Satan is no longer to be feared: he is to be mocked, despised, and derided! At least this is the attitude shared by illustrious scholars such as CS Lewis, Martin Luther and Thomas More. Lewis dedicated an entire book, The Screwtape Letters, to the cause; Luther once said, “The best way to drive out the devil, if he does not yield to the texts of Scripture, is to mock and mock him, for he cannot bear contempt”; and Thomas More said, "The devil... the prowde spirit... cannot bear to be laughed at." In Paradise Lost, John Milton seems to agree with these esteemed scholars, creating a Satan who is so unsure of his actions that he needs to use his own rhetorical tactics on himself to feel secure. Milton's narrator in Paradise Lost, especially during the end of Book III and the beginning of Book IV, prepares the reader to see Satan with a clarity that can only be found by entering his skin and taking a genuine look at the feelings of his Heart. . Satan's speech atop Mount Niphates confirms the narrator's introduction of a sad, pathetic, and continually submissive Satan who reveals a sense of inner clarity through his soliloquy. This pathetic "Prince of Darkness" who realizes the truth about his actions, the lack of any real prince-like power, and the reality of God's omnipotent nature still persists in using the tactics of questions and rhetoric - the same tactics he uses to distract others from the truth––to try to make himself feel better and justify his actions. Overall, it is clear that Milton uses the speech on Mount Niphates to encourage readers to realize that Satan is a weak character who has ongoing inner turmoil and confusion regarding his actions and any power he may appear to gain in his dominion over the Hell or Earth. Earth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before Satan gives his infamous speech on Mount Niphates, the narrator creates a sense of Satan's submission and sadness, as well as the inner clarity he will gain. The location is an important indicator of the clarity and personal truth that Satan is about to reveal to the reader in his speech. The reader is told that Satan "...Throws his steep flight in many airy wheels, / Nor remained till he set upon the top of Niphates" (3.741-42). First of all, it is significant that Satan is on the top of a mountain. Physically this place is associated with a view that can clearly show many things that cannot be seen from the ground; metaphorically, mountaintops are places of revelation and extreme clarity (hence the popular Christian idea of ​​a “mountaintop experience” at the moment of conversion or rebirth). The location of the mountain outside of Eden is another significant detail. The editorial note informs the reader that the name suggests a snow-capped peak. The presence of snow is notable because there are no seasons in Eden (5.391-395), making it even clearer that this place is not to be associated with Paradise. Furthermore, snow and the winter season are traditionally associated with autumn. These geographical clues that force the reader to dissociate this place from Paradise seem to allow the reader to use postlapsarian associations because it is outside the ethically indifferent realm of Eden. A perfect example of such an association is the aforementioned “mountain experience”. Adam and Even do not need to climb to the top of a mountain to find clarity in Eden before the Fall; however, as fallen creatures like Satan, humans now often need suchphysical structures to help us find the truth about the world around them. The narrator also uses a pun on the "light" of the world to highlight the issue of Satan's self-revelation which is close at hand. When the narrator says, “Nor remained till it kindled on the top of Niphate” (3.742) “light” is used in multiple ways. It initially means that Satan is physically landing on Mount Niphates. However, upon further consideration, one realizes that the word is also used to remind the reader of the light of God. The light associated with God is that which reveals truth and goodness; Likewise, Satan will reveal the truth, but a different truth, different from the goodness that comes from the light of God. Furthermore, the narrator describes the state of Satan's soul before his long oration as such:“Now rolling seethes in his tumultuous chest And like a diabolical machine it retracts on itself. Horror and doubt distract the Hell within him, for within him is Hell” (4:16-19) There are some important descriptions in this excerpt that lend to the idea of ​​Satan's self-revelation. First, the idea of ​​boiling is associated with something arising from within. This is reinforced by “in its tumultuous bosom” (4.16). Clearly, what is about to surface comes from within Satan, not from the outward facade he works so hard to maintain. Furthermore, the description of “a diabolical machine” that “retreats into itself” actually creates a metaphor for an inevitable process of continuous and automatic self-deprecation, foreshadowing some of Satan's statements. This passage also says “Hell is within him, for Hell is within him” (4:19), almost exactly mirroring what Satan will say later in his speech (4:75). The classic repetition of the phrase here and later in Satan's speech focuses the reader's attention on the state of Satan's soul forever connected to hell and on that state of condemnation and defeat. This repetition also provides validity to the narrator's claims by demonstrating that the portrayal of Satan and his surroundings is accurate. Through examining these textual clues, it is quite clear that Satan will come to some inner clarity during the speech he gives on Mount Niphates. It is now evident that Satan will achieve some sense of coherence about himself, but the narrator does not. Here we end preparing the reader for the speech. The narrator also reveals some themes that will emerge in Satan's speech, such as sadness and submission. The narrator uses repetition of ideas to emphasize Satan's low status and his recognition of that place in the hierarchy. Attributing words such as "bow down" (3.735), "under" (3.740), and "down" (3.740) to Satan's actions creates an air of submission, which is affirmed by the statement "Where none neglects due honor and reverence" (3.737). Note that the narrator does not say "reverence which not many neglect" or "reverence which none but Satan neglects"; emphasizes the use of an absolute and states that "reverence no one neglects". Clearly, Satan is still in a state of submission to God and is inferior to the “higher spirits…in Heaven” (3.736). This submission is probably one of the causes of Satan's sadness that the narrator introduces even before the speech on Mount Niphates. The narrator again uses repetition of ideas to give the speech scene an air of melancholy and disappointment, describing Satan with depressing words such as "not to rejoice" (4.13), "nor have reason to boast" (4.14), and "terrible attempt” (4.15). The last example is particularly damning because “terrible” has particularly sad connotations such as desperate and hopeless. Furthermore, “terrible” can often be used as a warning or threat ofdestruction. This description of Satan's future is in no way positive; he is obviously preparing the reader for a Satan whose actions are condemned from the start. Satan apparently realizes this because he is said to begin his speech “with sighs” (4:31). Because of the rhetorical clues provided thus far by the narrator, it is safe for the reader to conclude that these are not the kind of sighs that arise from admiration or joy, but those of dejection and depression. With these sighs Satan finally begins his infamous prayer. As the narrator pointed out, Satan comes to some clarity about himself. Indeed, his speech begins and ends with a sense of truth, but Satan's reasoning takes him many turns between these points. Before examining the winding path of Satan's logic, it is necessary to examine the evident truths at the beginning that set the stage for his questions. In his first statements, Satan acknowledges that he was wrong to be proud and rebellious while at the same time recognizing the omnipotence of God. He says: "Until pride and worst ambition brought me down, / Warring in heaven against the peerless king of heaven" (4:40-41). From this the audience knows that they are about to meet the real Satan because in his previous speeches where he had an audience, Satan actually maintains a facade of confidence in his actions, never acknowledging the "worst pride and ambition" that they have led to his downfall. Even Satan reveals this new, frank attitude when he states without a doubt that God created him: "From me, who created what I was" (4.43). This is in direct contrast to his statements made when he persuaded other angels to follow him in the rebellion: "We know no time when we were not as now, / Self-begotten, self-raised / With our quickening power..." (5.859-61) . Clearly, Satan is finally exposing his true feelings. This statement of truth is soon dismantled by Satan's rhetorical techniques. However, Satan is only fooling himself; it is easy to distinguish between Satan's truth and lies through the use of the classic interrogation technique. Over the course of the oration, Satan questions himself rhetorically approximately nine times in just 83 lines. These questions are almost all accompanied by rhetoric and the formation of a new opinion. The first example among many in this discourse is when Satan considers the service God has required of him. He begins by stating, “His service was not hard” (4.45), but then asks a rhetorical question that immediately leads to the new conclusion of “The immense debt of infinite gratitude/So burdensome ––still paying!––again to be in debt!" (4.53-54). Satan continues in this way, oscillating between the blame for his fall and that of God. The final conclusion, however, is that it is his fault, repeating what the narrator had expressed earlier in Book IV saying: "The way I fly is Hell, I myself am Hell" (4.75). In this way, Satan's rhetoric works against him leading him to the truth of his pathetic and tormented soul the failed attempt to console himself, Satan finally reveals his immense pain and his self-deprecating nature Satan recognizes the false pretense he presents to others, namely the other fallen angels, saying things like “The lower I fall, only supreme. /in misery” (4.91), and “Contempt forbids me and my terror of shame/Among the spirits under whom I have seduced” (4.81-82). Satan's confession of hiding his feelings out of a sense of shame shows that this is an ongoing process of lying to those closest to him. Those who should know him better know him less: "little do they know... Under what torments I groan within myself",.”