Because noding homework is apparently a real thing, I present to you a wholesale copy of Out of Class Essay Number Two: 'Describing and analyzing the presentation of the character Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost (Books one and two). Complete with apologetic foreword.
We actually haven't gone over Paradise Lost in class yet- I jumped ahead of the curve and started reading it ahead of time specifically so I could do this topic. (Our teacher had printed out the sheet with essay topics ahead of time, not realizing that we wouldn't get to Milton until next week. The other topics all pertain to poetry that we did go over in class, but I would rather gouge out my eyes that write an essay on poetry.)
So, as this is homework, and not only that, but homework that hasn't been graded, and on a subject that we haven't gone over in class and I am therefore technically unfamiliar with (seriously, this is all just my first impression upon reading the first few books), I reserve the right to be thoroughly wrong, to misinterpret things, to take large chunks of text out of context and to warp around the work in any way I see fit.
Ah. Enjoy?
* * * * *
Forward: I must confess something before starting the essay proper. I. . . like angels. A lot. Not the soppy, cutesy, inoffensive ones that plague the perceptions of modern media (The comedic shoulder devil/angel pair, paintings and hallmark figurines of pretty ladies playing harps, the Italian putti that saturate Valentine's cards, etc.). I like the old school ones. The four winged, four armed, red-winged cherub with the ox/eagle/lion/human head combo going on and the goat legs. The Ophanim- interlocking chariot wheels with about a gazillion eyes on fire. Six winged Seraphim who wrap themselves up like birthday presents because they are doing their damnedest not to incinerate everything within a ten mile radius.
The grigori, the nephilim, Azrael, the Metatron- all old favorites.
The strange effect of all this is that I also like making fun of them. I'm religious and all, but I’ve got a sense of humor, and if you can't laugh at the all-seeing burning chariot wheels that God likes to sit on sometimes- well, what can you laugh at?
So I must apologize in advance if any of this essay comes off as. . . impertinent in some places.
* * * * *
When one person walks up to another and says ‘give me the name of a tragic hero. Any at all,' most people do not immediately answer, ‘Satan’. They do not thoughtfully scratch their chins and say, ‘Well, that Lucifer seemed like a stand up guy. He really got shafted on that deal.”
There is a reason for that.
Normally the reason is left at ‘because he’s Satan, duh'. Despite all the alternate character interpretation trends going around, it’s still hard to put together a sympathetic backstory for the guy a large chunk of the planet have pegged down as the root of all corruption. Some have tried, mind, usually portraying God as some ginormous* jerk with an omniscient morality license** and Satan as some sort of freedom fighter. Most just settle for trying to give some deeper reason for his mutiny and subsequent fall than 'he was prideful'.
Milton doesn't really go in for that. Milton's Satan is as prideful as ever, but he's also presented as being cunning, charismatic, and arrogant (which is like being prideful, but slightly more stupid and loads more annoying in real life. Pride is 'I'm great,' arrogant is 'I'm better than you'), but instead of it being from the perspective of 'he is unquestionably evil, and as such, he has these traits', it's more from a 'these are his personality traits. They lead him to do stupid, malicious, eventually evil things' standpoint- which actually gives him a few more notes than the average depiction.
Paradise Lost begins with Satan and company in hell, wallowing in despair, literally, as references are sprinkled throughout of Satan actually having to hold his head above waves and how they’re sort of floating/treading in the liquid. The first bit really can just be summarized as the narration saying,
'Oh, Lucifer, you silly, stupid fellow. You really screwed up.'
To which Satan basically replies,
‘Okay, yes. I may have made a few tactical errors. But I can USE this!’
“Since through experience of this great event
In Arms not worse, in foresight much advanced,
We may with more successful hope resolve
To wage by force or guile eternal war
Irreconcilable, to our grand foe”
Yes, Lou, you have Him right where you want Him.
Beelzebub speaks up around then, and he tentatively suggests that they might’ve just screwed the pooch on this one.
“Here swallowed up in endless misery.
But what if he our conqueror, (whom I now
Of force believe Almighty, since no less
Then such could have overpowered such force as ours)
Have left us-“
Wait. Wait a second.
“- left us this our spirit and strength entire
Strongly to suffer and support our pains-“
No, wait a minute. Narrative, you back up. You say that again.
“But what if he our conqueror, (whom I now
Of force believe Almighty, since no less
Then such could have overpowered such force as ours”
You mean you didn’t KNOW? You’ve spent the past few millennia- ALL the past millennia, actually- with this ginormous cosmic being, and you’ve seen him create atoms and elements and chemicals and chemical processes for them to go through and seen Him ignite a few zillion stars with a celestial Bic, and you’ve seen Him create the cosmos out of god-spit and elbow grease- who created YOU out of spit and grease, and life from dirt- dirt which He created- and you’re telling me you didn’t know? You never thought, ‘Hey. Maybe this guy’s tougher than we are. Maybe we shouldn’t tick him off.’
Wow.
Satan’s. . . Satan’s kind of an idiot. Light bringer or no, he’s still not the brightest bulb in the box.
So Beelzebub mentions the doubts he has, seeing as how instead of ruling the heavens, they're now swimming around in a lake of fire. Satan's pretty quick to jump on that ball.
"Whereto with speedy words the Arch-fiend replied
...
To do ought good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our sole delight,"
'Darn it, we are going to be evil and you are going to like it!' This also shows off Satan's blind stupid here.
"... If then his Providence
Out of our evil seek to bring forth good,
Our labor must be to pervert that end,
And out of good still to find means of evil;
Which oft times may succeed, so as perhaps
Shall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturb
His inmost counsels from their destined aim."
'Hey guys! Here's an idea. You know how we just got our bottoms thoroughly kicked and were just cast out in a sulfurous hail? Let's antagonize the guy who did it! Then he'll have to respect us.'
Which actually all ties down to Satan's biggest trait: the pride. He is the ur-example for the damning power of hubris (hehe. Damning). "Pride cometh before the fall", and apparently it sticks around after, as well. This whole matter could probably be tied up if he were to just go back to heaven and say, with sincerity, 'Hey, I screwed up. I'm sorry. I won't try to stage a coup ever again, I promise'. No guarantee, as it doesn't happen that way in either the various religions or in the narrative itself, but one would think that the popular Christian depiction of a loving God would be willing to cut an angel some slack. Especially since this is his first offense.
Instead, Satan picks himself up out of the lake, looks around the desolate wasteland and says 'Well, it's better than nothing.'
"That we must change for Heaven, this mournful gloom
For that celestial light? Be it so, since he
Who now is sovereign can dispose and bid
What shall be right: farthest from him is best
Whom reason hath equaled, force hath made supreme
Above his equals. Farewell happy fields
Where Joy for ever dwells: Hail horrors, hail
Infernal world, and thou profoundest Hell
Receive thy new possessor: One who brings
A mind not to be changed by Place or Time.
The mind is its own place, and in it self
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.
What matter where, if I be still the same,
And what I should be, all but less then He
Whom Thunder hath made greater? Here at least
We shall be free; the Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heaven.
But wherefore let we then our faithful friends,
. . .
With rallied Arms to try what may be yet
Regained in Heaven, or what more lost in Hell?"
The bolded lines are ones demonstrating the aforementioned pride, in case simply having the gall to take on Capital-G-God wasn't enough of a tip off. As for the narrative's guitar solo (The Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heaven' line), there are actually a few options to go with here.
Option one: Satan is so far in denial he's seeing pyramids. Understandable, as he's just got his bottom handed to him by his dad/boss and has just ruined pretty much the entire rest of his existence. This is probably one part pride (What? He beat me? He can't beat me! I'm the greatest!), one part shock (Oh no, he beat me! He won! Craaaaap***) and one part panic (Oh, there's got to be a way out of this. There has to be a way out. I can still take Him! I can still win!) and one part sheer knee-jerk childish stubbornness (Well fine! I don't wanna(sic) play with you, either! So there. I like it down here. But I'm still going to try to take your place, anyway).
Option two: Satan is thoroughly screwed, and he know's he's screwed, but he's keeping a brave face for- once again- his pride. He's going to go down fighting and, as an immortal being for whom death isn't an option unless by specific heavenly mandate(one would assume God would be able to kill him off for good if He really wanted to), that means spending the rest of his existence devoted to being the biggest jerk in the universe.
Apologizing isn't an option. The same hubris that lead him to try and take on the Almighty, and then STILL annoy the aforesaid Almighty is the same sort that makes apologizing impossible to do. Just like doomed couples find it impossible to apologize after a big fight, so too is Satan incapable of apologizing for the whole 'trying to usurp the throne of heaven' thing.
"All these and more came flocking; but with looks
Down cast and damp, yet such wherein appeared
Obscure some glimpse of joy, to have found their chief
Not in despair, to have found themselves not lost
In loss it self; which on his countenance cast
Like doubtful hue: but he his wonted pride
Soon recollecting, with high words, that bore
Semblance of worth not substance, gently raised
Their fainted courage, and dispelled their fears."
Daw.****
This scene is almost pathetically endearing. No, really, hear this out: if this story is going along with what a large chunk of the Christian population believes, then all the angels here have never really gotten the hang of individual thought. Supposedly, the whole 'following Lucifer in the charge against God' thing was the first big decision any of them ever made (and it was categorically the wrong decision, on top of that, so ouch). They're all still bruised up –both in ego and physically. They're confused as heck (hehe. Heck) and not used to the strange, dark place they're in. They're lost. They've just crawled out of a lake of burning substance (I don't know. I suppose fire is a liquid, now. It's hell; it doesn't have to make sense), are all thoroughly miserable, and even though the usage of 'damp' in this refers to generic unhappiness, I can't help but imagining them literally cold wet and sniffling.
Then, they catch sight of the guy who got them into all this, the guy who's brilliant idea it was to wage war against the creator of the whole universe, and instead of becoming violently enraged, gutting Lucifer, and returning to heaven with his head on a platter and a massive apology, they're happy. Not too happy, but they're definitely feeling a little better. He's their boss. Their big brother, if you think about it. He'll know what to do! He can fix this! A few lines later and they're all throwing a parade for him, like 'yeah! This hell place isn't so bad after all! Way to go, boss. You're always so clever!'
Actually, come to think of it, this is probably another reason why Lou continues his fight against God, despite all common sense dictating it to be the stupid option. He has a posse. An entire third of the celestial order, if I recall correctly, all of which trust him implicitly, even after the big Push.
Maybe he's satisfied (using the term very loosely) hanging out in hell and causing trouble above so long as he has people down below to boss around (referencing the 'Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heaven' line). Maybe their stupid, misguided faith in him bolsters his ego, feeds his denial, and swells his head to the point where he really does believe that, 'hey, yeah! I can totally take on this God fellow! With time and proper planning, I really could win!' Or, maybe, he knows he can't win, knows there's nothing he can do, but at the same time cannot allow himself to lose face in front of the crowd of people whose immortal lives he's just thoroughly wrecked.
". . .Darkened so, yet shone
Above them all the Archangel: but his face
Deep scars of Thunder had entrenched, and care
Sat on his faded cheek, but under brows
Of dauntless courage, and considerate pride
Waiting revenge: cruel his eye, but cast
Signs of remorse and passion to behold
The fellows of his crime, the followers rather
(Far other once beheld in bliss) condemned
For ever now to have their lot in pain,
Millions of Spirits for his fault amerc't
Of Heaven, and from Eternal Splendors flung
For his revolt, yet faithful how they stood,
Their Glory withered."
Narration confirms it. He still wants revenge and is still gung-ho about the 'fighting God' plan, but he does realize that he's messed up these guys' lives pretty badly. He also doesn't seem to care too much, because his next step is to convince everyone to go mess up God's latest project: humanity. Granted, he volunteers to go do the dirty work himself, but if he were really concerned about keeping everyone in tact, he'd probably choose to lie low somewhere for a few hundred years until God stopped being mad.
Long and short of it: Satan's single-minded. He is going to do anything to get back at his dad/ex-boss, come hell or high water- (both of which do, actually!). He's stubborn. He's- again, this cannot be stressed enough- stuffed full of enough unapologetic hubris to fuel a thousand Greek tragedies and still have enough left over for a handful of articles in the New Yorker.
* It's a perfectly cromulent word.
**When a being is so great and powerful and all knowing that they are 'above' such mere human things like 'morals' and 'justice'.
*** I'm assuming that since is a college level essay and that only adults will be reading this, I am allowed to use the occasional grown up word for emphasis sake. In this case, to further strengthen the implication that Satan is, in fact, a spoiled teenager going through a rebellious phase.
**** A generic expression when seeing something pathetic, endearing, or possibly both.