Satan: the Dantean vs. the Miltonian

The name Satan often evokes images of an all-powerful devil that condemns sinners to the worst of punishments. This notion of Satan is one that pervades television, film, and most literature. Indeed, this is the Satan that is espoused by John Milton in Paradise Lost. At the outset of the novel, this fallen angel explains that it is “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven” (Milton I. 263). Milton’s devil professes that hell is his domain and that he is no longer the servant he was in heaven.

Perhaps the most famous deviant from this popular conception of Satan is the one in Dante’s Inferno. In Dante’s hell, Satan is portrayed as a massive demon frozen in the deepest part of Cocytus. In this hell, Satan is not all-powerful; instead, he is but another sinner. Unlike Milton’s, Dante’s Lucifer does not rule the kingdom of but is one of its many subjects.

Another striking difference between these two versions of Satan is that Dante’s Satan does not speak. Unless we consider Dante’s veneration of language, this characteristic may seem simply aesthetic. Through The Divine Comedy, to which the Inferno belongs, Dante glorifies language in many ways. Dante thus asserts his moral code by stripping away the linguistic faculties from the worst sinners. Those souls frozen in Cocytus (those who cannot speak) receive the worst punishment according to Dante’s philosophy. In contrast, Milton’s Satan is extremely vocal. His speech, “Is this the region…lost in Hell?” clearly establishes this fact (Milton I 242-270). When compared to Dante’s Satan, such a behavioral difference indicates varied motives of the authors.

Fundamental Christian history posits that Lucifer was once the servant of God, but eventually tried to usurp his power, which brought him condemnation to hell. Dante criticizes this betrayal of God by situating Dante amongst the sinners; he is placed in the circle of treachery. Though Milton is aware this betrayal, he emphasizes Satan’s ultimate desire for power by illustrating him as the ruler of hell as opposed to a sinner. Either way, both authors offer a compelling image of Satan and do so within exceptional narratives, which is why both the Inferno and Paradise Lost have earned a place in the Western canon.

Works Cited

Milton, John. Paradise Lost. New York: Norton, 1975. Print.