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  • Essay / The Conflict Between God and Satan in Paradise Lost

    Perhaps the most alluring method of interpreting existence is through the bifocal lenses of morality. Whether in a religious or non-religious sense, almost every civilization, institution and human being has had its own demarcation between Good and Evil. Ironically, these various entities have so many variations of moral code that it is futile to try to find unifying characteristics among them other than the essential ideas that make them moral codes. Fortunately, there are other ways of seeing the world. Without these alternative perspectives, it would be impossible to sort through the infinite value judgments and restrictions imposed on the human race by its various moralities, and the occasional brilliant individual who manages to transcend the moral system would necessarily be a perversion of the 'man. . In Paradise Lost, Satan is the medium used by Milton to describe this brilliant and ardent independence from the restrictions placed on the human mind by any religious or moral system that might attempt to define and constrain it. Satan is the aspect of humanity that strays from the path of God and ceases to see the universe in terms of Good and Evil. Likewise, while Satan may be responsible for the fall of humanity, it is this very fall that makes us human in the sense in which we understand the word today. It is in this way that Milton not only explains the ways of God to man, but at the same time clearly shows that these ways of God make us incapable of following the path he has laid out for us. When questions of religion and morality are put aside and the conflict between God and Satan is viewed solely as a conflict between two distinct entities, Satan is nothing more than a rebel who would identify with Cromwell, Milton and other revolutionaries of the time in England. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Instead of wickedness, hatred, and evil, many of the qualities exemplified by Satan are admired by humanity as some of the highest possible virtues. After his expulsion from heaven, Satan reflects on his situation and demands from himself "an invincible will" (Book I, 106), "the courage never to submit or give in" (108) and his own personal "glory" . (110) It is important to remember that before Satan became the archdemon, he was one of the most powerful angels in heaven. He is an exceptional character, blessed with a will and intellect capable of questioning and even fighting God, the highest power in the universe. While some may view Satan's rebellion as a loathsome affront to all that is good and holy, those who do not care about the good and holy would see Satan as an immense power to be feared, with a strong will and a courage worthy of true admiration. Furthermore, Satan is much more than a one-dimensional entity capable only of pure evil. His introspection makes it clear that life as a lord of Hell involves much more than simply corrupting humanity and plotting vengeance against God. In fact, while God is spared many human emotions such as doubt, loss, and the pain of defeat due to his omniscience and omnipotence, Satan does not have this convenience. Although Satan has many qualities that would certainly be evil, they are all undeniably human qualities. For this reason, Satan embodies not only all the qualities that we, as humans, admire and seek, but also all the less pleasant human emotions which make him even more accessible and understandable..