The purpose of the present text is to analyze Satan’s speech , an extract from Paradise Lost by John Milton. The analysis will also include personal argumentations supported by textual references, and therefore it is not meant t ogive true answers, but only possible ones.

The speech is made of 29 lines written in blank verse, that means there are no rhymes. The lines are usually made off ive iambic feet. However there are some variations.

the speaking voice is a first person narrator, except for the second line, where a third person narrator introduces the speaking voice: “the lost Arch Angel”.

Reading the very first part, the reader can notice an alliteration of the “th” syllabe, that contributes to create a slow rhythm.  In this part the speaking voice is trying to become aware of his new living place: hell. Indeed we know that Satan was one of God’s angels, hurled into hell because of his defeat in the war in Haeven. At first he is a little lost because everthing there is different from Haeven, but going on he realizes he can  accept is new condition (hail orrors, hail infernal world. Recieve thy new possessor)  because his mind will be always the same, both in Hell or Paradise ( a mind not to be changed by place or time).  He adds that God has been made greater than the others only by force and not by reason. Therefore his power doesn’t come from a sort of equal election. In the last part Satan trie sto find some advantages of his new condition: as nobody cares about Hell, he will be the only reigning there. He concludes the speech trying to convince his followers, who have been burle into hell with hi, to take arms and discover if they can discover more about “what may be yet regain’d in Heav’n, or what more lost in Hell.”

The whole composition is written with an elevate style and incluses some latinized words, such as the frequent use of “hath” from the latin third person “habet” , that means“has”. The rhythm is very slow in the first part, but then speeds up. There are recurrent repetitins of the very first letters of the lines that contributes to connect the parts wich relate to the same argument (e.g. the repetition o fletter w from line 5 to line 7, and then in line 9 again).

Taking into consideration all the speech, I think Satan can partly be considered as an hepic hero becaus he doesn’t appear like an avid fighter but he shows a great ability to control himself and not to be outclassed by others.