Satan in Dante’s “Devine Comedy” and Milton’s “Paradise Lost”

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Image of Satan in Dante’s Inferno
Intercultural Impact of the Satan’s Image
The Image of Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost
Individualism and Baroque Motifs in the Image of the Satan
Conclusion
References

Introduction

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.

Milton, J. (1667). Paradise lost. Samuel Simmons.

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