Today, we had a comparative exercise in my classes. We juxtaposed the two versions of Satan that we've seen in the poetry we've studied this year: Dante's monstrosity... It might be hard to see, but this Satan isn't being pensive; he's eating souls. ...and Milton's manipulator: He's grappling with his new role as Prince of Darkness, not grousing about a headache. Both poets tackle the issue of Satan in a unique, world changing way. This video helps explain what I mean by that. Anyway, since we read both Dante's Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost , we get a chance to look at the Arch Heretic in different ways. Dante's version is monstrous, munching on the three worst traitors: Brutus, Cassius, and Judas Iscariot. He's frightening and impressive and...passive. He's a representation of what was lost when Satan rebelled against God. Milton's version, however, is much more human-like (save the wings) and his gifts o...
Personal musings of Steven Dowdle