Analysis of Satan in Paradise Lost

王超 王啟濤 桑清華

The paper is supposed to analyze the complex image of Satan in paradise lost. Paradise lost uses biblical themes to portray the rebel Satan，for the first time in the field of literary creation，portrays the villain Satan as the protagonist，which not only overturns the traditional style of depicting positive images in literary creation，but also integrates the author's own social ideals and rebellious thoughts，causing a wide resonance. This is an innovation in the field of literature.

Satan's image is full of complexity and contradiction. On the one hand，he is a hero who represents Milton's revolutionary thought. He had the spirit to fight against the highest authority for equality and freedom，to overthrow the dictatorship of god，he led the rebel angels to fight against god. In the poem，Satan dares to question the absolute command that is unreasonable at first，but he has to make people blindly obey it. The first round failed，he is not convinced，do not admit defeat，not discouraged. After being defeated in hell，Satan knew that he was far from god's power，but he was too proud to lose his leadership. He did not want to lose his leadership position，but only wanted to destroy god's plan and seek indirect revenge. But he believed in freedom，he asked people in hell's parliament for their opinions. It is he who has gone through great pains to find human ancestors and parents in the newly created paradise of Eden，and it is he who makes use of the opportunity to promote the theme of the whole poem. Satan thinks that god and angels are equal in wisdom，but superior in strength.

But on the other hand，Satan as a fallen archangel，he also has a terrible evil side.

Although he betrayed god for the sake of freedom and equality，this kind of freedom and equality is deformed. The first volume clearly states that Satan "rebelled against god and was confident that he should stand shoulder to shoulder with god. With an ambitious aim，to oppose the throne and dominion of god，he stirs up treacherous wars in heaven. The angels in the fourth volume severely rebuked Satan for his inconsistency，his persistent lying，and his disloyalty to the highest authority.

In relation to the background of paradise lost and the poet's environment，Satan is the embodiment of bourgeois revolutionaries. The creation process of this book is basically synchronous with the bourgeois revolution in Britain. It is mainly written in the restoration period after the serious crisis and failure of the bourgeois revolution. The tragic image of Satan is the artistic portrayal of the bourgeoisie's failure due to its loss of rational restraint.

（作者單位：臨沂大學(xué)）