In John Milton's work "Paradise Lost", Milton portrays Satan as a cunning, intelligent, and yet somehow pathetic creature. Satan is described as a "fallen angel" living in hell, which is directly taken from the Bible. However, Milton's version of Satan has a powerful army of followers, including Beelzebub, his second in command. This shows Satan's ability and talent at persuasion. He's able to commandeer a group of loyal followers into dedicating their existence to his cause, which happens to be evil. It's moving and chilling at the same time. This will eventually lead to Satan being able to successfully convince Eve to take a bite from the forbidden fruit.
Another characteristic of Milton's Satan is that he is angry and seeks revenge. He's arrogant and believes a bit too strongly in his own cause, which will ultimately lead to his downfall. Satan seeks revenge against the person who he owes his very existence to. He's an antihero to the utmost extreme. Throughout the story we know he will succeed in bringing evil into the world, and yet we still feel conflicted. Milton makes Satan relatable and sympathetic. We want to root for him in a way as his frustrations are not totally unjust, but at the same time we know that what he's trying to accomplish is evil.
Chasse, this is actually what we are reading for Wednesday and Friday, but at least you got a jump on it. We are actually reading Dunne and his poetry today. Double check that syllabus and you will see that is what is scheduled for Monday.
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