Neil Bowen on (Edited )
Milton’s Satan - John Carey
There is very little in the Bible about Satan.
Milton collected in Christian Doctrine, only a few sentences about Satan being the author of all evil.
Need to create a Satan figure arises from a Manichaean view of the moral universe- struggle between good and bad. Satan must exist because evil exists.
Isolating evil in the figure of Satan- Freudian interpretation- severe super ego which subjugates the id.
Opposite of Shakespeare- evil is inextricably enmeshed in collective human experience.
Milton failed to encapsulate evil in Satan, he is not regarded as depiction of pure evil, some claim he is superior in character to God- been proposed since 18th century.
Debate cannot be settled - Satan is an ambivalent character, disputability is generally advantageous to a text- open to interpretation.
Pro Satanist- admire his courage. Anti Satanists denounce his selfishness and folly.
In comparison to Satan, Adam/Eve/God exist simply and transparently at the level of their words.
Satan is more in depth as a character, embodies three different roles; Archangel, Prince of Devils, Serpent-tempter.
Satan’s bestial disguises are not degrading; he retains his inner consciousness.
Satan has a soliloquy in book 4. Inner debate/self criticism = character of dynamic tension.
Soliloquy because Milton intended to write a tragedy of the fall.
Satan concedes his own criminality and his responsibility for his fall and vacillates between remorse and defense, confesses his rebellion was unjustifiable.
Here he doesn’t seem “evil”- he is in accordance with God.
Doctrinal issue of whether Satan should ultimately be forgiven; Satan’s redemption could not be regarded as impossible as that would infringe God’s omnipotence. Milton had to make Satan’s irredemability his own fault; trapped within his own fall prone nature.
The omnipotence of God, which must have been evident to archangelically intelligent Satan, coexists incongruously with a Satanic rebellion.
Milton disguises this insuperable narrative difficulty partly by omitting any depiction of the unfallen Satan from his account- Doesn’t present perfect intelligence acting imperfectly.
Book 1 Satan weeps at the sight of his fallen followers- Pro Satanists say magnanimous compassion. Anti Satanists - Archangels aren’t meant to show passion, as Michael shows in Book 2, doesn’t cry when he shows Adam the destruction death and disease will bring.
Satan sees Eve, enraptured by her beauty, momentarily becomes good- natural tendency when caught unawares is love, capacity for a different role, not a destructive automaton, chooses to destroy humanity against his better nature.
Satan made Sin from his head, they together create Death, who rapes his mother Sin, and the result is the “terrible monsters” that surround her. Shows how evil originates.
Readers understand both Satanist and Anti Satanist views, suppressing a part of ourselves we can denounce Satan, but the need to suppress raises questions.