A Study On Paradise Lost

This thesis is a discussion of the problem of the double-sided Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost. Unlike any other discussion of the same kind, the thesis, for the first, applies "eloquence" to analyze the cause of the double Satan. Based on the combination of neo-classical humanist views of literature with Milton's casting of characters in the poetry, this thesis distinguishes eloquence into two different levels and finds that there is tension existing between the two eloquences in casting Satan. It asserts that it is the very conflict that produces the double Satan. Accordingly, at the higher level of eloquence, which means eloquence of the poem as a whole, eloquence for moral or virtue, Satan, as an image, is the imitation of evil because he goes against God and the Son, who are symbols of goodness, justice and love. But at the lower level, which means the eloquence of the characters, Satan, as a character, speaks so eloquently that he sounds like a hero. Milton, honored as "true poet" grants Satan adequate right to speak, and the latter uses every chance to persuade his audience, justifying himself and his career while attacking his adversary God. He is so eloquent that it seems that he achieves his goal and turns a hero. Especially, what he says in hard times in Hell expresses nothing but his endurance, bravery, and confidence, which win the audience's sympathy and admiration. This thesis also regards that it is because of the tension between these two eloquences that Satan radiates unexhausted charm and becomes the very interest of critics of Paradise Lost.