“ | Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. | „ |
~ Lucifer's most famous quote. |
“ | Farewell fear, Farewell remorse, all good to me is lost. Evil be thou my Good, by thee at least, Divided empire with Heaven’s King I hold by thee, and more than half perhaps will reign As Man ere long and this new World shall know. | „ |
~ The Devil accepting his treachery and his most second famous quote. |
Lucifer is the protagonist of the 1667 epic poem Paradise Lost and the main antagonist of it’s sequel Paradise Regained by John Milton. Lucifer is his angel name; after his fall, he is almost exclusively referred to by his new title, Satan.
Personality[]
Lucifer portrayed in both poems is a malicious fallen angel who takes pride in the deeds that he commits and salvage humanity to it’s brim, even after being casted away from the kingdom, he becomes arrogant and strategic in any chance to dismay God’s dominion over humanity by tempting his children, notably Jesus Christ, He is also has a great influence for his power of manipulating other Angels into joining his plots, which there sins are linked towards Lucifer himself as the original sin of guilt as linked to humanity due to tricking Adam and Eve. He is seen as a tragic representation of consideration by John Milton who explores the dept of Lucifer being once a noble and closest angel to God, but his attributes with his journey of embodying the sin he is now, shows a much reflectiveness for becoming consumed with his own view on humanity.
Appearance[]
Lucifer is described as an extremely beautiful angel. Being able to shapeshift, he can take whichever form he pleases. After falling from Heaven, he is described as a very large demon, big enough to hold a spear the size of the tallest pine tree. After being punished again by God for turning humanity towards sin, he is transformed into a hideous snake, whether or not this means he lost the ability to shapeshift is unknown.
Biography[]
Paradise Lost[]
Satan was a powerful and high-ranking angel created by God along with all the other angels on the first day of creation, when God created the Heavens and the Earth. He was especially beautiful, powerful, and talented, even by angelic standards, and was held in high regard both by God and his fellow angels.
When God introduced his newly begotten Son (Jesus) and declared that he would rule at his right hand, Lucifer was overcome with envy and plotted to take God's place as king of Heaven. Believing that he deserved the same power as God, Lucifer recruited approximately one-third of all of Heaven's angels to his side and waged war against the angels loyal to God.
The war went back and forth for three days. God himself was largely uninvolved. In the end, God sent his Son, causing the ground to break up under Lucifer and all his allies. They fell into the darkness below and floated in the void for ten days, until they finally crashed down into the lake of fire in Tartarus (Hell).
Bound by Adamantium chains and devastated by his loss, he soon finds the strength to break free and rise from the lake. He then speaks to his fellow fallen angels, now considered demons. They rise from the lake and begin constructing a grand palace, where they discuss what to do next. Lucifer convinces them that the best course of action is to seek revenge against God and his creation, as he has heard of an entirely new type of being (Humans) being created on Earth and believes they have the potential to be corrupted. Satan leaves to investigate humanity, giving his best friend and general Beelzebub command over the situation and instructing all the fallen angels to try to find ways to make life in Tartarus more tolerable in the meantime.
Lucifer takes flight and soars over the vastness of Tartarus, crossing massive continents on his way. He makes it to the gates, where he meets a horrible old woman and an evil goblin, and a number of hellhounds. Lucifer and the goblin fight for a while, neither getting the upper hand until the woman pleads for them to stop. She reveals that she is Lucifer's daughter, Sin, born purely from the evil thoughts he had as he fell from Heaven, and the goblin, Death, his son, born in the same way, and the hellhounds are their incestuous offspring and genealogically Lucifer's grandchildren. Sin also reveals that she holds the key to unlocking the gates. She needs a little convincing to open the gates, as she wishes for her and Death to roam freely on Earth.
With the gates open, Lucifer flies across the solar system and lands on the Sun, where he meets the archangel Uriel. To disguise himself, he uses his shapeshifting to make himself into a cherub, although he has to be careful not to let Uriel get too close to his face, as his wicked and unangelic expression would betray his identity. Uriel briefs him on what happened after the war; afterwards, he goes to Earth to see it for himself. Meanwhile, God sends his angel, Raphael, to Earth to warn Adam that Satan is coming.
After landing on Earth, Lucifer laments how beautiful it is compared to Tartarus. He stalks the humans for a while to learn about their nature, taking the form of a number of different animals. He finds Eve to be more corruptable and confronts her in the form of a snake. He convinces her to eat from the tree of knowledge, tricking her into thinking she will obtain godlike power and wisdom from doing so.
With humanity successfully corrupted, Lucifer returns to Tartarus and boasts of his victory, but finds himself suddenly unable to speak. He and the other fallen angels are then transformed into snakes, no longer able to speak to Humans directly.
Paradise Regained[]
The story begins with Jesus being baptized by John. And Satan, observing this, convenes a gathering of demons to conspire against him, sure that he can deceive Christ as he did Adam. Meanwhile, God tells the angels that Satan is overconfident, and they chant his praises. Jesus enters the wilderness and fasts for 40 days, contemplating his past and destiny. A desert-dwelling old man requests that, as the Son of God, he convert stones into bread. Jesus, recognizing that he’s Satan, chastises him for his deceit. He pretends to be happy to learn the truth and begs for permission to stay. Jesus claims he can accomplish whatever the Father in heaven allows.
Simon and Andrew witnessed Jesus' baptism and realized he was the Messiah, but they lost him and hunted for him. They're worried they've lost him for good. Mary also worries about what has become of her son, recalling that she lost him once before, when he was twelve. After that, Satan returns to his demons, warning them that the temptation will be far more difficult than the fall of man. Belial suggests deploying a honey trap, but he knows it won't work, as he believes pride is a stronger test. Jesus, hungry, has a dream in which Elijah is fed by ravens. When he awakens, he finds a fair man and a banquet waiting for him, but he once again refuses.
He then tries to lure him with money, but Jesus reminds him that King David began as a shepherd. He then flatters Christ by praising his intellect before mocking him for his lack of accomplishment, claiming that Alexander the Great conquered half of the world at the age of 30. Jesus rejects obtaining fame through violent means. Then he tempts him with duty, claiming that Judas Maccabeus achieved glory for God by fighting the pagans, but Jesus sees pain as the route he must take.
He then leads Christ to a high mountain and shows him the kingdoms of the world. He suggests that, in order to successfully resist Rome, he will need to form an alliance with the Parthians. Christ rejects his suggestion to release the Ten Tribes, leaving the matter to divine providence.
Then he shows Christ Rome and offers it to him. Christ once again rejects. He claims that if Christ bows the knee, he can give all of the world's kingdoms. Christ rebukes him for this blasphemy, citing Exodus 20. Realizing his defeat, he attempts to interest Christ in ancient Greek learning, but Jesus rejects it in favor of the Psalms and Prophets. He angrily returns Christ to the wilderness, forcing him to spend a freezing night in the midst of a tempest raging with demonic fury.
Christ bears this. He, frustrated, transports Christ to Jerusalem and instructs him to fling himself over the pinnacle of the Jewish Temple, quoting a Psalm. Jesus responds, "Tempt not the Lord, thy God." Satan falls. Angels assist Jesus by singing of his victory over the devil.
Quotes[]
“ | O sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams, That bring to my remembrance from what state I fell; how glorious once above thy sphere; Till pride and worse ambition threw me down, Warring in heaven against heaven’s matchless King: Ah wherefore! he deservd no such return From me, whom he created what I was In that bright eminence, and with his good Upbraided none; nor was his service hard. What could be less then to afford him praise, The easiest recompence, and pay him thanks, How due! yet all his good prov'd ill in me, And wrought but malice; lifted up so high I sdeind subjection, and thought one step higher Would set me highest, and in a moment quit The debt immense of endless gratitude, So burthensome, still paying, still to ow; Forgetful what from him I still receivd, And understood not that a grateful mind By owing owes not, but still pays, at once Indebted and dischargd; what burden then? O had his powerful Destiny ordaind Me some inferiour Angel, I had stood Then happie; no unbounded hope had rais'd Ambition. Yet why not? som other Power As great might have aspir'd, and me though mean |
„ |
~ Satan |
“ | Which way I fly is Hell myself is Hell | „ |
~ The Devil |