Explore the Ways in Which Milton Presents Satan as a Master of Disguise and Deception

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Explore the ways in which Milton presents Satan as a master of disguise and deception Milton gives Satan very seductive language, his use of rhetoric is impeccable for Satan’s persuasion, it takes little to no time to convince Eve to eat the forbidden fruit as Satan knows exactly the right buttons to push in order to tempt to her to go against God’s will. We already know that Eve is a creature of vanity and this is something that Satan picks up on very quickly, “sovereign mistress”, he addresses her as though she is a queen and as though he is below her, which in terms of the Great Chain of Being, he is not in his current form, but in terms of his position as a fallen angel, he is. His appearance could also be seen as a way to tempt Eve as he described as being luxurious and with reference to having phallic characteristics – ‘Crest’, ‘Erect’, ‘Verdant’, ‘Carbunkle’. Satan’s movement is carefully planned to attract Eve’s attention as he approaches her. He makes his way ‘side-long’ as though he is being crafty at first although he then turns to being eye catching as he ‘curl[s] many a wanton wreath’ in her view. When Eve notices him he finally speaks and captures her attention further as she is naturally curious as to why a snake is talking. She does however let this curiosity get the better of her and as readers we know what is coming with her decision to be drawn in by the serpent. In Satan’s speech to Eve he criticises Eden and says that it is not good enough to hold beauty such as hers. These words were said to have gone ‘into the heart of Eve’ so the audience know that he has struck the right chord in order to charm her and win her over. Satan is perhaps most deceptive to not only Eve but the audience as he talks about things that are associated with snakes such as suckling on ewe and goats and referencing to the smell of fennel which was thought to be liked
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