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Essay on John Milton and Satan

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Statement of the problem

The figure of Satan from John Milton's epic work Paradise Lost is rather controversial. Contrary to Satan from the Bible, this character possesses an ambiguous nature that continues to raise hot debates among scholars as to the interpretation of Milton's Satan. Some researchers maintain the idea that Satan is a classical epic hero that can be compared with Homer's Achilles, while other scholars consider this character as a non-traditional hero. The third group of researchers refuses to define Satan as a hero, pointing out that this character is a simple negation of Creator. Overall, rising against oppression and God, Satan reflects a complex symbolic meaning that reveals Milton's artistic viewpoint. In this regard, the researchers' interpretation of Paradise Lost is mainly based on two contradictory visions: orthodox and heterodox.

Introduction

Any epic poem is characterised by the representation of history and cultural traditions of particular civilisations, as well as by the investigation of crucial issues of existence. The classical epic poetry mainly created by the Greeks and Romans usually applies to the theme of heroism, producing unusual epic heroes, like Homer's Achilles or Virgil's Aeneas, that are further utilised in Renaissance literature. As Lefkowitz claims, "Whether we are aware of it or not, our perception of reality continues to be defined by the 'Greek experience'. The plots of myths recur even in contemporary writing, only with the names, dates, places changed"1. Other civilisations also invented their heroes, such as Gilgamesh of the Assyrians, Siegfried of the Germans and Beowulf of the Anglo-Saxons, - the characters that reflected certain heroic periods. However, some poets and writers find it difficult to accept such definition of heroism and create their own heroes that, on the one hand, contrast with the classical epic heroes, but, on the other hand, adhere to certain epic conventions. One of such characters is Milton's Satan from the poem Paradise Lost.

On the example of this character Milton greatly changes the issue of heroism, contributing to the destruction of the older epic genre and the classical epic heroes, instead introducing a new epic form of portrayal. As a result of such changes, the epic is gradually transformed into an artificial genre, as Hainsworth puts it, "The exciting turmoils of three decades of revolution in criticism have left the classic texts much as they were: the canonical exemplars that continue to organize our Western concepts of literature"2.

The aim of this dissertation is two-fold: 1) to analyse the figure of Milton's Satan with the emphasis on the classical world, and 2) to discuss the writer's attempts to integrate the classical world with his own artistic vision. The paper is divided into several sections. Chapter 1 provides a statement of the problem that uncovers the core of the research. Chapter 2 observes the issue in general terms, applying to classical references. Chapter 3 analyses those works and researches that have been written on Milton's Satan. Chapter 4 mentions the research methods that are utilised for the analysis. Chapter 5 discusses in detail the issue of whether Satan can be regarded as a classical epic hero and can be compared with Homer's Achilles. Chapter 6 provides a summarisation of the received findings, and Chapter 7 points at the limitations of the research and suggestions for further investigation.

Review of the literature

John Milton's epic work Paradise Lost attracts attention of various researchers who are especially interested in the figure of Satan. Gerald J. Schiffhorst analyses symbolism, through which Milton creates such characters as Satan. As he points out, "because Milton's personified characters and events stand for moral, religious, or political ideas, he was able to combine classical and Christian elements"3. Abrams also supports the idea that in this poem Milton applies to pagan and Christian elements in the characters' portrayal4, while Martindale makes stress on Christian components that influenced the figure of Satan5.

Analysing Milton's character, Northrop Frye claims, "What Satan himself manifests in Paradise Lost is the perverted quality of parody-heroism… Consequently it is to Satan and his followers that Milton assigns the conventional and Classical type of heroism"6. Thus, providing Satan with some heroic actions, Milton implicitly criticises God that rejects those who do not want to follow his rules. However, Shawcross doesn't regard Satan as a real hero; contrary to other critics of Milton's poem, Shawcross states that "In Satan we have the antithesis of heroic action although he appropriates the language of that action. [The Son] becomes the exemplary hero, or prototype hero, for all men"7. In this regard, Francis C. Blessington goes further in his analysis of Milton's Satan; in particular, the researcher points out that Satan is "the perversion of the classical heroic virtues… [He is] not a classical hero but a classical villain who unheroically defeats creatures far below him in stature"8. Martin Mueller pays attention to the epic conventions in representing the figure of Satan; according to him, "because Satan is the idol, or hideous double of Christ, he necessarily acts within the conventions of the epic tradition"9.


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