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The Dialectical Interaction between God and Satan –
Exploring Modern Western Humanism in Literature through Satanism
beings but a new regime of tyranny that is to be reigned solely by himself, as evident in his
famous line, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” (John Milton, 1991) This
quote underscores his unwavering resolve and ambition. On the other hand, to remind his
readers of the danger hiding underneath Satan’s powerful statement, Milton also

emphasizes Satan’s persuasive rhetoric, likening him to “The mind [that] is its own place,
and in itself/ Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” (John Milton, 1991) This
illustrates his ability to justify what is unjust and rationalize what is irrational.

Accordingly, the researcher does not think that Milton had any intention to present
Satan as a heroic character who defies and confronts the authoritarian rule for a better
world but to endow this age-old biblical archfiend with irresistible eloquence so as to
caution his readers against false prophets, especially in times of drastic changes when

people feel uncertain and suffer great pain. However, the Age of Revolution (mainly
referring to the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution) was coming, and the
drastic social and political changes brought about by these revolutions would once again

resurrect the fallen archangel from the land of the dead and transform him, ironically, into
what Milton had tried hard to prevent.

(II) Prometheus Unbound

Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound (1892) is a poetic drama that reimagines
the Greek myth of Prometheus, emphasizing the character as a defiant hero against tyranny,
much like Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost. In Shelley’s work, Prometheus represents a

symbol of unyielding resistance to oppression and a champion of human liberation.

Shelley’s Prometheus embodies Milton’s Satan in his resolute defiance against the
oppressive power, which, in this case, is the king of the Olympians, Jupiter (Zeus). The
unflinching Titan refuses to submit, declaring, “To suffer woes which Hope thinks

infinite;/ To forgive wrongs darker than death or night;/ To defy Power, which seems
omnipotent.” (Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1892) Here, he exhibits the spirit of rebellion that, he
believes, Milton’s Satan displays in his refusal to serve in Heaven.

Furthermore, Shelley purposely introduces to his work a character called Demogorgon,
a spirit of the underworld, associated with the realm of night or the world of the dead in
pagan mythology. The powerful spirit ultimately overthrows Jupiter, which complements
Satan’s failed rebellious action in Paradise Lost. In other words, what Milton’s Satan fails

to achieve due to his flawed source material (the biblical story of Eden, where the snake, the
most-accepted representative of the archfiend, must be punished in the end) is
accomplished by Shelley’s Demogorgon, whose triumph embodies the idea of

overthrowing tyrannical rule, a nod to Satan’s ambition to challenge God’s authority.
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