Abstract

    In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan is the most controversial image. People who have been divided into pro-Satanists and anti-Satanists have argued Satan for over hundreds of years, but they still have not arrived at any agreements. The pro-Satanists regard Satan as a rebellious hero, for he dares to be against the God’s tyranny, while the anti-Satanists hold their opinion that Satan is a completely devil, for he tempts the human beings, Adam and Eve, to eat the forbidden fruit, which certainly departures the God’s will.
This thesis attempted to analyze the ambivalence of Satan’s image in Paradise Lost in terms of New Historicism, including social background, the author’s religion and politics at that time.
The conclusion is a general summarization of the thesis. With the help of New Historicism, Satan’s image in Paradise Lost will become clearer.

Key Words:  John Milton  Satan  Ambivalence  Hero  Devil

摘 要

    弥尔顿的《失乐园》中，撒旦是一个饱受争议的人物，人们认为撒旦是英雄，有些人认为撒旦是恶魔， 为此撒旦的研究者分成了亲撒旦与反撒旦的派别，却依然未能达成相一致的观点。亲撒旦认为撒旦是一个不折不扣的英雄，因为他敢于反抗上帝，挑战权威。反撒旦认为撒旦是一个魔鬼，因为他诱使人类鼻祖偷吃禁果，违背上帝的旨意，因而亚当和夏娃被逐出伊甸园。本文将借助新历史主义理论，考虑弥尔顿的生活经历、宗教信仰、革命立场等相关因素，分成三部分来阐述撒旦的矛盾性。第一部分主要讲作者对英雄撒旦的同情。第二部分主要是讨论魔鬼撒旦。第三部分要探讨的是矛盾的撒旦。结论处总结本文的所述重点，并希望我的分析能帮助更多更好的认识撒旦这一人物形象。

关键词：约翰•弥尔顿 撒旦 矛盾性 英雄 魔鬼

1. Introduction
John Milton (1608-1674) is one of the most outstanding poets of the English Renaissance. He is being treated as the greatest English poet after Shakespeare. Many writers speak highly of Milton. He has left us a great literature legacy of poetry, especially Paradise Lost, made him widely known.
People who have discussed about Satan’s controversy in Paradise Lost for over hundreds of years have formed into pro-Satanists and anti-Satanists. Pro-Satanists speak highly of Satan’s heroic behavior by his boldly rebellious fight against God, they regard him as a true hero in the epic. While anti-Satanists blame Satan for tempting mankind to fall, they insist that Milton has created a devil in his masterpiece. Anyway, all those sayings are not scientific, for Milton has already died.