John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” is often read as a theological epic meant to “justifie the wayes of God to men,” but its political undertones are impossible to ignore. Through Satan’s rebellion, Milton crafts a complex portrait of defiance, one that echoes humanity’s own struggle with authoritarian rule.
In “Paradise Lost”, Satan is a rebel angel who opposed the monarchy of God. After being cast into Hell for his insubordination, Satan awakens his fellow legions and delivers a speech in order to give them a new sense of purpose.
For Satan, Heaven became Hell, a place where obedience is demanded and freedoms are denied. In contrast, Hell, however grim, offers something unique; liberty. Satan declares to his rebel angels,
“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heav’n of Hell, A Hell out of Heav’n,”
Satan’s words in Paradise Lost could be interpreted as impactful because he is saying freedom is essential to most people and he poses that even eternal damnation is preferable to submission. Milton’s Satan is not simply the devil of Christian tradition, he is a figure shaped by the language of political resistance. When Satan questions the hierarchy of Heaven, he echoes the arguments of real world revolutionaries.
“Here we at least we shall be free; th’…Better to reign in Hell, than Serve in Heav’n.”
Milton was familiar with political rebellion. He lived during the English Civil War, where for seven years, Royalists battled Parliamentarians which eventually culminated in the execution of King Charles I in 1649. This conflict established a constitutional monarchy where royal power was limited and dependent on parliamentary consent.
However, even Satan’s rebellion in Heaven mirrors our American history. Patrick Henry, a Virginian lawyer and founding father, famously declared at the Second Virginia convention,
“Give me liberty or give me death.”
Like Satan, Henry saw freedom as the highest good, worth any cost, even death. His rallying was meant to awaken the American colonies against the dangers of inaction against the British monarchy.
But, of course, Satan’s rebellion comes with a price. His liberty leads him not to peace or justice – but to the fall of mankind. Milton complicates the idea of a righteous rebellion.
Satan’s rallying cries, although rooted in the noble desire of freedom, are stained in the bitterness of pride and greed. While he may sound noble, his actions bring ruin. This brings out an uncomfortable truth: Even just causes can be corrupted by ego, and even rebels can become tyrants.
In Dante’s Inferno, the ninth circle of the Inferno is for treachery, and sinners are trapped in a frozen lake. At the very center resides Satan who betrayed God, there he eternally devours Brutus, Cassius and Judas Iscariot. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius kill Caesar for being a dictator; however it only causes more instability and bloodshed.
Painting by Vincenzo Camuccini
So, was Satan’s rebellion just? Milton offers no simple answers, he gives us a rebel who speaks the language of liberty, but acts with vengeance and pride. In an age where authoritarianism continues to rise and questions of freedom are as urgent as ever, “Paradise Lost” reminds us that the struggle between power and liberty is eternal.
