| Satan
in Literature
Emily DeFur
Satan, the angel
and devil, is present in all types of literature. He
is a pregnant symbol of punishment, heroism and rebellion
that poets frequently use. Satan is living out the punishment
of the ultimate crime. He must learn to live in another
world as another being and serve out his sentence on
Earth and Hell. Heroism is not usually identified with
Satan; however, in poetry, he takes on the heroics attributed
to a rebel. The demon fits in the mold of a “Byronic
hero.” Satan is the ultimate literary masterpiece
of a rebel. He defied and continues to defy the ultimate
authority, the one being who is infallible, the one
who can do no wrong, God. Who else but Satan represents
the extreme free will of a mind that wants to experience
the fruits of the world without the harsh parent figure
lurking in the background? This rebellion emphasizes
the heroics and punishment of the true demon. The French
poet Charles Baudelaire takes advantage of this biblical
rebellion to illustrate a tragic hero living out a sentence
for a tragic crime of defiance. His demon is able to
take on the heroic role because he has rebelled like
others have rebelled. Baudelaire uses his collection
of poems, “Les Fleurs du Mal” (“The
Flowers of Evil”), to enhance the roles of Satan
as a prisoner, hero, and rebel.
The punishment must always fit the crime. In Satan’s
case this is definitely true. Since he defies the true
authority he must learn to live without the true authority.
This prisoner is sentenced to a prison without any other
inmates, Earth. The fallen angel adapted to his situation
and became king of his domain. Baudelaire admires the
ambition of Satan in his strength during banishment
and misfortunes. In Baudelaire’s poem “Litany
to Satan,” the poet praises him as the “first
of all exiles who endurest wrong” (170). This
prisoner is like any other exiled man who has to abandon
his homeland and friends at the force of divine injustice.
Satan is no different than a regular man, and Baudelaire
identifies with this because of his own troubles with
authority. The poet uses this theme of “enslavement
and humiliation” to relate his own problems with
Satan’s (Leakey 8). The editors of his poetry
force Baudelaire to hold back and follow orders. Satan
was also meant to follow orders, but he preferred imprisonment
in his rebellion rather than following orders. Baudelaire
identified heavily with this authoritative deviation.
The severity of the crime also intrigued the poet.
To revolt against all that one knows and fall into the
unknown was something that the poet wanted to accomplish
with his shocking lyrics and brazen imagery. The crime
of the angel is harsh and tragic. Satan felt strongly,
accused God, took the plunge, and was rebuffed in the
worst way. The angel is not able apologize, but he is
constrained with earthly chains. He disagreed with the
process of Heaven, so God threw him out. This type of
punishment could have happened to Baudelaire if he had
not changed his poetry and “adopted precautionary
measures to ward off threats” (Leakey 9). Baudelaire
backed down from the authority, but Satan charges full
force against it. In poetry, the demon lives on forever
wandering this realm, making it his own. When he fell
he took what belongs to God, the Earth, and twisted
it to his own imprisoned purposes.
Satan, although forever damned in the eyes of God,
is given a chance to change his prison. The Earth is
always ripe for leadership, even if it is from a fallen
angel. Satan uses God’s physical absence to his
advantage to spread his message. He preaches of free
will and happiness in this present life and lust and
wealth; all of which Baudelaire embodies as a Romantic
poet. These policies of Satan make him a “subterranean
King, omniscient” to all in his domain (Baudelaire
170). He goes so far as to become a god on this worldly
plain. Baudelaire sees this comparison and feels the
Devil does a better job with the “order of things”
than God does (Emmanuel 91). The “Devil, master
of the material universe, while at the same time its
permanent prisoner” constructs a “well-made
order” of the world (Emmanuel 91). Baudelaire
wrote his poems as if he believed the Devil is the best
man for the job of molding the world into what it is
today. The Devil does not look down on the populations
of people as an authority does, but he is a sinner as
they are. Baudelaire illustrates this relationship in
his poem by calling Satan the “Healer of man’s
immortal discontent” (170). Satan may not be leading
them on the path of justice and righteousness, but at
least he is there among the people interacting with
them in a tangible way. He relates to them because he
has failed in his vocation as all humans do. He rebelled
against the correct path.
Satan’s rebellious attitude confines him to the
position of a prisoner. He serves his defiant ways as
he once refused to serve God. Baudelaire is also a servant
to his shocking poems and challenges society to look
at things differently. He does with his explicitly blasphemous
verses on Satan. He “risked prosecution on grounds
of blasphemy” for his unmistakable sympathies
for the Devil (Leakey 9). Baudelaire refers to Satan
as the “grandest of all Angels” because
of his nature of refusing to obey God’s command
(170). The poet in Baudelaire perceived this as completely
enveloping the symbols of Romanticism. The tragic fall
of Satan due to his obstinate attitude caused a sentence
of damnation he was fully prepared to accept. This characteristic
of the fallen angel’s made the poet appreciate
him for what he truly was, a disobedient child. This
child inevitably defied the parent; however, the parent’s
punishment called for a great sacrifice on the child’s
part. The rebel revolted because he was a prisoner of
the ways of God in Heaven. Now, because of his revolt
he is a prisoner of the earth and separated from God
forever.
Since Satan realized the extent of his crime and committed
it anyway because of his rebellious spirit, he is the
perfect example of a tragic hero. He is not a hero in
the valiant sense of the word. He instead fits into
the mold of a Byronic hero. This term was coined by
“Lord Byron’s writing in the nineteenth
century” (Characteristics). This hero is an antithesis
to all the traits of the moral hero found in literature.
Usually one with outstanding moral virtues plays the
role of the savior. However, as in the case of the heroic
Satan, the Byronic hero is a hero for other reasons.
This man is one who “can be considered a rebel”
(Characteristics). A Byronic hero possesses many dark
qualities that isolate him from acceptable society and
cause him to stand out. Since he is separated from the
community, he takes on self-reliance and confidence
in order to survive. These qualities make him appear
larger than life and unattainable in some ineffable
way. He is usually “a wanderer or is in exile
of some kind… [and this exile can be] imposed
upon him by some external force or self-imposed”
(Characteristics). This man cares not for the rules
of society and strives to rule in his own domain with
no authority. This hero revolts against the values and
ethical codes of civilization, and because of this he
may seem unhampered with the guilt of authority’s
standards (Characteristics).
Satan is the ultimate Byronic hero. He enhances the
traits of the typical hero and carries them to a new
level of devilish intent. Baudelaire describes the fallen
angel as the hero of the people. Satan “console[s]
our [people’s] helplessness” and he “take[s]
pity on our [people’s] pain” (Baudelaire
171). He is the demonic hero that takes care of his
kingdom and relieves its pain with sinful happiness.
In Baudelaire’s poem “Litany to Satan,”
the demon “become a symbol of heroic energy”
that illustrates the “revolt of a whole Romantic
generation against divine or earthly injustice”
(Hyslop 119). This Byronic hero has suffered and grown
strong against his opposition. He was exiled from his
home and forever wanders the Earth and Hell attempting
to make them his home. The forcefulness of his deposition
attributes to the strength he possesses as the Devil.
The bigger the punishment the more the criminal grows.
The extent of the prison sentence only increases Stan’s
status as a Byronic hero.
The confidence of a Byronic hero also resides in Satan’s
demeanor. He has survived the wrath of the Almighty;
this could only build his ego as a hero. The isolation
that he endures intensifies his traits as a Byronic
hero. Since he is alone he has learned to rule his domain
and make it his own. His first rebellion against a standing
moral code has forced him to shape the world into groups
of isolated people who are constantly rebelling against
authority in his example. His rebellion has enabled
him to be a comforter of man against unjust authorities.
The poet feels “Satan, having suffered defeat
in silence, remains man’s only comforter”
(--- 80). Through the angel’s failure comes a
renewed sense of heroics. He stands for all those who
have revolted and been punished. His fall is the catalyst
that built his traits as a Byronic hero. Without his
rebellion his heroics would not exist.
Because of Satan’s rebellion, the traits of a
tragic hero have been placed on him. His revolt of God
formed and developed his personality to fit into the
mold of a hero. Satan is a “fallen angel who remember[s]
Paradise and whose sad and tragic beauty recall[s] his
former grandeur” (Hyslop 118). The basis of his
heroics stems from his punishment. By overcoming the
wrath of his Lord and Maker, Satan transforms into a
being of awesome abilities. These abilities are the
complete antithesis to all that he stood for while in
God’s service and this is what makes him more
heroic. He is able to change all that he believes in
due to his fall from grace. Satan is a hero because
of his traits and the passion that he exerts in serving
his punishments. He is a tragic hero because of the
sadness that he observes in being exiled from perfect
happiness with God in Heaven. Baudelaire describes the
strength of the demon by describing the force of “God’s
tempestuous ire / [which] Has flung [him] from Paradise
with sword and fire” (171). The heroics that Satan
exhibits in fighting this force exemplify his indescribable
power.
Satan’s heroism began with his rebellion against
God’s law. Being able to argue with what is infallible
is a dominant characteristic of a hero. Satan knew he
would be punished for his extreme brazenness, but he
continued to challenge his Maker. A hero knows the consequences
but continues in spite of them. The punishment of Satan
surprises Satan himself. He is able to adapt to life
on Earth even with the shock of his sentence because
of his heroic capabilities. Satan is not correct in
his judgments of God, but this complete rebellion emphasizes
his heroics in a tragic perspective. Satan is obsessed
with his revolt and convinced that he knows better than
God does. This confidence is a trademark of a hero,
and Satan’s confidence is what defines him as
a literary character. Baudelaire admires the superiority
of Satan and feels he “knowest the corners of
the jealous Earth / Where God has hidden jewels of great
worth” (171). To be able to compete with the all-knowing
creator of Heaven and Earth is a heroic trait of magnificent
proportions. Part of the demon’s heroic charm
is his willingness to fight with an infallible being.
Who else would fight with someone who is always right
but a tragic hero?
Satan as a prisoner and Byronic hero encompasses his
position as a rebel. Because he is a rebel he acts out
as a punished hero who is always fighting for his cause.
The fallen is a being pushed to the brink by an authority’s
rules. He cannot handle, and perhaps could never handle,
the pressure of complete and constant obedience. Because
of his heroic nature he lashes out against his maker
and becomes the tragic rebel in Baudelaire’s poem.
The poet wrote many poems on the nature of the rebel.
His dominant rebel is Satan. This demon is the most
powerful rebel and also the most tragic one. In Satan’s
rebellion also lies his sadness. The demon is forced
to give up his Paradise for the unruly Earth. He further
rebels when he adapts to the Earth and makes it his
“Paradise below” (Baudelaire 170). The Earth
was meant to be a prison for the offender, but instead
it is a chance of equality with God. He rules above
while Lucifer rules below. By rebelling in Heaven, Satan
gave himself the chance to be his own ruler. It is not
his home but it will due. Baudelaire claims that “Satan
is God having found it necessary to undergo a disguise”
(Emmanuel 146). The demon has found a way to become
an antithesis to his superior. If he could not be better
than him, he would be equally worse. Satan not only
revolted but also became an equal adversary of God.
He did not suffer in his rebellion; he reveled in it.
The rebellion gave him the experience to be a heroic
figure. Satan, through his
rebellion offers “humanity its only hope—
that of open revolt against an oppressive government
and a cruel society” (--- 81). The rebellion was
not meant to be such a symbol of
hope and heroics. After all, it is the punishment of
the Devil. However, in the era of the
Romantics evil took on a new light as the meanings behind
actions became more important
than the actions themselves. The reason Satan fell embodied
the spirit of the Romantics.
He was revolting against a harsh and unjust authority
that would not compromise.
This became a beautiful symbol of revolution in the
writings of Baudelaire and other poets.
His disobedient ways ware signs of more than disagreement.
They represent the
struggle of people against authority. Satan symbolizes
the rebellious spirit. His fall from
the divine not just rebellion but injustice. He rebelled
not for selfish reasons, but for heroic
ones.
The demon is not just a rebel because he revolted against
God, but also because
he grew strong in his punishment. Once Satan was a criminal
of faith, he became the embodiment of the rebel. To
disagree with God was rebellious, but to advance in
his punishment was a heroic revolution. Baudelaire,
in his poems, depicts Satan as the “most perfect
type of virile beauty” (Hyslop 119). This beauty
sprouts in Satan’s rebellious nature. He is beautiful
because he has overcome adversity and gone on to “growest,
in thy hatred, still
more strong” (Baudelaire 170). His evil will to
perish and continue without God make
him a beautiful tragic hero. His magnificent revolt
makes him a necessary for poets, like
Baudelaire, who envelop the Romantic ideals of revolution.
All of Satan’s characteristics are intertwined
with each other. He is a prisoner
because he is a rebel. He is a hero because he is serving
a sentence for being a rebel.
These traits cause this wondrous demon to embody the
sole spirit of a rebel. Charles
Baudelaire recognized his beauty. The poet also learned
to look past the evil connotations
of the devil and appreciate him for what he has become.
Satan as the criminal must live
with the crime he committed against God for eternity.
He is never able to escape it no
matter where the exile travels. The hero in the angel
exists because of his tragic plunge
from Heaven. Once this descent occurred, Satan enveloped
the characteristics of a Byronic
hero and enhanced them as never before. The rebel in
Satan represents the rebel
that resides in all of society. He spoke out against
the obedience required of him and instead
embraced the practice of free will. The Byronic hero
possesses a strength that awakens
the poet’s and society’s insurgent nature
to desire what Satan did; a freedom of will.
Works
Cited
Baudelaire, Charles. “Litany
to Satan.” Flowers of Evil. Eds. Marthiel and
Jackson
Mathews. New York: New Directions, 1962. 170-2.
“Characteristics of the Byronic Hero.” University
of Michigan. Online. Internet.
http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/ classes.htm>
27 April 2003.
Emmanuel, Pierre. Baudelaire: The Paradox of Redemptive
Satanism. Trans. Robert T.
Cargo. Alabama: U of Alabama P, 1970.
Hyslop, Lois Boe. Baudelaire, Man of His Time. New York:
Vail-Ballou Press, 1980.
---. Charles Baudelaire Revisited. Ed. David O’Connell.
New York: Twayne Publishers,
1992.
Leakey, F.W. Baudelaire: Les Fleurs du Mal. Great Britain:
Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Stepanchev, Stephen. American Poetry Since 1945. New
York: Harper and Row,
1967.
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