Blake: Milton was of the devils party without knowing it, Discuss.

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Lauren Hart 13A

Blake:

 “Milton was of the devil’s party without knowing it

Discuss.

There is a lot of evidence within “Paradise Lost” that would suggest this statement is true, however there is also a large amount that would disagree. Within these two books there is nothing that would give us an insight into the opinion or feelings of God so it is not as easy to make a balanced judgement than if the entire poem was called into question. However, there is a strong argument for both cases to be found in books I and II.

With the protagonist of this section being Satan, it is undeniably his emotions are the ones the audience is exposed to. And as initial impressions are the ones that are most likely to stay with the reader, it is quite easy to become lost in the idea that Milton is “of the devils party”. This is especially so when we consider the roles that Satan and God play within the text. Satan is to all intensive purposes, the ‘tragic hero’ (although it is possible that he is more of an anti-hero) of the story, “into what pit thou seest/From what highth fallen”. As a character he has fundamental flaws to his character which cause his dissension. And he is trying desperately to regain something of his former life: “the mind…can make a Heaven if a Hell, a Hell of a Heaven.”

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Satan speaks mostly in iambic pentameter, however Milton has used disruptions in the rhythm to emphasise certain themes within the poem. For example Satan’s spoken line is “If thou beest he; but O how fallen! How changed” is an eleven syllable line, here used to show that he (Satan) is in great pain. Also, there is the idea that he cannot think logically, “but O how fallen” shows his despair and it is an aside thought rather than an actual part of his speech to Beëlzebub. Also, the epic similes used to describe Satan are very powerful, showing he has the ...

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