Examples Of Heroic Displays
Devilish Ways or Heroic Displays
From an early age we are familiarized with the abstraction of a hero. The concept of a hero is something that is not defined with any amount of ease. Children are told tales of men and women whom, despite all odds to the contrary, overcome whatever obstacle that is preventing them from reaching their ultimate goal. For a person or a force to be accredited with the term “hero,” they need to remain indomitable in an occurrence of perplexity. Historically, heroes rarely make concessions to conciliate with their adversary; in contrast however, they overcome their opponent. A heroic quality is the ability to lead and persevere to accomplish any task that may consume you. One should not assume that the task a hero is trying to accomplish can not be for the betterment of the hero themselves. The character of Satan in Paradise Lost, is often the centre of much disputation. A simple way to describe Satan in Paradise lost would be to generalize him as the antagonist. Contradictory, however Satan arguably shows a copious amount of …show more content…
qualities that are similar to those that are often attributed to heroes.
One stereotypical quality associated with a hero is leadership, a quality that is characteristic of Satan. Within his group of fallen angels, he is superior and possesses the strongest influence in decision making. He makes orders and does not receive them. Satan is not alone in his aspirations to seek revenge against God. He has a second in command, Beelzebub whose desire to overpower God is similar to that of Satan. Satan has followers that adhere to his wishes including Beelzebub. After the fallen angles are banished from heaven, they are all tattered and in great amounts of pain. Despite their obvious poor condition, when Satan demands “[a]wake, arise, or be for ever fallen!”[i] (Milton 11) they immediately obey as “[t]hey heard, and were abashed, and up they sprung” (Milton 11). They intentionally disregard their obvious pains and troubles to rise and listen to their leader. The ability to gain respect and be revered by people who want the same things as you is a traditional quality of a hero.
Satan presents many other virtues that are frequently associated with the prestige of being a hero including, determination, strength and confidence. One reason that Satan is no longer in heaven is his inability to relinquish power. Because of his determination leading to an attempt to revolt against God, he was expelled from Heaven. The comfort Satan had in Heaven, is in fierce contrast with his privileges, or lack thereof, on Earth, “[o]h how unlike the place from whence they fell!” (Milton 5). This statement shows that in order to have the things he needs, Satan is willing to sacrifice the things that he wants. This represents Satan's willpower and constraint. Satan made the decision to relinquish his advantages to indulge in power because he believed “[t]o reign is worth ambition, through in hell: Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven” (Milton 9). Satan was able to give up a comfortable living environment in hope that his perseverance would lead to a better life, a life where he would be in command. Satan takes far more pride in being an unstoppable force than he does in being a servant of the lord. He takes gratification in his determination. Milton says,
All is not lost-the unconquerable will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield:
And what is else not to be overcome
That glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me (6).
Anyone with this amount of fortitude and certainty should be the definition of a hero. Satan says “to be weak is miserable” (Milton 7), representing the fact that he has confidence and perceives himself to be an enduring force. He does not allow others to change what he concludes is the righteous thing to do.
Akin to other heros, Satan is admired and idealized for his courage.
It is arguable that in comparison to others who are widely accepted as heroes, Paradise Lost's Satan copes better under scrutiny. Hercules, for example, is someone who is widely accepted as a hero and described as “[t]he greatest of all heroes in Greek mythology.”[ii] When most people visualize Hercules they first think of an abnormally strong man who has the ability to save the damsel in distress by whatever means necessary. Hercules has the mindset that his work will ultimately be for the good of the world. Satan has a very similar opinion of the ultimate results of his own labour saying “[o]ut of our evil seek to bring forth good” (Milton 7). Many of Hercules' undertakings, often involve death of the enemy. No different from Satan, Hercules did things that would normally be perceived as unmoral, to achieve something that he
desired.
One could argue that Satan has more principles than Hercules. Greek myth states Hercules was “[e]asily angered, his sudden outbursts of rage often harmed innocent bystanders.”[iii] Many heroes show a certain degree of defiance towards authority. Satan appears, in comparison to Hercules, to be less violent. He fights for one thing that he desires and his energy is focused there. Satan fights for revenge against someone who he feels personally wronged him. Instead of fighting solely for the purpose to exhibit his strength and ability, Satan has confrontations for something he believes in. He has unrelenting determination, his combats are not mindless.
In Paradise Lost, Milton successfully accomplishes making characters that have dimension. None of the characters are entirely admirable or entirely wicked. Although Satan has a significant role in aiding man commit the original sin, he makes his reasoning for doing so seem virtuous. Milton helps the reader see both side of the stories main dispute. In Paradise Lost it is Milton who says “[t]he mind in its own place, and in itself [c]an make a Heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven” (Milton 9). Different people perceive different things as being good and bad. As the person that is supposed to be labelled the antagonist, Satan continually wins the readers sympathy.
Although Satan would be the obvious choice for the antagonist of this poem, it seems that Milton does not want to make that blatantly clear. In his essay, B.S Markensinis brings attention to the fact that Milton does not appear to make a great effort to make Satan as villainous as he could have. He emphasized that “his descriptions of Satan (and the other devils) avoid the usual images of ugly, horned and tailed, creatures”[iv] (30). The God in Paradise Lost is not represented as a perfect being; first, he creates an environment in which many of his angels are discontented. Satan was not the only one who to be banished from Heaven, rather there were many former angels that chose to leave. God's second mistake was creating imperfect human beings and then testing them. Despite the good of God and his powers, Satan was able to convince Eve, and by extension Adam, to eat the forbidden fruit.
Heroes almost always face conflicts that impedes them from accomplishing their goals. Robert Anderson, in his essay highlighted how “God and his Son have no conflict”[v] in Paradise Lost. Therefore, through this omission Milton exclude's God as a potential heroic figure. Satan's numerous obstacles – being banished from heaven, lack of omnipotence, and numerous injuries – and his ability to overcome these obstacles to achieve his goal, characterize Satan as a more likely candidate to be the hero within Paradise Lost.
Satan, although an unlikely subject, does clearly demonstrate heroic qualities. One scholar even claims “Satan is the most heroic subject that ever was chosen for a poem and the execution is as perfect as the design is lofty.”[vi] He has undeniable strength and perseverance. He has the most energy compared to any other character in the poem. His successes are not effortlessly gained but nevertheless he does accomplish many of the challenges he sets out to.
---------------------------------
[ i ]. Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, INC. 2005. Print.
[ ii ]. "Hercules - Myth Encyclopedia - mythology, Greek, god, story, names, tree, famous, animal, world, life, hero, king, people, children, monster, warrior, strength." Encyclopedia of Myths. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Go-Hi/Hercules.html>.
[ iii ]. "Hercules - Myth Encyclopedia - mythology, Greek, god, story, names, tree, famous, animal, world, life, hero, king, people, children, monster, warrior, strength." Encyclopedia of Myths. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Go-Hi/Hercules.html>.
[ iv ]. Markensinis, B.S. Good and Evil Art and Law: An Extended Essay. Wein: Springer, 2007. Print.
[ v ]. Anderson, Robert Elements of Literature: Third Course Holt: Satan’s Voyage. Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1982. Print.
[ vi ]. Dwivedi, A.M. Milton's Paradise Lost. New Delhi: Anmol publication, 2002. Print.
From an early age we are familiarized with the abstraction of a hero. The concept of a hero is something that is not defined with any amount of ease. Children are told tales of men and women whom, despite all odds to the contrary, overcome whatever obstacle that is preventing them from reaching their ultimate goal. For a person or a force to be accredited with the term “hero,” they need to remain indomitable in an occurrence of perplexity. Historically, heroes rarely make concessions to conciliate with their adversary; in contrast however, they overcome their opponent. A heroic quality is the ability to lead and persevere to accomplish any task that may consume you. One should not assume that the task a hero is trying to accomplish can not be for the betterment of the hero themselves. The character of Satan in Paradise Lost, is often the centre of much disputation. A simple way to describe Satan in Paradise lost would be to generalize him as the antagonist. Contradictory, however Satan arguably shows a copious amount of …show more content…
qualities that are similar to those that are often attributed to heroes.
One stereotypical quality associated with a hero is leadership, a quality that is characteristic of Satan. Within his group of fallen angels, he is superior and possesses the strongest influence in decision making. He makes orders and does not receive them. Satan is not alone in his aspirations to seek revenge against God. He has a second in command, Beelzebub whose desire to overpower God is similar to that of Satan. Satan has followers that adhere to his wishes including Beelzebub. After the fallen angles are banished from heaven, they are all tattered and in great amounts of pain. Despite their obvious poor condition, when Satan demands “[a]wake, arise, or be for ever fallen!”[i] (Milton 11) they immediately obey as “[t]hey heard, and were abashed, and up they sprung” (Milton 11). They intentionally disregard their obvious pains and troubles to rise and listen to their leader. The ability to gain respect and be revered by people who want the same things as you is a traditional quality of a hero.
Satan presents many other virtues that are frequently associated with the prestige of being a hero including, determination, strength and confidence. One reason that Satan is no longer in heaven is his inability to relinquish power. Because of his determination leading to an attempt to revolt against God, he was expelled from Heaven. The comfort Satan had in Heaven, is in fierce contrast with his privileges, or lack thereof, on Earth, “[o]h how unlike the place from whence they fell!” (Milton 5). This statement shows that in order to have the things he needs, Satan is willing to sacrifice the things that he wants. This represents Satan's willpower and constraint. Satan made the decision to relinquish his advantages to indulge in power because he believed “[t]o reign is worth ambition, through in hell: Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven” (Milton 9). Satan was able to give up a comfortable living environment in hope that his perseverance would lead to a better life, a life where he would be in command. Satan takes far more pride in being an unstoppable force than he does in being a servant of the lord. He takes gratification in his determination. Milton says,
All is not lost-the unconquerable will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield:
And what is else not to be overcome
That glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me (6).
Anyone with this amount of fortitude and certainty should be the definition of a hero. Satan says “to be weak is miserable” (Milton 7), representing the fact that he has confidence and perceives himself to be an enduring force. He does not allow others to change what he concludes is the righteous thing to do.
Akin to other heros, Satan is admired and idealized for his courage.
It is arguable that in comparison to others who are widely accepted as heroes, Paradise Lost's Satan copes better under scrutiny. Hercules, for example, is someone who is widely accepted as a hero and described as “[t]he greatest of all heroes in Greek mythology.”[ii] When most people visualize Hercules they first think of an abnormally strong man who has the ability to save the damsel in distress by whatever means necessary. Hercules has the mindset that his work will ultimately be for the good of the world. Satan has a very similar opinion of the ultimate results of his own labour saying “[o]ut of our evil seek to bring forth good” (Milton 7). Many of Hercules' undertakings, often involve death of the enemy. No different from Satan, Hercules did things that would normally be perceived as unmoral, to achieve something that he
desired.
One could argue that Satan has more principles than Hercules. Greek myth states Hercules was “[e]asily angered, his sudden outbursts of rage often harmed innocent bystanders.”[iii] Many heroes show a certain degree of defiance towards authority. Satan appears, in comparison to Hercules, to be less violent. He fights for one thing that he desires and his energy is focused there. Satan fights for revenge against someone who he feels personally wronged him. Instead of fighting solely for the purpose to exhibit his strength and ability, Satan has confrontations for something he believes in. He has unrelenting determination, his combats are not mindless.
In Paradise Lost, Milton successfully accomplishes making characters that have dimension. None of the characters are entirely admirable or entirely wicked. Although Satan has a significant role in aiding man commit the original sin, he makes his reasoning for doing so seem virtuous. Milton helps the reader see both side of the stories main dispute. In Paradise Lost it is Milton who says “[t]he mind in its own place, and in itself [c]an make a Heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven” (Milton 9). Different people perceive different things as being good and bad. As the person that is supposed to be labelled the antagonist, Satan continually wins the readers sympathy.
Although Satan would be the obvious choice for the antagonist of this poem, it seems that Milton does not want to make that blatantly clear. In his essay, B.S Markensinis brings attention to the fact that Milton does not appear to make a great effort to make Satan as villainous as he could have. He emphasized that “his descriptions of Satan (and the other devils) avoid the usual images of ugly, horned and tailed, creatures”[iv] (30). The God in Paradise Lost is not represented as a perfect being; first, he creates an environment in which many of his angels are discontented. Satan was not the only one who to be banished from Heaven, rather there were many former angels that chose to leave. God's second mistake was creating imperfect human beings and then testing them. Despite the good of God and his powers, Satan was able to convince Eve, and by extension Adam, to eat the forbidden fruit.
Heroes almost always face conflicts that impedes them from accomplishing their goals. Robert Anderson, in his essay highlighted how “God and his Son have no conflict”[v] in Paradise Lost. Therefore, through this omission Milton exclude's God as a potential heroic figure. Satan's numerous obstacles – being banished from heaven, lack of omnipotence, and numerous injuries – and his ability to overcome these obstacles to achieve his goal, characterize Satan as a more likely candidate to be the hero within Paradise Lost.
Satan, although an unlikely subject, does clearly demonstrate heroic qualities. One scholar even claims “Satan is the most heroic subject that ever was chosen for a poem and the execution is as perfect as the design is lofty.”[vi] He has undeniable strength and perseverance. He has the most energy compared to any other character in the poem. His successes are not effortlessly gained but nevertheless he does accomplish many of the challenges he sets out to.
---------------------------------
[ i ]. Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, INC. 2005. Print.
[ ii ]. "Hercules - Myth Encyclopedia - mythology, Greek, god, story, names, tree, famous, animal, world, life, hero, king, people, children, monster, warrior, strength." Encyclopedia of Myths. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Go-Hi/Hercules.html>.
[ iii ]. "Hercules - Myth Encyclopedia - mythology, Greek, god, story, names, tree, famous, animal, world, life, hero, king, people, children, monster, warrior, strength." Encyclopedia of Myths. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Go-Hi/Hercules.html>.
[ iv ]. Markensinis, B.S. Good and Evil Art and Law: An Extended Essay. Wein: Springer, 2007. Print.
[ v ]. Anderson, Robert Elements of Literature: Third Course Holt: Satan’s Voyage. Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1982. Print.
[ vi ]. Dwivedi, A.M. Milton's Paradise Lost. New Delhi: Anmol publication, 2002. Print.