Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

English

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Jeffrey Miller

Committee Member

Adam Rzepka

Committee Member

Michael Robbins

Abstract

For my thesis I aim to examine the detachment that Satan has to his surroundings in John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. Predominantly using psychoanalysis and Marxist theory as my main lenses for analysis, I intend to show the full extent of Satan's punishment and condemnation in the text. A standard close reading of this work shows how flawed and inconsistent Satan is in his disposition and beliefs. From boasting about being able to make a heaven of hell to considering asking God for forgiveness, the text shows him constantly changing. In other words, Satan's mental instability manifests itself in an ongoing fluctuation of thoughts, aims, and actions. Readers also see Satan move in terms of physical location as well, going from Heaven to Hell to the garden of Eden. Therefore, in dissecting the character of Satan via psychoanalysis and Marxism, light is shed on both the psychology behind his feelings and goals as well as the outward manifestations of them. For the Marxist reading I will of course be referencing the work of Karl Marx. As per the psychoanalytic reading I will be including the ideas of philosopher Slavoj Žižek as well as his predecessor French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Jacques Lacan. In using their concept of the symptom, I intend to explain how Milton depicts Satan’s torment through his never ending shifts in outlook and his inability to connect to the world around him.

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