"civilized savage"

Yes, I know, our last post was last week and we're just supposed to comment for tomorrow. BUT I watched Saints & Strangers on the National Geographic Channel over the break and noticed several pertinent connections to our class, so I felt the need to share. The two-night movie event portrayed the arrival of colonial settlers in Plymouth, their interactions with the local native tribes, and the first Thanksgiving.

The English settlers refer to the native peoples as "savages," which, of course, made me think of our discussion of "savage" and "civilized" in relation to Oroonoko during last class. At one point, one of the tribe members who speaks English visits the English settlers in order to get a sense of why they are there. When he leaves, one of the colonists tells the other colonists not to be fooled by the "civilized savage" - because the "savage" could speak English, and was well-mannered in the colonists' company, he was considered "civilized." As we've seen in Oroonoko, these native peoples are only seen as civilized if they exhibit English characteristics.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting, and wanted to share that with you all. The videos (follow the link above) are worth checking out, if you're interested. Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

How long will this all last?

What I found interesting in this book was how everyone mentioned in importance was described in the color of their skin (at least in the beginning stages of the story). Was anyone else thrown by this? I just found that part significant because this is the first time that descriptions of people went beyond their personality and their general physique. "His face was not of that brown, rusty, black which most of that nation are, but a perfect ebony or polished jet.... his nose was rising and Roman, instead of African and flat", describing Oroonoko here I just wondered if the author was trying to give us a better understanding about the differences that were present in this time of slavery and judgement upon race (Behn, 2187).

Also the love story between Oroonoko and Imoinda struck me as almost too easy, and as most of you have mentioned in a tragedy like this, I believe to have been too good to be true. The way he spoke to her so passionately "he made her vows she should be the only woman he would possess while he lived", which showed how the idea of love was viewed as in this time, "that no age or wrinkles should incline him to change, for her soul would be always fine and always young, and he should have and eternal idea in his mind of the charms she now bore, ad should look into his heart for that idea when he could find it no longer in her face" (Behn, 2189). I know some of you mentioned this already but this brought to mind the story of Romeo and Juliet and we all know how that turned out.

It seems to me in the midst of battle or conflict Oroonoko is one to leap without looking kind of attitude which in the long run might cause him or those he cares about harm. Kind of like Beowulf I believe he thrives in the thought that everyone looks to his guidance in battle but his modesty and naivety may be the cause of his downfall. He is too trusting for a tragic hero. What do you guys think about Oroonoko?

Oroonoko

I'm really nervous about this book. I think someone else said they had a really bad feeling about it and so do I. I think the chosen narrator for this book is interesting, first of all she's a woman and then second she is unnamed. Why not give her a character right away? Interesting choice. This one of the first books in this class that I have been able to get lost in, and I mean to "lose myself in reading" not be confused. I could not put it down.  So I found the narrator's tone a bit infantilizing and condescending. She compared the native people to Adam and Eve once too. Amazing you really cannot read anything written in the English language without understanding the basic biblical stories. But at the same time it could be worse than just infantilizing since she is living on a british colony and usually there is far worse racism than that. Oroonoko seems like he really has his shit together. He's brave, smart, apparently beautiful. But I am really nervous about this story, like I said before. You cannot have two beautiful young people who want to fall in love and get married and then boom everyone lives happily ever after. No! That never happens! Interesting that Oroonoko wants to stick to monogamy in this situation, even though it is the norm to take many wives. It seems like the authors western views are creeping in. You cannot write a book without writing your opinion though. But still, Thats an interesting part of this! I saw on the blog someone wrote that Oroonoko's optimism/trusting nature was annoying and I agree. There is nothing worse than a naive character in a tragedy. It just hurts to much.

I don't know who this is but I found it by googling the name of the book and I think it's super cool. 

So Good So Far

As a hopeless romantic, I am completely enjoying the theme of forbidden love we see in Oroonoko. Although it pains me to see the characters suffer, I must admit that I am a sucker for drama and watching how it unfolds (drama for other people, I mean. Because if it's your own drama it's not very fun at all).

Let me start by voicing my thoughts on the poem at the beginning:

Wow. Just . . . wow.

I've gone to a Catholic school my entire life. Kindergarden until high school graduation, so naturally I have never ever been exposed to this type of content in a school setting. Therefore, I was really surprised at how detailed and intimate it got the more I read. I liked it though. It was interesting. I enjoyed the elegant word choice and flow and think it is very creative how just choosing these specific words can turn something that could have been presented so crudely in a way that was beautiful. Even when things got a a little tough and embarrassing, the elegant tone of the poem kept on. So, although I'm still not sure I understand why this poem was put right before the story, I was still very impressed.

As for the actual story, I will say that I am very excited to see where it goes. I'm hoping for a some kind of a happy ending, but I know not to get my hopes up too much. I mean, poor Imoinda is already dead and Oroonoko is a slave. Can the situation really get better? Hopefully. But now I'm thinking of the TV show Roots and one again my hopes are dwindling. They got their happy ending eventually but it took a long, long time, and many deaths and years of torture to achieve what they did.

Finally, I like the fact that the narrator is an actual character in the story. I think it is interesting how the story is not focused entirely on her and instead focuses on Oroonoko and his life. It is a nice and refreshing change from the usual first person or third person narration that we are all used to. The fact that we get insight into her thoughts and her views of the situation is unique and it has given me a different opinion of Oroonoko and the entire story than I probably would have gotten had it had been written in Oroonoko’s point of view.

Wasn't as Bad as I Thought

I really like this story. I found it difficult to put down. I wouldn’t consider this story any harder to read than Measure for Measure or, dare I say, Beowulf. The author still had very long sentences, which I found myself getting distracted in the middle of, and having to go back to the beginning to understand. I found the way that she writes to be very fast paced and able to hold my attention, for the most part.  I feel like, even though I could sense what was going to happen, it still surprised me when it did happen.

I didn’t like how the women in the story had little independence. Maybe I read this wrong, but the story said that the king was in the wrong since he took Imoinda from her husband, and she still can’t get out of his hold. It also bothered me that she didn’t try to get out of his hold; she cried a bit and then accepted it.

I also don’t like the fact that once a woman gets old she is seen as undesirable in the story. I would think in a society where trust is a big theme, they would value a person on a deeper level than solely on looks.

Oronoco’s optimism bothered me a bit. He was so trusting in everyone and believed everything that people said, and that bothers me because I can’t do that. Before I can truly trust a person, I need to have known them for a while and they have to have never crossed me.
I mostly don’t like his trusting nature because it makes me feel bad for him. Oroonoko is so trusting that everything that happens is a surprise to him, he doesn’t seem prepared for anything. Maybe that is a nice way to live, though, not always fearful of the worst, simply experiencing the best that life has for you because no one is out to get you. It’s like when the weatherman says it’ll be sunny all day and you pack an umbrella just in case. There is no just in case for Oroonoko.

One last thought I had was why did Behn chose to write the story like she was there and saw some of the action. I wonder if she actually experienced it, or if she is writing like that to give her story more credibility.

ENGLAND YOU SUCK!!!

I like that we are dealing with someone that is outspoken. Even though she is using a story, fictional or not, she is telling it how she sees the world around her. I can tell that she has standards when it comes to people. She seems to respect those who work hard and live their lives in a moral manner .the strong leadership and cohesiveness of the natives is what attracts her. On page 2187, she is telling us what a leader should be. “I have often conversed with this great man, and been witness to many of his mighty actions, and do assure my reader the most illustrious courts could not have produced a braver man.” The description of Oroonoko sounds almost divine. These mighty qualities and strong characteristics places him on a pedestal above the base men of her time. She is in awe over him.  I looked into her and she made some remarks about the Kings son that got her arrested.  I like her boldness. “Religion would here but destroy that tranquility they possess by ignorance, and laws would but teach em to know offense, of which now they have no notion.” I like the fact that she is honest. The corruption that is around her is too much to handle. I like that she is saying the English are terrible people. I like how Adam and Eve are the muses for Milton and Behn. The idea of everyone being this innocent bystander of the evils of one entity. The English must be a giant Anaconda instead of a small snake wrapped around a tree, because they have spread their evils almost all over the world. The descriptions of the natives and the way they live tells me that she would rather have a simple life. Living in a community that is more collective than individualistic. This story is almost tragic. The way the new circumstances changed the character of a great man into the very people that captured him. The character shift of Oroonoko is not as divine as Behn wanted us to believe. I think this story was written not only to represent the horrors of slavery, but to show how good people can change as the circumstances do. Also we change and become the worst part of ourselves. I enjoy reading about this era, because it is good to receive different opinions and different experiences. I know this is fictional, but it happened to someone and I glad someone like Behn wrote on the subject.   

O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou....Orlando?

I have a really, really bad feeling about this story. I feel like I am stuck in some sort of Shakespearean tragedy and that is not a wonderful feeling. I am getting the idea that this story does not have a happy ending. If the introduction is anything to go by, “she lacks the power to save Oroonoko and might even be implicated in his downfall”, and the fact that the poem that comes before the actual story does not end in the favor of the guy at all, this story is not going to end well (Behn 2179). On that note, I am, weirdly, enjoying the story. I think it is really engaging and hard to put down.

Oroonoko reminds me of two characters from Shakespeare, hence the title. The fact that people are trying to keep him and his love from one another reminds me a lot of Romeo. That being said, the way he reacts to being separated and the way he acts when he falls in love reminds me a lot of Orlando. He seems to be the perfect combination of these two characters. Unfortunately, I am thinking he is more Romeo than Orlando. This may be why I have such a bad feeling about the end of story, but I am hoping that I am wrong.

In regards to the poem at the beginning of the story, was I the only one who was initially confused why the story started off with that? The entire introduction focused on the author and this awesome character named Oroonoko, but then we get this poem and I couldn’t help but think “Okay, well, all this guy wants is to get into her pants. What is so novel about that?” I mean, it made more sense as I got into the story, but it set a really weird tone for the story. I was pleased to see the actual tale was a lot more romantic than that, but I was really questioning Virginia Woolf’s assessment that is noted in the introduction.

As I was reading, I was excited to come across a quote by Virginia Woolf. I am pretty ashamed to admit, but before this semester I had no clue who this woman was. Yeah, I had heard of her, but I did not realize how popular her books were. I am taking a class on her and Forster. The fact that she complimented this author’s work at the beginning made me really excited to read this story. Woolf’s novels focus a lot on how voiceless women were in her time period. For her to say this author “earned them the right to speak their minds” gave me a really good impression of this story right at the start (Behn 2178). While I am impressed with the story, don't get me wrong, I was actually expecting a stronger female character. Having Woolf at the beginning gave me that impression, but the female character in this story seems kind of weak. At least, so far she does. That being said, I do not think Woolf is wrong, it is a very interesting story.  

Paradise Lost in Review

Here's to our last blog post!!

Of course, the one time we read two "chapters" of a book, its the one book that I want to read in it's entirety.

I think Paradise Lost was my biggest in class reading success thus far this semester. Granted, that first sentence threw us all for a loop (especially when Dr. MB drew the sentence out... Like, whaaaaat?!) But, this is the first book that we've read this semester where I wanted to keep reading and reading until there wasn't anything left to read out of this thing!

PL was right up my alley in terms of content. With Beowulf, I was interested in the back story; what the author DIDN'T tell us rather than what they did. Beowulf awakened my imagination with "What if..." questions. I wanted to know everything about Grendel and his mommy dearest. I was convinced (and still am) that Grendel's story was bigger than what we were able to experience in the poem of Beowulf. PL was exactly the same! We were able to take a glimpse into something that no one could possibly even fathom (except for Milton, of course!)

I mean, sure, Grendel COULD have had a bigger back story than originally thought. Maybe. But to take on what happened to make Satan and his followers fall from Heaven? That's a tall order and I was digging it the whole time! PL really made me think about what the Bible doesn't say and what was left out that we won't ever knew to begin with.

I have always been a huge religion buff. I love learning about different theories regarding Heaven, Hell, Satan, angels, demons, devils EVERYTHING! So this book was perfect for me. Everything from Satan's push out of Heaven to meeting Sin and Death was so friggin' awesome. Because, honestly, no one ever really thinks of this stuff until someone brings it up in some way. We wouldn't have thought about Satan, Sin, Death, "demonocracy" <-- thanks Brendan, if it weren't for Paradise Lost. This book made me scratch my head with questions in the best way possible.

It's just an interesting concept that feeds my brain. I have all these questions and no answers and I want to know! Even just getting someone's interpretation or general idea about these things is so cool, to me. I'm starting to understand how Dr. Faustus felt. Now, I wouldn't go as far as to make a deal with Satan to get these answers but I'd come pretty close!

It's been fun socializing and discussing with everyone about what we have read this semester!

Smooth Talkers

I totally get the idea general idea of Satan=bad and God=good, but this just makes you want to cheer for Satan (initially...for like five minutes...until we talked in class). He is literally in the worst place imaginable and he is making it better for himself. Granted that means taking advantage of the other devils who think they're part of a democracy. Then again I can't say I blame them because I  fell for it too, so I guess that's the point. He can convince anyone of anything. He talks his way into being in charge, out of hell, and through purgatory. That's pretty impressive.
He reminds me of this guy Hunter I went to high school with. This guy could convince teachers that he had everything figured out and knew everything. He would just make up some BS, wordy summary so that it sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I remember one time specifically he had asked me to tell him what happened in Brave New World and me being me assumed he was just confused about it. Then he told my description of it to the teacher and got the credit for it. I don't know that I cared so much as I was jealous that he was just BSed his way through class, yet I had to read the whole book.
Back on topic though, of course all the other devils fell for it. Who wouldn't? Satan convinces a daughter that he fogot about and damned to hell to open up the gates that God said not to open. That's pretty impressive. I'm ridiculously stubborn and I'm pretty sure if my father forgot about me he wouldn't really be able to convince me of anything other than that he's a horrible person. The more you leanr about his daughter the worse you feel for her. His poor daughter had an incestuous relationship with her father that produced death, then death raped her and now she's stuck having hell hounds. Fun Fact: I would not be forgiving the person who put me in that situation...ever. Once again though I have never faced Satan, he's probably not only convincing but intimidating. It not just Sin though, I feel bad for the other devils too. I feel like they just got tricked into this because Satan smooth talked them. Without him they would all still be up in heaven enjoying life, but because he's selfish he took all those other devils down with him. I would say that he's smart because he can convice all these devils that he's the good guy, but he tried to fight God and that's pretty stupid. That's probably not the smartest idea, if all the stories I've been hearing for the last nineteen years are true then He isn't the type of guy you want to piss off. So yeah, I cheered for Satan for a little bit. I think it was purely out of confusion.

WHY HOMEWORK?! WHY?

So I would like to say (mostly for effect) that Paradise Lost is unlike anything that I have ever read before…but that would be untrue.
“What Julia, you're SO smart that you simply read stuff like this?! Pretentious little…”
No no! Let me finish. I have had a similar reading experience before…when I was in first grade.

What?
I know, I know. But listen…before I was in prestigious Hood college classes, such as this one, I was in the lowest reading group in first grade. Why? Because I was small and didn't speak up much.
Nice.
But anyway...I was in kindergarten a YEAR before my town got our shiny new primary school, and instead was in a tiny school with grades K-5 (yes…with kids ages five to eleven).

Not only this, but the teachers were in a transition period between the cramped school we were at and the fancy smancy new school in progress, making the them distracted a best.

“You snooze, you loose” is a horrible saying to use when referring to an educational environment, but that's exactly how it was. Sure my teachers were nice, sure I learned about dinosaurs and how to count by fives, but I had a character trait (and still do)  that isn't appreciated as much as it should be: shyness.
I didn't call out in class enough, which made my teachers come to the logical conclusion that I was slow (logically).

I was kept at a low level in first grade and never spoke up in class (because you know, I was six), and it wasn't until my father marched into a parent teacher conference, with my mother hanging nervously on his sleeve and silently begging him to not yell at the kind, young, fresh-out-of-college teacher, that I was boosted up to the highest reading group overnight.

Go mom and dad, right?! Wrong. As I said, I was six, and a smart little thing.I had it good. My afternoon consisted of twenty minutes of “see Spot run” and an hour and a half of SpongeBob and Rugrats. I now had to read “Look how Spot runs to the fence after the ball,” a painful process that always took over an hour, reading word by word by word. It was the first time I was challenged, but what was the point? Rugrats was on and it was time for my chocolate milk. (Seriously mom.)


Fast forward fourteen years (and zoom past the pains of puberty) and here I am, with the cynical arrogance of a liberal arts student. I've read Faulkner, ya know? Well then I get Paradise Lost…I look at the first page…

And oh my gosh, I'm back in first grade again…

Feeling frustrated, trying desperately to cut corners of this text that cannot be read without time, and a great deal of respect.
Respect. It's humbling reading something that is genuinely above your level of comprehension, isn't it?
Humbling and aggravating…
Because my show is still on, and I still want my chocolate milk.

Demonocracy

I must say, I'm liking these diplomatic, levelheaded, blunt demons. First we get Mephistophilis, now we see all, er, most of these demons calmly advocating for their opinion at Pandemonium. I swear I would side with some of them if I didn't know they were....demons.

Though this could be seen as making fun of political discussion, I think the debate scene is extremely important. I'm so used to reading or watching stories about demons who are ruthlessly emotional and vengeful and blah blah blah. It's enthralling to read what demons have to say when they engage in this type of discourse, at least in Milton's mind. The further personification of demons and devils in the stories we've read is not only interesting, it's sobering. When one reads a story that paints demons as logical, cunning, and creative, one cannot help but wonder the message the author is trying to send. When demons are relatable, that's when there's something afoot.

There are several moments in the meeting that jumped out to me. One was when the demons were discussing what to do and the topic turned to the creation of a new race called man. I'm not sure why, but that part was very potent and deep to me. Another was that Satan essentially rules over the other demons. While they can (and do) weigh their options, it's Satan who has the final word. It's also Satan who undertakes the task of going out to find the information about the new race.  When nobody else could decide, he steps in and takes the matter in his own hands.

QUESTION: Which of the demons do you think has the best plan? Objectively, I would say Mammon probably had the best plan, which was to make do with what they have in Hell and not incur God's wrath any further. They have empirical knowledge of God's power (burning lake) and they're not at that point anymore, so why make it worse when it has finally gotten better?

Is Hell Paradise?

Moloch desire for war is impressive. After losing to God he wants to keep going. He says let those who want to stay and accept the situation rest while the ones who want to fight, fight. I feel like Moloch is taking on the leadership qualities, Lucifer should have. Back in Book 1, Lucifer was almost regretting what he had done. While he is on a pilgrimage to earth, the devils are free to do what they like. The feeling of having nothing to lose, so why not fight. Moloch wants to finish what they started. He has nothing good to say about God. To me his language suggested that he was a manipulator. He told his followers but he wanted them to hear and exploited them. The criticism of Gods leadership is a large subject in paradise lost. It makes you think of how Milton perceived God. What I am reading in this story is that God is a liar. When we get descriptions of him, they are not very flattering. “He seemed for dignity composed and high exploit, but all was false and hollow though his tongue dropped manna and could make the worse appear the better reason to perplex and dash matures counsels.” I was taught that God is just and to always out your faith in him. I have questions for Milton. The way God is described by the fallen angles, the way he sees them? Or is he describing Him this way because they oppose one another?  There is some hateful language in this poem.  It also brings into question was free will only given to Adam and Eve? Moloch is war bound, he seems to live for the fight and has some heated animosity towards God. Sounds like daddy issues to me. Belial speaks with reason. He knows there is no going back. This makes me think of the Colonies revolting against the British. The fight for independence from an oppressive entity. Could their cause be justified? If God was this way, why do we see the angels that fell as the ones who did wrong? I like the line “this deep world of darkness do we dread? How oft admist thick clouds and dark doth Heav’n resembles Hell? The idea of Heaven being a hell in its own way. so does that mean, Hell, the place they are in now is their paradise? I don’t know.

Opulence and Diplomacy

Something that immediately stuck out to me when I was reading Book Two was the first few lines of poetry. They read "High on a throne of royal state which far/ Outshone the wealth of Ormus and Ind/ Or where the gorgeous East with the richest hand/ Show'rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold/ Satan exalted sat" (2.1-5). The reason that this stuck out to me is because I never pictured Hell as having something so opulent and fantastic. Hell, to me, kind of looks like the places that I get thrown into when I play Diablo 3. For those who have never played that game, here is an example:

Fiery, terrifying, and filled with things that wants to eat you/cause you pain. Yeah, that has always summed up Hell for me. Heaven, well, I have always pictured a golden gate at the entrance with beautiful architecture and angels everywhere. Milton's Hell is very strange to me. First of all, it seems like these devils are very diplomatic. Rather than Satan immediately making all of the decisions, he does get some input from some of the other devils. He even asks for their opinions on the matter at hand. He tells them "Whether of open war or cover guile-/ We now debate. Who can advise may speak" (2.41-42). I found that really interesting because he has already established himself as their leader. Furthermore, while they have just been defeated, he seemed pretty upset and ready to fight again in the first book. I think it is important to note that he is not just making rash and foolhardy decisions, he is actually taking the time to plan out this entire thing. I think that is also speaks a lot to how much he does care about the people who fell with him. He wants their input on his plans and realizes that his actions affect all of them. Furthermore, he is the one who decides to go to earth. He volunteers himself rather than making one of his subordinates go. Do not get me wrong, I am not getting a soft spot for Satan. The guy does a lot of really questionable things, but I found his actions in Book Two, at least in terms of the people stuck with him, to be very interesting. What do you guys think about Book Two? How is is compared to Book One? (I personally am finding it easier to read)

Paradise Lost Book II

Okay so I wont lie, I was kind of rooting for Satan for a while, I mean before I read about the really terrible things he has done. But at this point in the book my mind has really changed. Also what is particularly interesting to me about book two is that we encounter the first female character in the book, Sin, who is the daughter of Satan. It is interesting that Milton decided to make Sin a female character and then Eve who chooses sin in the garden is also a women. I think there would be room there for a queer analysis of Paradise Lost which would be a really fun paper probably. It is also fascinating that the hell hounds are a result of Sin being raped by Death. Why should Sin have a physical trauma symbol from the incident? This was also an interesting choice by Milton.

Onward to the debate/discussion the devils had about how to get back at or heal their relationship with God. Personally I would have not gone with the final plan they chose, I thought some of the other plans were far more reasonable. I was not really into Molach's plan, he seems like he is just into war mongering and violence to the extreme. Belial had some really reasonable points to counter his argument as well, in fact Belial's argument is most definitely the most reasonable and plausible one of them all. In much literature on God, he will forgive those who sin, this is often seen as the very nature of God.  The forgiveness at least. Mammon is an interesting demon because he wants to make hell their own kingdom of heaven, now thats also a pretty good idea in my opinion. But how would the devils really have freedom if Satan had the last word about everything? The kingdom of hell, had they gone with Mammon's idea, is an interesting concept. It reminds me of in Book I when Milton was describing the golden "temples" of hell.

Devil, oh Devil.

What is Miltion trying to tell me?! After pondering what to write this blog post about, I’ve come the conclusion that I’m just going to attempt to answer my own questions. A few things have stood out to me. Now, I do NOT have an in depth religious background. I checked out of Sunday school around age 9.

Beezlebub questions why God banished them to hell. What was God’s plan for them? Why do they even still exist? Satan does not seem to think that this is such a bad thing. If they’re banished to hell for eternity, that must mean they don’t have to listen God anymore, right? Satan wants to think of ways to consistently anger God.

This also brought the battle of Good vs Evil to the forefront of my mind. Is the human race, in which Satan says God will create, truly be the downfall? And reign evil like, all over the world? Yes, human will sin, just as Adam and Eve did, but there are also humans so good that they’re convinced that they will be saved, despite their wrong-doings.

I also found myself rooting for Milton’s Devil. It’s like, even though he’s bound in hell, he’s still bound and determined to never bow to God’s will. That’s tenacity I have to admire.

This compilation of thoughts has led to a very random blog post.

Also, this South Park Satan is all I can picture while reading this book.

I am Lost

I am confused by Paradise Lost. When I read the epic poem, I could follow it for a while and then I would get extremely lost. Also, I would find a part where I understood again and then I would get lost again and I kept going through that vicious cycle.

I do think that I feel sorry for Satan and his followers, but I'm not entirely sure if I feel sorry for him, I'm sorry that he is in the situation. I think that sorry might be the wrong word to describe how I feel because I don’t feel any sympathy towards them or their situation; I just think that it would suck to be the king/ruler of Hell. The way that Milton described Hell, it seems miserable (kind of the point) but still. From lines 61-69 Milton describes Hell and it makes me never want to do another bad thing for fear that I might go there. Milton writes, “No light but darkness visible… And rest can never dwell, hope never comes….” There is no hope once you have entered Hell and no rest, only torture.

I think that I feel bad for Satan because he is the king of all of this darkness. Being the ruler of everything sad must be hard, especially since he has seen the wonderfulness that is Heaven, and now he is condemned to be the ruler of eternal torture.

I also don’t feel sorry for Satan because rather than accepting what he has done and hoping that one day God will forgive him and let him go back, he seeks to get revenge.  Also because he seems like he wasn’t happy in Heaven. He says “Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven,” which I took to mean that in Heaven he was in Hell, and now he’s in Hell, so he’s in the same place even though the scenery has changed a bit. Am I interpreting that right? Do you think that he is happy being in Hell?

I said all of this to say that I think that the reason that Milton told us so much about Satan before getting to Adam and Eve, was to show that everyone has a backstory and a reason for doing what they do. In Satan’s case, he is trying to get revenge on Heaven and God.

 

Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven!  I don’t agree with you there, Satan.