The Image of Satan in British Literature

ABSTRACTThe Image of Satan in British LiteratureIlgın Berivan YıldızThe subject matter of the thesis The Image of Satan in British Literature, takes itsstandpoint from the idea of exploring probably the most crucial dilemma of manhood: Good andevil. Before putting forward examples from British literature specifically, the study initially aimsto inform the reader about the ancient perceptions of good and evil, God and Satan. Whilesuggesting that many ancient cultures had developed to be a great influence on the morecontemporary beliefs, the work also explores the crucial differences between these ancient myths,metaphors and their relation to biblical figures.The study, then, focuses on the perceptions of the powerful figure of Satan throughout thedifferent periods of British literature. It aims to discuss the image of Satan in terms of historical,sociological and psychological points of view, as well as within a literary framework. Thesestandpoints allow the subject matter to gain an in-depth analysis upon the evolution of the Satanimage, as different periods and flows of British literature are presented. The work includesarguments on four British authors: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, John Milton andWilliam Blake. While analyzing the perceptions of these authors about Satan and evil in theframework of their literature, the common points of these perceptions, as well as the distinctones, are explored in order to develop a comparative study. The conclusion of the thesis relies onthe brief analysis of the image of Satan in other British authors; mostly within the RomanticPeriod.