A Comparison of God and Satan in Paradise Lost Essay

Comparison of God and Satan in Paradise Lost In this essay I shall be focusing on the characters of G-d and Satan from Paradise Lost by John Milton. Within the essay I shall be attempting to elucidate on the themes of ambiguity of the two characters as well as the uncertainty of moral integrity of each, characterized by Johns Miltons use of sentence structure, private thoughts and symbolism. Foremost I would like to look at the way the way in which Milton characterizes the characters of Satan in particular. Milton specifically presents different elements of Satans character by his interaction with those around him. For example it may seem ultimately that Satan (even by his very name) is a creature of great evil.†¦show more content†¦But Satan takes this insistence even further: Retire or taste my folly We are told by Milton that the punishment for denying G-d has devastating repercussions. Not only does Satan show his obvious aversion to defiance, but G-d shares this feeling: Dwell in adamantine chains and penal fire. However if Satan is powerful, then G-d matches this endurance. He is described by Miltons omniscient voice as being almighty and omnipotent these adjectives imply a great power, which indeed can only be akin to a G-d or creature of enormous epic strength. As a reader we may ask the question during the conflict who is the stronger, and Milton produces a convincing argument that each is powerful in their own right. G-d is described by the characters around him, for example the angels described G-d as being: Immutable, immortal, infinite, Eternal king, thee author of all being... The praise here is obvious and of great importance, and as a reader we must question the validity of such claims. The age old religious arguments emerge, those being if G-d is this powerful, why does he create and allow evil. 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