Distinguishing Between Bad and Evil - 1000 Words

Distinguishing Between Bad and Evil John Milton’s works Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained and A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle all have antagonists that are Milton’s representations of evil. However, when closely examining Satan in Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained it is easily recognizable that Satan’s character has taken a remarkable shift in that he no longer questions his immoral actions just like Comus never questions his actions in A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle. This close examination brings about the question what’s the difference between being an evil being and a person with bad character? This essay will evaluate how Satan in Paradise Lost is just a bad character whereas Satan in Paradise Regained and Comus are evil†¦show more content†¦Milton creates Satan’s character in this way in order to tempt and test his reader by appealing to the reader’s sinful side. His constant manipulation of the reader and the characters within the text does not necessari ly make him evil it just reflects poor judgment and bad character. In Paradise Regained Satan no longer possesses the same conflicting dualities of good and bad; instead his character illustrates a malevolent being. Satan no longer questions or reacts with conflicting feelings towards his demonic actions and sentiments as he did in Paradise Lost. His character is completely detached from the purity that was once within him and commits atrocities without remorse or question. It is evident in Paradise Regained that Milton has completely reconstructed Satan in such a malicious manner that there leaves no room for question whether Satan is a bad or evil. Satan is presented as nothing other than pure evil. His speeches are no longer alluring and infectious instead they reek with toxic flow. He is no longer apologetic for his rebellion and his respect for the position on God represented in Book 1 of Paradise Regained has diminished: Yet to that hideous place not so confined By rigour unconniving, but that oft Leaving my dolorous prison I enjoy Large liberty to round this globe of earth, Or range in the air, nor from the heaven of heavens Hath heShow MoreRelatedEssay on Comparing The Good And The Les619 Words   |  3 Pages Barbara Harrison once said, â€Å"The toughest choices in life are not those between good and evil, but those between the good and the lesser good.† She makes a good point given that those are the only types of choices that we must make. Sadly, there is a third type of decision that we fear the most, the decisions between the bad and the lesser bad. 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