Wednesday, October 29, 2008

"From Eve: The First Reflection"

The article, "From Eve: The First Reflection" by Julia M. Walker analyses the very important and sometimes overlooked role that Eve's image and self-awareness plays in the poem,"Paradise Lost". According to Walker, "She [Eve] submits to the arbitrary gender displacement, coming to see Adam as at once the generative image of and better than herself." (Walker, Julia. M, "From Eve: The First Reflection" pg 516) This is a common theme that Walker examines throughout the article. She often brings up the valid point that Eve is only able to see herself in terms of Adam. It is said that she is unable to function separately from her association with the earth and with her subservience to Adam. But what I found to be more interesting was the notion that Walker proposed which said that Eve, not knowing any other ways just excepts her role in society from God and Adam. Walker says, ". . . Adam seems to have no sense that it is from this feminine Earth from which he was formed. He draws his self-identity solely from his maker and not from matter, but expects Eve to privilege his absent rib above any other aspect of her being." (Walker, Julia. M. "From Eve: The First Reflection pg 518-19) I thought this was such an interesting point because here Walker seems to be saying that even though Adam was created from the Earth which has taken on a feminine connotation he disregards that fact and instead he gives homage to his masculine creator, God. The irony comes in when Adam expects Eve's constant gratification because she was created from Adam's rib, much like Adam was created from the Earth however instead of giving the credit to God, Adam expects it for himself. 

When I first read this I asked myself why is it then that Eve subjects herself to this submissive behavior. Walker believes it to be the product of first of all, Eve's overall lack of knowledge, seeing as how she seems to know mainly what it is she is told and foremost, Eve's personal belief that if she were to challenge her position in Eden then Adam would replace her with ""another Eve" (9.827)" (Walker, Julia. M "From Eve. . . " pg 519). Eve like said before only knows what she is told and is therefore at the mercy of Adam and God. 

This is why I found it to be interesting when Walker pointed out that Eve bears two names in the poem. She is called by a voice both Eve and Mother. Similarly to Andrea's infamous quote from her last paper that Eve was nothing but a "baby-maker"(Andrea Harrington, "Paradise Lost" Paper 2) Walker explorers the idea that Eve's main purpose was to yield. She says that Eve yields in many ways; one being to Adam and as Walker puts it, Eve will " ultimately yield, as does the earth, the fruit of her womb to "fill the World". 

This article was very interesting and addressed many issues regarding Eve's role in Eden. I found it to be insightful as Walker made the argument that Eve not only defines herself in terms of Adam but that this is because of her setting and therefore she knows no other option. I agree with the sentiments of the article. I feel as though there are many times in which it is exhibited that Eve is viewed as the lesser in the relationship she has with Adam. It does seem that Eve would do anything for Adam, as we see in book 10 when she offers to go to God and tell him that it was her fault that they ate from the tree and not to blame Adam. Yet I must ask myself haven't there been times that we see Adam reciprocating this devotion? If not, then why else does Adam eat the apple after he learns that Eve has?

"From Satan"

William Empson’s critique, From Satan, is a short article that points out some character inconsistencies with Creation’s primary antagonist. The author claims that Satan starts off as a strong leader, a character with a lot of drive and ambition. Then he transforms from confident to doubtful, and eventually seems to be “rapidly rotting away”. Essentially, Satan is a dramatic character.

Empson briefly touches upon a point we discussed in class concerning Satan, the fallen angels, and their environment in hell. Like we discussed, the angels are suffering in hell, yet they are able to act freely. While the angels are discussing their current situation amongst themselves, Satan “expresses a rather self-indulgent pity for them and says he must bring upon them ‘death’ and ‘long woes’; but in Milton’s world death is a very subtle or almost meaningless term, and they might gain honor in the end as a reward for their long woes” (Empson). They are cut off from the pleasurable experiences they were able to have before their condemnation, which would explain why Satan became jealous of Adam and Eve’s sexual relationship and where they lived in Paradise.

The author believes that one can view Satan’s character in two ways; either as sincere, and you sympathize with him, or as the enemy. No matter which, Satan is both sincere and villainous. Empson argues that Satan partially believes that he can actually save Adam and Eve from the all-powerful tyrant that used to rule over him and his followers, but he also wants to use them to spite God. It is at this point where the author believes that Satan is “rotting away”.

I agree with the author’s brief assessment of Satan, because in Paradise Lost there are moments were he shows regret and remorse towards his actions. When he first saw Adam and Eve in Eden, Satan had wished God had made him a “lesser being”. He is certainly indecisive, switching back and forth between certainty and doubt with his actions. I am not sure if I would call this “rotting away”, but it could arguably be hypocritical. He wants to start trouble, but then later regrets it. Is he able to make up his mind? What does he want?

Just a Note: The Presence of Prayer

I know Patti thinks this quote is funny, but when I read book 11 when Adam and Eve are repenting, this quote came to mind. Ignoring the fact that Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series is really about vampires, I was reminded of this quote.

"I felt that wave of calm I always get when I pray. It doesn't mean you'll get what you want, but it does mean that someone is listening." -Anita Blake [Blue Moon]

Eve describes her emotions while she is praying: "Persuasion in me grew/That I was heard with favor. Peace returned/Home to my breast and to my memoer/His promise that thy Seed shall bruise our foe,/Which then not minded in dismay yet now/Assures me that the bitterness of death/Is past and we shall live." (11. 152-158). In this quote, it seems that Eve is more reassured about the future after she prays. Eve remains calmer and hopeful after she begs for forgiveness and is heard by God. I think this sort of relates to the quote from Laurell K. Hamilton's book, Blue Moon. Anyway, that's just what those lines reminded me of. Read it, think about it, and you know, whatever.

Reading Book 11, Adam and Eve are praying. Since I am rather religious, I find this really cool and really fascinating that prayer now enters the epic poem. What's interesting is how they pray and that they only begin to pray AFTER they have fallen. As discussed in class, I think the las page of Book 10 really captures the beginning of the idea behind repentance.

"So spake our father pertinent, nor Eve/Felt less remorse. They forthwith to the place/Repairing where He judged them prostate fell/Before Him reverent and both confessed/Humbly their faults and pardon begged, with tears/Watering to the ground and with their sighs the air/Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite in sign/Of sorrow unfeigned and humiliation meek." (10. 1097-1105)

This passage was repeated twice in Book 10, but the first time these lines are stated, the passage ends with a question mark. After it is repeated, it ends with a period. I was wondering what everyone else thinks of this? To me it almost seems that Adam is at first asking what they can do to repent, but then decides to do exactly what he asked. The use of repetition brings the tone of the book to a close as they decide how they are going to repent.

Prayer is explained in Book 11, where the prayers are heard by the Son and then presented to God. I really like the imagery in the beginning: "to Heav'n their prayers/Flew up nor missed the way be envious winds/Blown vagabond or frustrate. In they passed dimensionless through Heav'nly doors, then clad/With incense where the golden altar fumed/By their great Intercessor came in sight/Before their Father's throne" (11. 14-20).

I can definitely envision the prayers flying up to Heaven and being placed at God's throne, as if they were doves or something of the sort. The fact that these prayers withstand even the heaviest winds underlines the power behind prayer. It also seems that Eve is much more repentant than Adam is. Eve does not find herself worthy of being the mother of mankind (or, according to Andrea, the baby maker), and I think that Eve definitely takes a lot of the blame and guilt on herself more so than Adam does.

Anyway, this blog is rather short because I just wanted to point out the idea of total repentance and prayer in Paradise Lost. Any thoughts?

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Errr... I forgot...

I think we're supposed to post our comments with a link as actual posts... Sorryy!

I posted this on Lauren's post. Here's the link

Lauren, I really like your idea in this post! I, too, am rather obsessed with Charmed, so I know what you're talking about. I don't think you're stretching it. Eve is acting like she should; she's offering to save the rest of mankind as opposed to just her [or just Adam].

I think that evil/sin/death operate in deception and trickery as well as... invisibility? [Sorry, sounds odd... not sure how to phrase that!]

Also, usually in Charmed, there's some bigger evil that the demons [in this instance, maybe the four horsemen] are doing the bidding for - the Source for instance. It's the same thing with this passage. Sin and Death are, in essence, doing Satan's bidding. He set everything up, tempting Eve and therefore Adam to eat the apple, sealing their fate as well. Usually in Charmed, the Source or some other evil plans things out, or sets something up, and then uses others to enact the plan. This could also show part of Satan's manipulative personality.

Anyway, great connection to "pop culture"! I think it works :)

Eve grew up

In class today, we discussed Eve’s surprising attitude in Book 10, where she admits that it was her fault that she and Adam fell. In book 9, after eating the apple, Eve thinks about using the knowledge she now has over Adam so she will no longer be seen as his weaker. Instead, she offers him the apple, of which he eats, not wanting to live without her. He eats the apple because he loves her and doesn’t want to be without her. Later, Eve seems to have a change in character here, because she isn’t acting childish and blaming someone else, unlike Adam. Instead, Eve is willing to admit that it’s her fault. She doesn’t want Adam or her children to suffer because she committed a sin; so instead, she begins to think about suicide. When Adam talks her out of it, Eve offers to go to God and tell him that it was her fault, and only her. Adam talks her out of this as well. I think that Adam is not only whiny but selfish. He wants to keep Eve from doing the right thing because he doesn’t want to live without her. Eve loves Adam as well, but it seems that she would rather know that he’s safe from the wrath of God than make him suffer.

Throughout Paradise Lost, when Adam and Eve are shown, I think Eve is often portrayed as the “weaker,” being unequal to Adam. God assigns Adam to “rule” his wife, despite their obviously equal intellect. However, here Eve is showing her superiority when it comes to selflessness. She is more empathetic and does not want her husband nor their children to suffer for what she has done. Here, she seems to be the better person instead of Adam’s lesser. She is willing to sacrifice herself for someone else; she’s thinking about someone other than herself, and in a way, being heroic. Adam, on the other hand, seems to be flaky, childish and whiny, not wanting to live life without Eve. Instead, he blames God and Eve for why he ate the apple. Eve simply said that she was deceived by the snake, and she ate the apple. Adam doesn’t want to take responsibility for his actions, but Eve is more than willing to sacrifice herself for him. This, to me, makes Eve the better person.

The Road to Paradise: Sin and Death Book 10

After the fall of Adam and Eve, Sin and Death, aware of Satan's success, decide to build a road leading from Hell to Earth.
This allows Sin and Death to infect the world, thus destroying God's paradise and continuing to corrupt mankind.

"Both to destroy or unimmortal make/All kinds and for destruction to mature" (10.611-612).

Clearly their mission is to continue to destroy Earth (as seen when animals begin to eat each other).
This image of Sin and Death entering Earth with plans of destruction reminded me of an episode of "Charmed," specifically the episode "Apocalypse, Not." Remember Charmed? It was an awesome supernatural TV series that ran for 8 years next to Buffy in the 90's and continued to run until 2006ish. I am particularly obsessed with the show, seeing as I have all 8 seasons on DVD, and this image of Sin an Death corrupting and destroying the world for pleasure and revenge definitely made me think of Charmed.

So, this episode is from season 2 (which is actually a long time ago, man I am feeling old..), and basically it's about the four horseman of the Apocalypse, Death, War, Famine, and Strife, invading Earth.
I have posted youtube links containing the full episode for your enjoyment...
The episode is divided up into a few different parts though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bErMUil3oKI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDvoCNyxSaU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtaVWTUqgC4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-zRqTtR96o&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnSI8Eh91I4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GARMj6svoYU&feature=related


So, what's interesting is that this episode opens up with Phoebe, the youngest sister, asking her sisters the question, "What if a building is on fire? Do you save 5 strangers or 1 sibling?" This question sort of connects with Eve in Book 10. After Eve ate from the tree and the Son arrives, she offers to plead with God to punish only her so that mankind isn't. Here, Eve is willing to sacrifice herself in order to save mankind, people she doesn't even really know. In Charmed, the sisters realize that they should save 5 strangers instead of a sister because sometimes the greater good is more important than one sibling or person. I don't know if that is somewhat of a stretch for a connection, but I just thought it was interesting when I started to re-watch some of the episode.

The goal of the four horsemen is to bring about the end of the world by starting and creating war, strife, death, and famine by using their powers. In a way, their goal is similar to Sin's and Death's in Book 10. The beginning of this episode shows the four horsemen transferring into a different plane, which is sort of like Hell is for Sin and Death. This alternate world provides a safe haven for the horsemen, whereas Hell provides a haven for Sin and Death. While the four horsemen are corrupting the world, people do not see them (except for the Charmed Ones apparently). I would think it would be similar to how Sin and Death operate- that people/animals do not necessarily see them, but feel emotionally different instead. A concept of evil sometimes being invisible is kind of interesting. The four horsemen are more modern, yet relate to a very old plan to destroy the world. Even today, death, sin, and evil in general still exist and have the same motives as they did since their fall, just like the idea of the four horsemen.

I'm not sure what I'm going to add about this comment because I feel like this is somewhat of a brief topic, and once you see the episode, I think you may get the connection.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Go Eve!!

I do realize that it’s been a while since I’ve written one of these, my apologies. I do have some thoughts on Book 9, which happens to be my favorite out of the entire book so far. I’ll start where Adam and Eve have an intellectual discussion regarding their protection.

On pages 205 to 207, Adam and Eve each go back and forth discussing Satan. I’m not quoting anything in particular because I’m just talking about those three pages. Eve is worried that Satan will find a way to tempt them and eat from the Tree of Knowledge, because he is the one thing that they are not protected from. Adam is not concerned, believing that their situation is just a test of their faith. He has complete trust in God and His protection, but Eve knows that Satan may target her first since she is seen as weaker.

I think Eve’s passage brings some depth to her character because she is actually challenging Adam, someone who is above her. Before we see very traditional gender roles between the two characters, and Milton’s portrayal of Eve is not much to be reckoned with. Here she is actually voicing her concerns and does not back down because she knows what is going to happen. She knew Satan was going to go for the weaker first, and indeed he did wait until she was alone to talk to her.

“…May find us both far less prepared
The willinger I go, nor much expect
A foe so proud will first the weaker seek” (9: 381-383).

Her resistance to Adam’s view points out a type of strength in her character that was underestimated before. Eve was viewed as just vain and nurturing, but this is proving that she actually is her own character. Because this is Milton’s poem and not directly from the Bible, did this conversation actually happen biblically or is it entirely of Milton’s creation? Eve is still seen as the “weaker”, but had she been given the same amount of briefing that Adam had had, and was treated equally from the start, then maybe she would not have been tempted by Satan, or at least as easily. Satan’s arguments were very logistical and sounded very intelligent; something it seems that Eve is not used to hearing. What she hears is mostly through Adam, who is also a simpler being. Satan’s standpoint was very tempting because he was speaking to Eve like God or Raphael would speak to Adam; reassuring and knowledgeable.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Faith in Book V

"Who saw/When this creation was? Remember'st thou/Thy making while the Maker gave thee being.....ethereal sons" (V,856-863).

This quotation is from Satan speaking to Abdiel when he is questioning the creation of everything by God. Satan says that we are "self begot" and "self raised," which is a rather strong statement to say. What actually interests me in this passage between Abdiel and Satan discussing creation and God's power is the difference in perspective between the two. While Abdiel undoubtedly believes in God and has no questions regarding his creation, Satan truly believes that he had the power to create himself, and chooses not to believe God.
Is this, in a sense, the definition between believers and non believers? Truly religious/spiritual individuals have complete faith in things they cannot actually see. They just believe and trust in things because they want to believe in something that's bigger than themselves. Others who may not be as religious often question God or things associated with them, and also tend to be skeptical. In this scene, Satan seems to represent the skeptic, whereas Abdiel represents a true believer.
Faith is a truly difficult thing to grasp at times, but ultimately, isn't that what believing is sort of about? Taking a "leap of Faith," even when one is unsure or insecure?
I also noticed that Satan seems to be fitting into his usual role once again as well. In his speech, it seems like Satan is trying to make Abdiel doubt what he believes in, which is something that Satan would try to do to humanity to under mime God. Once again, Satan is molding into his evil role in order to possibly turn others to "the dark side" (sorry, I'm a star wars fan and I just couldn't resist, at least I didn't discuss the Force) by making them doubt their faith in God. Satan not only tempts mankind into siding with him by promising them wealth and glory, but he also tries to pry open weak areas of one's faith and beliefs. This manipulation by Satan is seen many times throughout Paradise Lost and I think this scene really brings out Satan's pride and personality. Overall, If Satan is making someone doubt God, then he is already one step closer to getting some revenge. However, if he fails, the individual who had enough faith to conquer Satan may become even stronger in their beliefs and seen as a "hero." This time though, Satan chose to mess with the wrong angel because he clearly gets his butt kicked later on.
Anyway, this is somewhat of a shorter blog because there's not tons and tons to say, and I just wanted to touch on this point briefly. Out!

Lauren

Seven Deadly Sins

Well, I must say that I am writing blogs that are for past books we have read because I'm pretty far behind in these blogs. Basically, all of my ideas were put on a sticky post it note to keep in the back of my head, so here I go, writing and expanding upon ideas we've somewhat covered already in class.
During a class discussion about Book II a few weeks ago, I began seeing the fallen angels representing the seven deadly sins; or rather the four/five deadly sins. I started looking into this idea and becoming rather intrigued as to what Milton was trying to get across by personifying these demons as seven deadly sins that are often associated with humanity. In my first paper, I touch on this topic, but not nearly as much as I want to. So I've decided to run with this topic and post a (wah lah) blog about it.
First off, let me start with a list of the seven deadly sins:
Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Sloth
Wrath
Envy
Pride
What is fascinating about these seven deadly sins is that in small amounts, these characteristics are not considered a "bad" thing necessarily. However, once one reaches the extremes of maintaining these traits, they become classified as sinful.
The first hint that Milton provides about the personification of sins is when the narrator describes Belial, one of the demons, as a "sloth" (II, 227). It becomes clear that the narrator is actually insulting Belial, not complementing him. As stated above, sloth is known as one of the Cardinal Sins. The reader can only infer that the narrator calls Belial a sloth because of what Belial wants to do with Hell: he prefers not to attack God, while also asking for forgiveness to get back into Heaven and allowing his punishment to be enduring in a Hell that he doesn't think is half bad. Because it seems that Belial would rather remain in his Hell than fight against God or claim revenge, he is indeed called a sloth. What is particularly interesting is that though Milton seems to make other characters represent sins, he does not directly state it about any other character except Belial. While no one will ever really know why this is the case, Belial is unfortunately the butt of the joke when it comes to his plan.
Although at first this comment regarding Belial as a sloth may go unnoticed, the reader can look back and see that the traits and plans of other fellow demons seem very much related to other sins. The first character to actually address Pandemonium is Moloch. According to Milton, Moloch was once a great warrior for Heaven, where he greatly enjoyed his rank and place in Heaven. However invincible Moloch believed he was, he clearly suffered a blow to his ego when he was banished to Hell as punishment from God. In his revenge plan, Moloch decides that fighting a raging war against God will be his way of claiming revenge and taking out his anger on God. He is clearly livid with God for punishing him. This is seen when he speaks to the council and says, "Let us rather choose/Armed with hell flames and fury all at once/O'er Heav'n's high tow'rs to force resistless way,/Turning our tortures into horrid arms/Against the Torturer" (II, 60). It is clear that Moloch is bent on getting revenge on a God that he views as a tyrant through the notion of waging a violent war. His pure hatred for God can be easily seen in the diction of his speeches regarding war. Is it possible that Moloch represents the sin of Wrath? For me, the answer is yes, it is quite possible, and probably even intended that way.
Mammon also represents a sin. He was described as "always admiring more/The riches of Heav'ns pavement, trodden gold" (I, 681-682). This quote, as well as the knowledge that Mammon wants to build a wealthy kingdom out of Hell very similar to Heaven shows that Mammon may represent Greed. In his desire to build a kingdom out of Hell, the reader learns that the sins these demons personify have an impact on what they believe their future actions should be. While Mammon intends to gain riches and unlimited wealth, Belial, the sloth, decides to take no action, and Moloch, Wrath, decides to claim revenge on God through war and violence. While these three demons represent sins, I also believe that Satan himself represents sin. Satan believes to have enough power to corrupt Man and get revenge on God. Also, as we have seen in Book 5, Satan claims he is "self-begot, self raised," which of course, shows Satan's thoughts on God and helps portray his pride. When Satan says this, it becomes clear to the reader that Satan truly believes what he is saying and refuses to believe anyone else in his twisted mindset. Someone who is extremely proud will also have their one way of viewing something, and clearly, to claim God did not create everything and that Satan is self raised shows just how proud Satan can be.
Though I am unsure of who represents lust, gluttony, and envy as an individual, I feel that these particular demons are personified as one of the seven deadly sins, and may even have traits of all the sins combined. I hope to discuss this further as we continue reading the book, because I definitely think this is an interesting idea.

Feel free to comment.

Lauren

Dance, Dance

I'm posting this blog JUST in excitement that I am, for some reason, now able to post blogs whereas previously, I was not able to.
Yes, you may have noticed my awesome blank blogs that really seemed out of place.
SOOO! Yay excitement, I really hope this posts because yes, this is also an experiment.
(Dance, Dance).

Lauren


PS: I'm not this weird, I swear.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Individual Blog Post: The History

Note: Because this is history and there's no main argument, there is not a huge difference from this and my part of our blog post. The chapters AFTER this is when the author gets more involved with Milton's writings and how the history may or may not have impacted him. I am going to figure out what else I can do to change this, so please just stick with me for now. I also had problems posting this, so if only half of it gets posted...I'll try again.

In Part I, chapter two of Milton and the English Revolution, Christoper Hill explains some of the historical background of England before and during the revolution in an attempt to later explain that Milton viewed his time period as both a religious and cultural crisis. However, the main point of this article is to actually fill in the reader about the ongoing turmoil Milton was exposed to before and after he wrote many of his works of literature.
According to Hill, the declaration of Protestantism and the break from the Roman Catholic Church by Henry VIII of England led to a strong tie between the nation and its religion. Under the reign of Elizabeth, protestantism became even more associated with England, and Roman Catholic countries, especially Spain, emerged as national enemies. In order to further dissolve ties with Catholicism, legends and rumors regarding Catholic cruelty were spread through propaganda in England. This continuation of propaganda and religious tension continued throughout the British people after Elizabeth's reign, while under James I and Charles I reign, the attempt by both monarchs to settle religious hatred were unacceptable in the eyes of Parliament and England. He married a French woman by the name of Henrietta Maria, who was Catholic and influenced many of Charles decisions, one of which allowed a papal agent into England. Charles passed many reform bills that gave true tolerance to Catholics, and Milton, very involved with the politics of Britain, strongly opposed these reforms. Hill suggests that his opposition and dislike for Charles may have impacted his writings and political standpoint.
Other individuals and heads of the Church of England, such as William Laud, also seemed to support Catholicism. Little changes made in the church, such as the movement of the communion table from the center to the East end of the church, appeared to enhance Catholic doctrine. Milton called it the "table of separation" in disgust due to the simple fact that moving the Communion to the East raised the priest higher than the congregation, which was exactly what the Reformation had wanted to prevent. The increased seeming presence of Catholicism seemed to be too overwhelming for many Englishmen, including Milton. This skepticism continued when events in Ireland and Scotland, such as imposing Bishops in Scotland and Catholic revolts in Ireland, occurred.
After being fed up with a ruler who seemed to favor to Catholics, Oliver Cromwell, soon to be England's new dictator, began to challenge Charles. After a bloody revolution that followed between the Cavaliers (those who supported King Charles) and the Roundheads (those who supported Cromwell) and ended with the beheading of Charles I in 1649, Cromwell was put into power. It is here when Milton works right underneath Oliver Cromwell and writes works of literature praising Cromwell. Soon after the war, Cromwell dissolved Parliament, naming himself "Lord Protector," and ultimately declaring himself a dictator and tyrant. Though Cromwell claimed religious tolerance, he continually passed bills limiting Catholicism and promoted intolerance towards Catholicism. Cromwell ruled through fear and hypocrisy, while wielding almost unlimited power in England until he died in 1658, where England decides to put Charles II on the throne to re
store the monarchy.


Works Cited:

Hill, Christopher. Milton and the English Revolution. New York, New York: The Viking Press, 1978

Individual Blog Post: Oliver Cromwell

The revolution that took place in England had many key players who led it. One of these leaders was Oliver Cromwell. He was the leader of Parliament and when the people decided to overthrow Charles I it was Cromwell who became the leader of the country. However Cromwell not only became the leader of the country but also the self-proclaimed dictator. Throughout his time in power, Cromwell became very confrontational, a trait that can be easily spotted in the character of Satan in the poem, "Paradise Lost" by John Milton. Cromwell often waged war on other countries citing religion as his motivation yet it was believed his dedication to religion was all a facade. 
This was also apparent when Cromwell dissolved Parliament. Cromwell was working with them to set a limit on their time in session when he found out that they were plotting against him with hopes of extending their life as a governing body. Upon hearing their plan Cromwell decided to dissolve Parliament through force. Yet according to Cromwell, "When I went there, I did not think to have this done. But perceiving the spirit of God so strong upon me, I would not consult flesh and blood".  Here he is claiming that when went to meet with Parliament he had no intentions of disbanding Parliament yet "the spirit of God" told him that it was the right thing to do. George Drake makes an interesting point when he asks the question that if Cromwell had no intentions of terminating Parliament then why was he prepared with armed forces at the ready? 
This shows just how manipulative and deceiving that Cromwell was throughout his reign in England. These are both traits that we see frequently in Satan's character in the poem, "Paradise Lost". One can infer that Milton's close interactions with Cromwell could have had some impact in his shaping of Satan. Milton worked under Cromwell and resented him but could do nothing about it (class discussion). The resentment towards this overnight leader could be what influenced him as he created the character of Satan and many of the other characters in Milton's poem "Paradise Lost". 


Drake, George. "The Ideology of Oliver Cromwell" Church History, Vol 35, No. 3, (Sept 1996) pp. 259-272. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Church Society

Group Draft

The declaration of Protestantism and the break from the Roman Catholic Church by Henry VIII of England led to a strong tie between the nation and its religion. Under the reign of Elizabeth, protestantism became even more associated with England, and Roman Catholic countries, especially Spain, emerged as national enemies. In order to further dissolve ties with Catholicism, legends and rumors regarding Catholic cruelty were spread through propaganda in England. This continuation of propaganda and religious tension continued throughout the British people after Elizabeth's reign, while under James I and Charles I reign, the attempt by both monarchs to settle religious hatred were unacceptable in the eyes of Parliament and England. Charles passed many reform bills that gave true tolerance to Catholics, and Milton, very involved with the politics of Britain, strongly opposed these reforms.
After being fed up with a ruler who seemed to favor to Catholics, Oliver Cromwell, soon to be England's new dictator, began to challenge Charles. After a bloody revolution that followed between the Cavaliers (those who supported King Charles) and the Roundheads (those who supported Cromwell) and ended with the beheading of Charles I in 1649, Cromwell was put into power. It is here when Milton works right underneath Oliver Cromwell and writes works of literature praising Cromwell. Soon after the war, Cromwell dissolved Parliament, naming himself "Lord Protector," and ultimately declaring himself a dictator and tyrant. Though Cromwell claimed religious tolerance, he continually passed bills limiting Catholicism and promoted intolerance towards Catholicism. Cromwell ruled through fear and hypocrisy, while wielding almost unlimited power in England until he died in 1658, where England decides to put Charles II on the throne to restore the monarchy. While Milton worked for Cromwell, he was forced into hiding for fear of his life in 1659 after the death of Cromwell. In 1674, Milton published his epic poem, Paradise Lost in a twelve book series.
It can be said that Oliver Cromwell was one of the most important men in
the revolution during the life of John Milton. Cromwell was the
self-proclaimed dictator of England immediately following the civil war
and the overthrow of Charles I. Cromwell seemed to be very much like
Charles I as he claimed to practice religious tolerance. This was evident
as Cromwell offered protection for the Jews expelled from Spain during
the Inquisition yet his tolerance only went so far and according to
George Drake, Cromwell’s so called forbearance, “meant that the Roman
Catholics, the Anglicans and sometimes the Presbyterians were excluded
from the official tolerance”1. In many ways one can say that Oliver
Cromwell, someone with whom Milton worked closely with, may have had an
influence on Milton’s character of Satan. At the beginning of the civil
war Oliver Cromwell was the leader of Parliament. Yet Cromwell slowly
goes from being a hero and leading the fallen angels from Heaven to Hell
to becoming a manipulative self-proclaimed dictator. This was very
similar to Satan, as he also led a rebellious group to victory and then
took advantage of his status by promoting himself to a dictator status.
Cromwell also manipulated people through his words, just like Satan did.
Many times Oliver Cromwell would justify his attacks on other countries
and the promotion of his own beliefs with his religious beliefs through
his belief in God. It was said that Oliver Cromwell used his faith,
“against fellow Puritans, the Scots, to show them that God had thrown his
weight behind the Independent rather than the Presbyterian cause” 2.
However later in Cromwell’s career as dictator of England he was accused
of hypocrisy after he announced that he denied every allowing God to
guide him in his decisions regarding the country.3 This again is very
similar to Satan, as Milton describes him to be in the poem, “Paradise
Lost” especially in book two when Satan tells all the other demons in
Pandemonium about the burden it will be to be the leader in hell but he
will make that sacrifice for them when in reality Satan just wants to be
in control of their fates. Satan here uses his words to mask his true
intentions just as Cromwell used his religious beliefs as a “smokescreen”
for his political agenda. 4 In many ways we can see parallels between
Oliver Cromwell, a leader in the revolution as well as some Milton worked
closely with and Satan, the leader of hell whom Milton created.

Though one would expect Oliver Cromwell to have a great deal in common with Satan, so does another major player in the English revolution. King Charles I, according to Joan Bennett’s article, God, Satan, and King Charles: Royal Portraits, shares many commonalities with the leader of the underworld. Both characters are said to be tyrannical, and want to eliminate those who stand in their way. Charles claims to have divine power to the throne, and Satan’s ambitions led him at an attempt to usurp God. Both Satan and Charles strive for absolute power. Even though he was among the strongest of the angels, Satan still wants more. They both want complete control and enormous amounts of power, and would rather pursue those achievements than anything else. “In the portraits of both Charles and Satan, we may discover behind the false idea of a governor a corrupted idea of heroism: The power gotten by such a hero, who seeks personal glory rather than service to God, is employed, once it has been gained, in a wrong sort of rule over others” (Bennett, 444). That “wrong sort of rule” takes place in Charles’s case, where he wants more tax money to try and gain Scotland. He only cares about the resources he can use. Satan, comparatively, convinces a great deal of angels to follow him to go against God. After they fail, he still has the angels eating out of the palm of his hand, but he does not give any regard to anyone else’s opinions or ideas. Their use of rhetoric becomes a great influence when both people use it to manipulate those around him. When they are both confronted with a challenge or judgment, Charles and Satan both fall back onto contemplation and showing signs of regret. Whether this sign of contemplation is genuine or not, is another matter. Neither Charles or Satan really care much about the laws that are in place, and while they also both claim to be abdicators of freedom, it fails to help anyone who follows them. Satan promises freedom from God, yet they are still enslaved under him. Charles, again, will say anything he can to get more money for his Kingdom. “Satan and Charles, in Milton’s two portraits of the tyrant, enslave their followers and themselves in a ‘miste cloud’ of rhetoric that substitutes ‘prerogative’ for the sunlight of God’s law, the only basis for a portrait of genuine royalty” (Bennett, 456). For this major player in the revolution, Charles has more in common with Satan than one would first see.
Milton can be related to Satan as well, in a few parts of his life. Milton seems to think of himself as better than everyone else. He invoked the help of the Holy Spirit to help him write Paradise Lost, and almost seemed to be comparing himself to God. “But we might usefully turn to a statement by Denis Saurat, the first critic to explore the radical nature of Milton’s materialism, for a clear-sighted, if simplistic, mapping of this path: ‘Milton was driven to pantheism by his pride and chastity: his body was holy in his eyes; his body will be of the substance of God; matter will be of the substance of God’” (page 103). In this quote, it becomes apparent that Milton finds himself to be better than others, much like Satan did. Milton compares himself to the “substance of God” and considers himself divine. These exact characteristics were what caused Satan to eventually fall.
Milton also changed his stance suddenly, and went from supporting Oliver Cromwell to backing Parliament, which Cromwell eventually disbanded. After writing a pamphlet called Defense of the English People, Milton allegedly backed away from his stance and his faith. “We have seen the generally liberal impulses behind the idealist philosophy of popular sovereignty marking Milton’s Defense. Not long after its publication, however, Milton edged away from the faith, expressed (however haltingly) in his treatises of the Vitalist Movement, that God had invested the power of self-determination in the “people.” He began instead to forward a more authoritarian vision of a state governed not by the people but by a parliament and, finally, by an even more select and limited council of the nation’s ablest and most rational citizens” (page 110). Here, it is shown that Milton wanted to get rid of the government that was present, just like Satan did, and was even willing to use military force against the “unruly majority” that most likely would have rebelled.

Bennett, Joan S. "God, Satan, and King Charles: Royal Portraits." JSTOR. 1977. 1 Oct. 2008 .

Individual Assignment

While researching, I found a book called The Matter of Revolution by John Rogers. This book had some background on the English Revolution, but it mostly focused on Milton, a few other key writers, and "the Vitalist Movement." The book speaks of William Harvey, whose main contributions were to medical science, Margaret Cavendish, another writer who was eventually compared to Milton's idea of Eve in Paradise Lost, and Andrew Marvell. These three other authors seem to have affected Milton or the time in which Milton was writing.
Harvey, giving a vitalist understanding of the difference between body and soul. "'Life cannot consist without a Vital Spirit. Therefore when the Vital Spirit is distributed in and with the Arterious Blood to the solid parts through the Arteries, and these parts do suck in that Blood into their substance, it comes to pass, that the said parts are co-united with the Vital Spirits, and so they participate of the Nature of Life' (page 100)" (page 106). These new developments in medical science affected how people thought about their bodies, and also about their faith, since they believed the two were connected in some way. Milton published a political document called the Defense of the English People, following another theory of the body politic, stating that rational men organize themselves even without the centralizing pressures of an absolute monarchy. He however backed away from his stance in this document not long after it was published. “We have seen the generally liberal impulses behind the idealist philosophy of popular sovereignty marking Milton’s Defense. Not long after its publication, however, Milton edged away from the faith, expressed (however haltingly) in his treatises of the Vitalist Movement, that God had invested the power of self-determination in the “people.” He began instead to forward a more authoritarian vision of a state governed not by the people but by a parliament and, finally, by an even more select and limited council of the nation’s ablest and most rational citizens” (page 110). Here, it is shown that Milton wanted to get rid of the government that was present, just like Satan did, and was even willing to use military force against the “unruly majority” that most likely would have rebelled. Milton begins to see himself as divine, just as Satan did in Paradise Lost. Milton seems to exibit some of the same characteristics that Satan does, which eventually caused him to fall.

Individual Blog

I pulled up an article on JSTOR by Joan S. Bennett, called God, Satan, and King Charles: Royal Portraits. In this article, the author points out several comparisons between Satan in John Milton’s, Paradise Lost, and King Charles I of the English Revolution. One of the major points was indicating how both Satan and Charles I were tyrants. Both characters declare that they deserve divine power, and they both achieved it by means of trying to usurp whoever was in their way. For Satan, it was God, and Charles I claimed that it was his divine right as he was next in line for the throne. The article states that “the comparison occurs, for example, when Milton criticizes Charles’s violations of religious liberty: ‘He [King Charles] calls the conscience Gods sovrantie, why then doth he contest with God about that supreme title…usurping over spiritual things, as Lucifer beyond his sphere’ (Eikonoklastes, pp. 501-502).’ Though Charles had not possessed the full strength of Satan, the king had been in Milton’s view a servant of the arch-rebel” (Bennett, 442). The author makes a great deal of references to Eikonoklastes to make her point about King Charles. Aside from both Charles and Satan claiming power as their right, the author states that they are both very ambitious. They would rather seek their own personal aspirations than serve God. This is obviously true of Satan, who is already among the strongest of the angels, yet still wants to surpass God himself. They both want to rule over people for the wrong reasons with absolute power. And when faced with possible death or judgment, both characters show signs of regret and contemplation (Bennett, 445). Charles was supposedly one who wanted to defend civil liberties, just like what Satan was preaching when he promised the fallen angels freedom from God. In reality, the author reveals, Charles just wanted tax money, and we know that Satan is too ambitious and stubborn to actually listen to any of his followers. Where Charles convinces Parliament falsely that Scotland is a threat, Satan makes the being that gave them life look like a bad guy. Satan and Charles must have both been very good public speakers to persuade all of the people that they did. “Satan retains his tyranny over them by means of his rhetorically effective, but false, reasoning about liberty” (Bennett 452). Paralleling Satan, Charles “shared, in Milton’s portrait of him, that fundamental element of tyranny which is self-enslavement” (Bennett 455). Though many would argue that Satan had a lot in common with Oliver Cromwell, there exist many similarities between himself and King Charles I as well.

Bennett, Joan S. "God, Satan, and King Charles: Royal Portraits." JSTOR. 1977. 1 Oct. 2008 .