault of man, God can show his mighty power in redeeming the sinner.
Moreover, his love is depicted to be forever unending. Such Christian values are the foundation of the Christian faith that salvation comes from the Son of God. Basically, the fall of man is a plan of God to reveal his powers and love for mankind.
Works Cited
Kean, Margaret. John Milton’s paradise lost: A sourcebook. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.
Lewalski, K. Barbara. The life of John Milton: A critical biography. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. Print.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost, Books 1 and 2. California: CUP Archive, 1958. Print.
Milton, John. Paradise lost: A poem, in twelve books. The author John Milton. Oxford: Oxford University, 1746, p. 1-798. Print.
In the poem, Milton talks about the story of Adam and Eve and how they lost their place in paradise. He expands the story of creation by including more details and events that led to the creation and fall of man. He also presents a narrative of the activities that happened in the Garden of Eden. The theme of free will is deeply embedded in Milton’s Paradise Lost. It comes out clearly as he tries to explain the way of God towards human beings.
Milton argues that the reason for creation of man was to allow man to assume the previous position held by Satan and his angels. This was primarily the reason for making man after the fall of Satan. Man was given the free will to choose what he wants. However, God still had full knowledge of what man was going to do if he uses the free will. This implies that God knew from the beginning that man would disobey the commandments given to him. As a result, it begs the questions as whether there was free will given in the first place.
If man was truly given free will, God’s knowledge of how the world would eventually turn out raises so many questions. At the same time, man’s inability to make decisions beyond his human and physical nature further creates concerns as to the amount of freedom he has in making his decisions. This paper seeks to explore and develop an argument based on the theme of free will in Milton’s Paradise Lost.
Synoptic background
According to Milton, the war in heaven led to the defeat of Satan and later dismissal from heaven. He then built a pandemonium in hell where he held meetings with his followers. These meetings were aimed at planning a revenge mission after losing the war in heaven.
In the meetings, it was decided that the mission shall aim at attacking God’s prophesied new creation, mankind. God, being omnipotent and all knowing, foretells the fall of man. When Satan got his way into the Garden of Eden, he became extremely jealous of them. He knew that the favor mankind was experiencing was supposed to be upon him.
But, since he had rebelled against God, his destiny was destruction. Attacking God’s newly favored creation, he thought, was the best way to hit back at God. From this background, one is able to deduce that God knew how everything would transpire even before he created mankind. He was aware of the meeting Satan had with his followers in pandemonium. He knew their agendas and foretold of the fall of man.
The concept of free will
The concept of free will refers to the ability of individuals to make choices without the influence of external forces. The forces that impede someone from making free decisions can be physical, spiritual, mental, social, and metaphysical in nature. However, in the context of the poem, such forces are either metaphysical or spiritual.
Therefore, if human beings were given the free will, according to Milton, it implies that they should be able to make choices without being constrained by God. This ability is evident in the poem. God makes Adam and Eve then gives the ability to make their decisions. He gives them a commandment and expects them to obey. Even though God knows what Adam and Eve are able to do with their free will, He still expects them to obey the commandment that required them not to eat fruits from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
When the devil came to tempt Adam and Eve, God knew that they would fall to the temptations because they had the free will to make their decisions. He knew that they were eager to gain knowledge and to have an experience beyond what they are. God did not influence or interfere with their decisions to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. According to Milton, God expected man to obey voluntarily. This is what Milton means by Adam and Eve having free will.
The angels in heaven are also part of God’s creation. These angels including Lucifer were also given the free will. They were expected to obey God voluntarily and not out of coercion or influence from God. Lucifer and his cohorts chose not to obey but there is evidence of voluntary obedience in the other angels.
One such angel is Abdel who declines being part of the team that disobeys God. As Satan tries to convince him to join his side, Abdel counters his argument and tells that the laws God makes are to establish a union with him. By disobeying God, the union is broken and the consequence is separation and death. Abdel is used in the story to demonstrate the true meaning of freedom.
Being separated from God, as a result of disobedience, seems democratic and in pursuit of freedom. However, in essence there is no freedom in breaking the union God has established with his creatures. This made mankind to have the tendency of both God and Satan. On one hand, man could be good and act for the benefit of all while on the other hand man could be extremely evil and create a lot of disaster and chaos in his surrounding environment.
In their first state, Adam and Eve were good people. However, after the fall, every aspect of mankind was affected. The mind became unable to comprehend the things of the spirit, the hearts developed deceptive emotions, and the free will became bound. Humans are natural beings.
Even though sometimes they feel like acting beyond their nature, they are bound not to. Adam and even could not act beyond what is natural despite having the desire. The aspect of free will was only truly free when they had not sinned. They would interact with God, according to Milton.
God appeared to them in a form that they would see. They would communicate to God through a normal conversation. This meant that they would be able to get immediate feedback when they spoke to God and vice versa. It was through free will that both of them were able to decide to try something that was not part of them. As Milton describes, both Adam and Eve were very inquisitive and desired to gain knowledge.
This aspect was not part of them prior the fall. They were only to gain knowledge if they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. At that point they had the free will to choose something that was beyond their nature. However, after the fall, they became bound. Their free will became limited only to their human physical nature. They were only able to make free choices that revolve around their nature.
If humans were to really enjoy the concept of free will, they would wish to transform into various things they find interesting. They would wish to operate in the spiritual realm or control forces of nature. But, since their free will is now bound, they can only create things with their imaginations but within the limits of nature. Another concern that is raised from the poem is why God would make such a lousy security system.
In other words, why would God wish to make man to replace the position previously held by the devil and yet allow for the fall of man by giving man free will? The point is that if God wanted mankind to take that position, then man should not have been given the ability to make choices out of their own will. This is because the same rebellion and disobedience God got from Satan would follow through mankind.
Conclusion
From the poem, it can be deduced that God, through his mercies, still expects humans to obey him voluntarily despite the fact that Adam and Eve fell. God presented before them life and death.
Even with the fall of man, God still had intentions to rescue man from the consequences of disobedience. He planned a remedy for the fall of man but still left man with the free will to accept the remedy or continue living in disobedience. Man still has the freedom to eat from the tree of life which reestablishes the union man once had with God.
The analysis of the literature directions, its historical correlation, and ideology can be achieved through one image. The discussed course is divided into two major parts. The first one deals primarily with the humanism in literature, while the second addresses the Baroque direction. The connecting element for both parts is the Renaissance period. The figure of Satan in Dante’s Inferno and Milton’s Paradise Lost can symbolize the described division. Dante’s Satan includes the ideas of medieval and Renaissance traditions. Milton’s Satan was respectively created based on the combining Renaissance and Baroque literary styles. The primary thesis of the work is that both authors use the image of Satan to show the ideological, literary, and historical contradictions between good and evil.
The Image of Satan in Dante’s Inferno
In Dante’s Inferno, Satan is depicted as a huge demon who is placed in the center of the Inferno on the nine Canto. Considering the image described by the author, the figure can be compared with the traditional Christian theological doctrines’ image of Lucifer. The fallen angel, who was cast down from heavens for trying to behold the power of God. Lucifer was impressed with his power and position that he desired the glory that belongs to God alone, which is one of the deadly sins. However, in Inferno, the narrator is not horrified by the evil Satan.
Controversially, Dante is impressed by this creature’s power in bearing the sin of pride. Seeing Satan, Dante claims: “O, what a marvel it appeared to me When I beheld three faces on his head!” (Dante, 1782, p. 34). Satan can be considered as the image of God of the Inferno. Some of the correlations with Jesus can be made. For example, the wings of Satan remind the crucifixion form, which shows that both evil and good are punished equally because of the different reasons. Notably, the characters’ escape Inferno by climbing up the body of Satan (Dante, 1782). In other words, this character is necessary to be accepted by Dante and Virgil to advance in their journey.
The image of Satan in Inferno can be described from the perspective of scholastic philosophy. Based on this idea, the notion of Satan is the turning point empowering the more remarkable changes. Dante strives to show that Satan is magnificent in his power of being the center of Inferno. However, Satan’s power cannot be compared to the actual superiority of Jesus. It is vital to stress the physical appearance of the Satan described by Dante. The demon has three faces, red, yellow, and black, which symbolize aggression, passion, and ultimate despair (Dante, 1782). The faces can be the sinners’ personalization: Judas, Brutus, and Cassius: “the teeth of each mouth held a sinner, kept as by a flax rake; thus he held three of them in agony” (Dante, 1782, p. 68). This can be a reference to the traditional Christian concept of the Trinity. Allocating such religious correlations, Dante emphasizes the lusty nature of the sinners’ power compared to the divine one. Dante strives to show that the person who is being affected by the sin and sufferers cannot break the vicious circle of succumbing to it again and again. Those who are able to overcome evil and accept the evil, represented by the image of Satan, can reach purgatory.
Intercultural Impact of the Satan’s Image
At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, Dante opened the way for a new Renaissance and new artistic thought. Dante proclaimed a new, humanistic view of man and was full of compassion for humanity, indebted to the gift of seeing the highest truth. In order to understand the poet’s innovation, it is necessary to consider the ideological and aesthetic fundamentals of medieval literature. Realistically realized mystical fantasy plays an essential role in the poem. The motif of eternal suffering is captured in the depiction of the image of Satan. Dante shows the character who is dualistic in regard to the sinners and the Satan. The humanism literary approach can be highlighted within the scope of the poem. Despite understanding the evil made by the sinners and Satan, Dante sympathizes with all of them and builds the communication without any signs of condemnation. In Satan’s case, Dante admires the creature’s powerful appearance. The image of Satan is controversial from the literary perspective. On the one hand, it allocated the traditional medieval literature image of Lucifer. On the other hand, the character’s sympathetic attitude toward Satan is a renaissance feature. Therefore, this image represents the border between the two literary styles.
The Image of Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost
The psychologically complex inner image of Satan found artistic expression in his portrait. Milton shows Satan as a winged giant with a shield behind his back and a spear in a heroic hand. In a moment of anger, he is like a comet; in the scene with Gabriel, Satan is compared to Atlas and Tenerife: his head, crowned with feathered horror (Milton, 1667). In the image of Satan, the author implements the guise of an individualist who considered his personality the measure of all things, the center of the universe (Milton, 1667). The Renaissance tendencies reconsidered the church’s Middle Ages teaching about the frailty of life. Milton believed that the humanists’ theories proclaimed by the church and community were blank. The Puritans’ ideology and purity were questioned because of their unrighteous actions. In this regard, Milton describes Satan, whom the poet opposes to hypocrites-puritans, as ready to sacrifice himself for others’ sake.
Individualism and Baroque Motifs in the Image of the Satan
Paradise Lost’s speech against the cult of individuality was deeply popular. Satan’s image reflects many Baroque motifs that germinated during the creation of Paradise Lost. One of the significant features of this literary style is the pathos which is the moving power of the revolution against the Heavens (Milton, 1667). Satan can be described as a character who has no calmness in his heart. He is constantly fighting with his ideals and beliefs. Satan cannot identify his place and the sense of his existence. Contrary to the Son of God, he strives to understand his desires through the rebellion. Another feature of the Baroque style is the rapid change of the character images (Milton, 1667). Moreover, the idea can be treated from a political perspective. Milton unmasks the evil nature of Satan through rejection of the inherent character daring in regard to God. By doing so, the author expresses the fight to establish republican construction in England.
Conclusion
Both authors implement the image of Satan consequently with the primary philosophical and religious ideas relevant for the particular period. The characters are entirely different from the ideological perspective. The prominent similarity feature is that these images reflect the shifts in literary tendencies. The authors use the idea of Satan to express their understanding of correlations between good and evil through the symbolic description of the appearance (Dante) and personality (Milton) of Satan. Therefore, the images of Satan are based on the authors’ religious, philosophical, and even political perspectives in expressing the contradictions between evil and good.
References
Dante, A. (1782). Inferno (C. Rogers, Trans.). Sage.