Satan is no longer to be feared: he must be mocked, despised and mocked! At least that’s the attitude shared by notable scholars like CS Lewis, Martin Luther, and Thomas More. Lewis devoted an entire book, The Screwtape Letters, to the cause; Luther once said: “The best way to cast out the devil, if he does not submit to the texts of Scripture, is to mock and ridicule him, for he cannot endure contempt”; and Thomas More said: “The devil…the arrogant spirit…cannot bear to be laughed at.” » In Paradise Lost, John Milton appears to agree with these esteemed scholars, creating a Satan so uncertain of his actions that he must use his own rhetorical tactics on himself to feel confident. Milton's narrator in Paradise Lost, particularly at the end of Book III and the beginning of Book IV, prepares the reader to see Satan with a clarity that can only be found by stepping into his skin and taking a look authentic about the feelings of his heart. . Satan's speech atop Mount Niphates affirms the narrator's introduction of a sad, pathetic, and continually submissive Satan who reveals a sense of inner clarity through his soliloquy. This pathetic "Prince of Darkness" who realizes the truth of his actions, the absence of any true Prince-like power, and the reality of God's all-powerful nature still persists in using the tactics of questioning and rhetoric –– the very tactics he uses to distract others from the truth – to try to make himself feel better and justify his actions. Overall, it is clear that Milton uses the Mount Niphates speech to encourage readers to realize that Satan is a weak character who suffers from continual inner turmoil and confusion about his actions and everything. power which he may seem to acquire in his dominion over Hell or Hell. Earth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Before Satan gives his infamous speech on Mount Niphates, the narrator creates a sense of Satan's submission and sadness, as well as inner clarity. that he will acquire. Location is an important indicator of the clarity and personal truth that Satan is about to reveal to the reader in his speech. The reader is told that Satan “…launched his stiff flight in many air wheels,/stayed not till he lighted on the summit of Niphate” (3.741-42). First, it is significant that Satan is on a mountaintop. Physically, this place is associated with a view that can clearly show many things that cannot be seen from land; metaphorically, mountain peaks are places of revelation and extreme clarity (hence the popular Christian idea of ​​a “mountaintop experience” upon conversion or being born again). The mountain's location outside of Eden is another important detail. The editor's note informs the reader that the name suggests a snow-capped peak. The presence of snow is remarkable because there are no seasons in Eden (5.391-395), which makes it even clearer that this place is not to be associated with Paradise. Additionally, snow and the winter season are traditionally associated with fall. These geographical clues that force the reader to dissociate this place from Paradise seem to allow him to use postlapsarian associations because it is located outside the ethically indifferent realm of Eden. A perfect example of such an association is the aforementioned “mountain top experience.” Adam and Even don't need to climb to the top of a mountain tofinding clarity in Eden before the Fall; However, as fallen creatures like Satan, humans now often need such physical structures to help us find the truth about the world around us. The narrator also uses a play on words about the "light" of the world to emphasize the issue of Satan's self-revelation being near. hand. When the narrator says, “He did not stay until he lit on the top of Niphate” (3.742), “light” is used in multiple ways. Initially, this means that Satan physically lands on Mount Niphates. However, after thinking about it further, one realizes that the word is also used to remind the reader of the light of God. The light associated with God is that which reveals truth and goodness; likewise, Satan will reveal the truth, but a different kind of truth, unlike the goodness that comes from the light of God. Furthermore, the narrator describes the state of Satan's soul before his long speech as such: The devil's engine is rolling back on itself. Horror and doubt distract the Hell in him, for in him is Hell” (4.16-19). There are some important descriptions in this excerpt that lend to the idea of ​​Satan's self-revelation. First, the idea of ​​boiling is associated with something that arises from within. This is reinforced by “in his tumultuous bosom” (4.16). Clearly, what is about to surface comes from within Satan, not the outward facade he strives to maintain. Furthermore, the description of an "evil engine" that "reverses upon itself" effectively creates a metaphor for an inevitable process of continual and automatic self-deprecation, foreshadowing some of Satan's statements. This excerpt also says "Hell in him, for Hell in him" (4.19), mirroring almost exactly what Satan will say later in his speech (4.75). The classic repetition of the phrase here and later in Satan's speech draws the reader's attention to the state of Satan's soul which is forever connected to hell and to this state of condemnation and defeat. This repetition also gives validity to the narrator's statements by showing that the depiction of Satan and his surroundings is accurate. Examining these textual clues, it is quite clear that Satan will achieve some inner clarity during the speech he gives on Mount Niphates. It is now obvious that Satan will achieve some sense of coherence about himself, but the narrator does not. end there by preparing the reader for the speech. The narrator also reveals certain themes that will arise in Satan's speech, such as sadness and submission. The narrator uses repetition of ideas to emphasize Satan's lower status and his recognition of this place in the hierarchy. Attributing words such as "bow" (3.735), "under" (3.740), and "down" (3.740) to Satan's actions creates an air of submission, which is affirmed by the statement "Where honor and respect are due and that no one neglects.” (3.737). Note that the narrator does not say "respect not many neglects" or "respect no one except the neglects of Satan"; » he makes a point of using an absolute and saying that “no one neglects respect”. Obviously, Satan is always in a state of submission to God and is inferior to the “higher spirits…in Heaven” (3.736). This submission is probably one of the causes of Satan's sadness which the narrator also introduces before the speech on Mount Niphates. The narrator again uses repetition of ideas to give the speech scene an air of melancholy and disappointment, describing Satan with such depressing words as "without joy" (4.13), "nor cause for boasting" (4.14 ) And“terrible attempt” (4.15). The last example is particularly reprehensible because “disaster” has particularly dark connotations such as hopeless and hopeless. Additionally, the term "disaster" can often be used as a warning or threat of destruction. This description of Satan's future is by no means positive; this obviously prepares the reader for a Satan whose actions are condemned from the start. Apparently Satan realizes this because he is said to begin his speech “with sighing” (4:31). Because of the rhetorical clues provided thus far by the narrator, the reader can safely conclude that these are not the kind of sighs that result from admiration or joy, but those of discouragement and of depression. With these sighs, Satan finally begins his infamous speech. As the narrator points out, Satan achieves some clarity about himself. In fact, his speech begins and ends with sense truth, but Satan's reasoning takes him many detours between these points. Before examining the winding path of Satan's logic, it is necessary to examine from the outset the obvious truths that set the stage for his questions. Among his first statements, Satan recognizes that he was wrong to be proud and rebellious while recognizing the omnipotence of God. He says, “Till pride and worse ambition cast me to the ground,/At war in Heaven with Heaven's matchless King” (4.40-41). From this, the audience knows that this is the real Satan, because in his previous speeches where he had an audience, Satan actually maintains a facade of confidence in his actions, never acknowledging "pride and the worst ambition" who caused his downfall. Satan also reveals this new and frank attitude when he affirms without doubt that God created him: “From me, whom he created, what I was” (4, 43). This is in direct opposition to his statements made when he convinced other angels to follow him in rebellion: "We know no time when we were not as now,/Self-begotten, self-raised /By our own life-giving power…” (5.859-61). Clearly, Satan is finally exposing his true feelings. This establishment of truth is soon undermined by Satan's rhetorical techniques. However, Satan only deceives himself; distinguishing the truth from Satan's lies is easy through his use of the classic questioning technique. Throughout the speech, Satan rhetorically questions himself about nine times in just 83 lines. These questions are almost all accompanied by rhetoric and a new opinion being formed. The first example of many in this discourse is when Satan reflects on the service God requires of him. He begins by stating, “Neither was his service hard” (4.45), but then asks a rhetorical question that immediately leads to the new conclusion: “The immense debt of endless gratitude/So heavy – still paying! – still to pay. duty!" (4.53-54). Satan continues like this, oscillating between his fall and that of God. The final conclusion, however, is that it is his own fault, repeating what the narrator had expressed earlier in Book IV saying: "The direction in which I fly is hell, I myself am hell" (4.75) In this way, Satan's rhetoric works against him by leading him to the truth about his pathetic soul and. After his attempt to comfort himself fails, he finally reveals his immense grief and his self-deprecating nature. Satan recognizes the false pretense he presents to others, namely to other fallen angels, by saying things like. “The lower I fall, only supreme/in misery” (4.91), and “Disdain forbids me,.”