Preview

Good And Evil In John Milton's Paradise Lost

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
739 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Good And Evil In John Milton's Paradise Lost
Amidst the eternal battle between good and evil, stand two main forces: God, the good and Satan, the evil. However, if the concept of good and evil were to be removed, each of them would be considered champions of their respective parties. Consequently, each side fights for what they believe and as displayed in history, the victor determines which side was right. Paradise Lost is a poem written by John Milton that discloses the fall of man from paradise through the intervention of Satan; yet, through the Son of God, they are saved and are allowed back in to paradise. This tale that conveys the victory of the ultimate good, also displays the heroism of Satan although he faces defeat. This exceptional hero was a great general that fought against subjugation and united his troops. In the opening scenes his opponent defeats him, and he banished to hell alongside his conglomerates. From which point he accepts his exile as freedom as it is “better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heaven” (I.263). In Heaven they were under a “benign monarchy”, where as Hell was a “nominal democracy” yet “only Satan's voice really counts”. …show more content…
He initially rebels against being subjugated to rule just as America did with Great Britain. Following this revolution, he inspires his fellow renegades and unites them together. In an act of bravery he volunteers to go on a dangerous mission to infiltrate his enemy’s camp. In order to achieve this feat he patiently examines the best possible way to engage in his attack. Once embarked on this mission he stumbles upon a creation of his enemy. In this instant he shows compassion by releasing the truth about a fruit they are prohibited from eating. He calms their worries by assuring their safety as he no longer want his rival to hurt them any further. It is because of these deeds that Satan is the esteemed hero in Paradise

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Sherman's march to the Sea

    • 1379 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Miers, E. (1951). The general who marched to Hell. (1st ed., pp. 280). New York, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, INC.…

    • 1379 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Now when this horrible Lucifer, as a tyrant and raging spoiler of all that is good, shewed himself thus terribly, as if he would kindle and destroy all, and bring all under his jurisdiction, then all the heavenly hosts and armies were against him, and he also against them all; there now the fight began, for all stood most terribly, one party against another.…

    • 2747 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Milton’s poem it speaks of the fall of the rebel angels and the effect that it has on the history of humans. Lucifer revolts against his creator and tries to command power of everything. So Lucifer and his followers are cast out of Heaven and Satan is transformed into something hideous. Satan travels to Earth to tempt Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and this begins man suffering in history. The poem ends with a promise of the redemption of Adam’s descendants through the sacrifice of God’s Son. Compare this to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and you can view a version of God in the novel. Dr. Frankenstein acts as “God” in the story. He becomes the creator of life. At one point in the novel, Victor feels like Satan. He says, “I trod heaven in…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Satan places his pride first and resists obedience to God, thereby taking the alternative that is also available to human beings. But by persisting in his perversion of free will, Satan's sin expands and develops consequences for the human race. His resistance amounts to a claim of autonomy--total self-creation--which, as Milton's readers…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many are religiously inclines. There are those who believe that they have all of God's intentions figured, but can we justify God's actions as our regeneration? Many know that God can do many things. He has restarted humanity by drowning many, he chooses who is faithful, and God created us. We don't need people to justify his actions. But in light of art and creation, John Milton's poem Paradise Lost created a vision of what God does for our world. Although, there are misconceptions in understands God's actions. In fact, God's justification can be confused for our regeneration in ways we can't imagine.…

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Empires throughout the world were taught that in order to have and gain redemption, they must first grasp the moral truths that surround communities. In and amongst the pages of Dante’s The Divine Comedy, we are educated of diverse ways to relate to life through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. This voyage Dante takes his readers on is one of uncertainty, ambivalence and inconstancy, as if we are touring an encyclopedia to increase this circle of knowledge.…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The situation between Eve and Satan in Paradise Lost remains illustrated in today’s society. Milton stresses on the fact that we do not always have to have some higher power to advise our life decisions. Even today, society wants us to create our own independent thought and acts, it is a topic used in everyday life, while the Church still wants us to follow the light of God. Whether we decide to think YOLO or decide to think…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Paradise Lost vs Genesis

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the biblical account of “the fall”, the dialogue shared between Satan and Eve is less developed and vague in detail than that of Milton’s tale. Satan’s approach of Eve is much more upfront and less personal in meaning. He quickly takes hold of the topic of the “forbidden fruit”. His character is shown with a much shallower depth of knowledge towards Eve. He uses a more 2-dimesional approach to tempt Eve to eat from the tree that God has forbidden her and Adam to eat from. He is shown to have a lack of cunning, and directly disproves and belittles Eve’s fears of eating from the tree with a lack of creativity and slyness. As the story continues, Eve is finally won over by temptation and eats from the tree. The story is left at that moment.…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Good vs. Evil in literature “Evil triumphs, but never conquers,” is a timeless concept repeated throughout all great literature in some capacity. It means that evil is powerful, and may even take over one’s life for a limited amount of time. In the end, though, the good always comes out and wins over. In other words, everything will always get better, and good is stronger than bad. Three novels that exhibit this theme are Speak by Laurie Anderson, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. All three of these literary works are classic examples of this idea. In the novel Speak, by Laurie Anderson, the concept is plain to see. It jumps right out at the reader. Andy Evans is obviously the "evil." After he rapes Melinda, her life goes into a downward spiral. She struggled with depression and self-hatred for many months. At one point, Melinda says, "There is a beast in my gut, i can hear it scraping away at my ribs" (Anderson 51). This quote in particular captures the agony and pain she faces every day, which is a very clear image of the evil triumphing. Not too long after, though, Melinda begins to explore herself a little more. At the end of the novel, she finally opens up a bit. "The tears dissolve the last block of ice in my throat. I feel the frozen stillness melt down through the inside of me, dripping shards of ice that vanish in a puddle of sunlight on the stained floor. Words float up" (Anderson 198). This quote beautifully exhibits good overpowering evil. Evil certainly does not conquer for Melinda. She comes out stronger than ever before, and the experience shaped her into who she is now.…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Abstract: ¡°Paradise Lost¡± is Miltons masterpiece .It is a long epic in 12 books, written in blank verse. The story were taken from the Old Testament: the creation of the earth and Adam and Eve, the fallen angels in hell plotting against God, Satans temptation of Eve, and the departure of Adam and Eve from Eden.Satan and his followers are banished from heaven and driven into hell, but even here in hell, mist flames and poisonous fumes, Satan and his adherents are not discouraged. The poem ,as we are told at the outset, was ¡°to justify the ways of God to man¡±, ie to advocate submission to the Amighty. The epic shows the writers misery after the Restoration, and his determination for revolution. The style of the epic is grand, which is the result of his life-long classical and biblical study.…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In “Paradise Lost” one of the main characters, who is normally portrayed in biblical, mythical and in popular culture to be a evil and antagonistic figure; in this book is portrayed as a identifiable character and God as wrathful and distant. This makes Satan even more appealing and heroic. Why is this? Well, in the book Satan is portrayed as a rebel against a tyrant by the name of God. Everything is fine in heaven until prideful Satan challenges God and is thrown out of heaven. From that point on, Satan and his demons make several plans to regain entry into heaven, but fail. So, they decide to turn to the world, knowing that man is weak and will be much easier to conquer than God and his angels. Satan is the only character with a definable goal: to harm God by making man rebellious and sinful. He is also made out to be the only angel that would stand up to God and rebel; and led other angels into the rebellion and consequently cast into hell. There he easily took control over it and declares:…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Milton’s intention while writing his epic was not to make Satan a hero, however, many people perceive such an idea. Instead, he simply wanted to display his optimistic view of life; the fact that goodness is not goodness unless it resulted from a struggle to overcome evil. Thus, Milton focuses Satan and his dishonorable deeds in order to highlight God’s kindness and goodness. Moreover, “Paradise Lost” includes Satan’s side of the story.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lieb, Michael and John T. Shawcross, eds. Paradise Lost: A Poem Written in Ten Books. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press, 2007. Volume one of this two-volume set contains the original 1667 edition of Paradise Lost, which was br oken into ten books. The second volume is comprised of ten scholarly essays that explore the differences between the original edition and the better-known 1674 edition, which consists of twelve books. The essayists look at the poem in its literary and historical context, and some make arguments that the 10 book format was a bette r venue for Milton to convey his thoughts.…

    • 1946 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Paradise Lost, I find book two most significant. I find this book most significant because this is where Satan decides to voyage through Chaos in order to find the new world; Satan decides that he wants to seek revenge on God. A quote that alludes to Satan's revenge is, "Thither full fraught with mischievous revenge Accursed, and in a cursed hour, he hies (Milton lines 1054-1055). This quote is describing the type of revenge that Satan seeks. It is clearly stated that his revenge will be mischievous and cursed when he has completed his task. Satan talks to those in Hell and after many ideas, decides that he shall be the one to look for the new world because after all, he has the most power in Hell. A quote that shows Satan volunteering himself…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Beelzebub

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Milton does a great job describing the argument in the parliament in hell. There are many fallen angels sitting wondering what they could do to better their lives. Beelzebub is a great lieutenant to Satan because he supports everything that Satan asks for. Even though Beelzebub does not always agree with Satan he stays loyal to him. A great example is when Beelzebub admits that God is, in fact, the “almighty” because “no less/ than such could have o’erpow’rd such force as ours” (I. 144-45) This simply shows that Beelzebub is not only realistic but will speak his mind toward Satan. Though Satan sees God as irrational, angry tyrant, Beelzebub is willing to recognize God as the almighty, who has won a battle and can do with them as god pleases. "But what if he our Conqueror....
Have left us this our spirit and strength entire
Strongly to suffer and support our pains,
That we may so suffice his vengeful ire,
Or do him mightier service as his thralls
By right of War, whate'er his business be
Here in the heart of Hell to work in Fire,
Or do his Errands in the gloomy Deep.." (I. 143-52) This explores an interesting psychological dimension not mentioned by Satan. Beelzebub basic point will be that God might have indeed left them with powers seemingly intact not because of carelessness, but precisely to increase their torment. Beelzebub had a unique way of thinking and that is one reason he is such an interesting character. As ideas are being thrown around in the parliament in hell, Beelzebub finally suggests that God has created a new being called man. He believes that…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays