Look at the opening pages of Book 4 of Paradise Lost, pages 1887-90. Here Satan lands on earth and the beautiful sight makes him doubt his previous actions and consider repenting them. Trace Satan's line of thought in these pages. What are some of the reasons that he wants to repent? Why do you think he decides, by page 1890, that he will
never repent?
When Satan firs arrives on the earth I think he sees what he used to be before he went against God. He says, "Worse; of worse deeds worse sufferings must ensue. Sometimes towards Eden which now in his view
ReplyDeleteLay pleasant, his grievd look he fixes sad, Sometimes towards Heav'n and the full-blazing Sun" (lines 26-29). He shows his weekness in missing and grieves to be happy in Heaven where it is a perfect place. He even considers what would happen if he repented. He then admits that he fell from Heaven because of his pride, "Till Pride and worse Ambition threw me down" (line 40). All he had to do was give thanks to God but he couldn't subject himself to God enough to do so. Once he admits the faults he then starts to agree with himself why he made his previous choice of leaving. Satan asks himself if Heaven was perfect then why wasn't everyone equal. He enjoyed being in the throne of Hell. Although it was not Heaven he got to call the shots. He then decides he made the right decision and continues his devilish ways to create the first sin of man in the Garden of Eden.
I agree with what crayola said about why Satan wants to repent. He misses heaven and wishes he were back there. He also regrets what he has done and seems to show a bit of remorse. He says, "What could be less than to afford him praise, The easiest recompense, and pay him thanks, How due! yet all his good proved ill in me, and wrought but malice; lifted up so high"(lines 46-49). He acknowledges that giving thanks and praise to God really wouldn't have been that bad after all. He then says, "The debt immense of endless gratitude, So burthensome still paying, still to owe; Forgetful what from him I still recieved"(52-54). He recognizes that God was good to him and that he owed him thanks and praise for it. Satan also admits that his pride is the reason he chose not to praise God and why he was thrown out of heaven, "Till Pride and worse Ambition threw me down"(line 40). Satan then admits that he is miserable in hell, "The lower still I fall, only supreme In misery; such joy ambition finds"(91-92). He then decides that he will never repent. I think that he never was truly sorry for what he did. He was only sorry that he was thrown out of Heaven. I also think that he decides not to repent because his pride is still there. He still cannot bring himself to serve God because he wants to be God. He then vows to be evil because he knows that God is good and that he wants to oppose him.
ReplyDeleteFeathery Friend
ReplyDeleteI agree with Crayola that Satan admits that all he had to do was give thanks to God but he couldn't subject himself to begging for forgiveness. He says to himself " what could be less than to afford him praise, the easiest recompense, and pay him thanks, How due! yet all his good proved ill in me, And wrought but malice" (lines 46-48) He becomes gripped with doubt about what he has done; seeing the beauty and innocence of Earth has reminded him of the angel of God he once was and even briefly considers whether he could be forgiven if he repented. He tries to convince himself, “Oh then at last relent! Is there no place left for repentance, none for pardon left?” Hell is synonymous with Satan however, and it never leaves him. As close to Heaven as he is, he cannot help but feel out of place because he brings Hell with him wherever he goes.. He says “Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell” in line 75. He knows that because of this he could never fully and genuinely ask for forgiveness and if he ever did return to God’s feet he could never bow down to him because he is too proud.
Earlier in the poem, Satan seems perfectly confident in his rebellion against God and his evil plans. When he sees Paradise and how beautiful it is, it temporarily impairs this confidence. In Hell Satan said he would rather rule in Hell than serve in Heaven but once on Earth he says “While they adore me on the throne of Hell…the lower still I fall, only supreme in misery” (line 88-91). He knows everything is done and he made his bed so he finally goes back to his devilish behavior and approaches Adam and Eve in disguise to trick them.
The reason that Satan wants reconsiders repenting and returning to heaven is because he finally makes his way into paradise where Adam and Eve are. He sees all of the animals, and plants, and then when he sees Adam and Eve, he see them as beautiful creatures that he himself could love and become apart of their lives if he would just apologize for going against God. However, he starts to realize how this could never happen. I agree with Feathery Friend when they said that Satan himself had become the personification of hell. It follows him wherever he is; there is no escaping it. So, he forms the plan of tempting Eve and even disguises himself as a toad to whisper in her ear at night to start and place thoughts of disobedience in her head. However, I think the reason he chooses to never repent can be found in this quote, “ For never can true reconcilement grow, where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep; which would lead me to a worse relapse” (lines 98-100). This line shows that Satan has hate that is so deep, to go back to God would just make him relapse and remember once more why he rebelled in the first place, especially know that God has Adam and Eve. Not only would he rebel, but also it would be worse then the first time. Satan realizes that God no longer cares about the fallen, just his newly created mankind, and if Satan did repent, God would most likely not even care he is so distracted.
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