Prof. Richard F. Johnson
Write a three to four-page essay in which you express your view on the following prompt:
It has often been said that John Milton, in his great epic poem Paradise Lost, left all the good lines for Satan. Discuss the characterization of Satan, focusing particular attention on his patterns of speech. Is Satan boring or is he charismatic? What’s your impression of Satan as a speaker? Is Satan a hyper-literary character? Or is Satan primarily a political figure (i.e., is he a represented as a ruler would be, or a general, or a king, or even a conquistador)? What do you think Milton’s literary (i.e., thematic) goal is with this characterization? Is there anything we can deduce about the state of our ultimate redemption, or at least Milton’s appraisal of our chances, in Satan's speech patterns?