Drop of Lucifer

Milton’s Paradise Lost is known for his unique depiction of Lucifer, a character who has so many more dimensions than simply the evil tempter. The most obvious characteristic that Milton gives his Lucifer is hubris. Lucifer is an Archangel that feels so strongly that he is God’s equal that he is kicked out of Heaven. As Lucifer himself explains, “(God) whom reason hath equaled, force hath made supreme above his equals” (Milton 248-249). In other words, Lucifer feels that he, and many others, are just as intelligent as God, and the only reason that God rules over everyone else is because he has more brute force. I don’t know that one could get more conceded than literally thinking that he is as smart (if not smarter than) God. Something that does come close, though, is Milton’s belief that he is wise enough to explain the ways of God to everyone, which adds to the assertion that Milton actually identifies with Lucifer rather than God.

Another layer of Lucifer that Milton adds is his humanistic attitudes. Unlike most Christians and followers of God, Lucifer relies on his own reason and his own mind to make himself happy. He sees himself as the maker of his own destiny, to the point in which he asserts that “the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven” (Milton 254-255). This sentiment goes hand-in-hand with Lucifer’s hubris, in that he believes that he does not need God to be happy, in fact, he can make himself happier in Hell than God ever could in Heaven.

Through Milton’s introduction of Lucifer’s opinions, though, we as readers can view the fall of Lucifer from his perspective, and possibly even have sympathy for him. This perspective switch has deeply affected the way good and especially evil are portrayed, adding the different shades of gray to literature. One example of this perspective switch is with the anti-hero, Heathcliff, in Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff is domineering and aggressive, but the reader finds herself rooting for Heathcliff more than anyone else because we see his back story full of abandonment, childhood abuse, and a broken heart. There are many other examples of this perspective switch, such as Grendel’s retelling of Beowulf, all of which were influenced by the path that Milton paved with Lucifer’s conceded yet relatable Lucifer.

Works Cited

Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Ed. Scott Elledge. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1975.