A retórica epidítica na elaboração do caráter de satã em Paradise Lost, de John Milton
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Data
2023-06-05
Autores
Bragança, Fernanda Teixeira
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Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
Resumo
Paradise Lost (1667) is a biblical epic written by the English poet and political figure John Milton. It provides a wide arena to question and discuss theological, philosophical and political issues present in literary works of the 17 th century Early Modern period. We analyse Satan’s heroism and question certain attributes commonly associated with the representation of virtue and vice. We take into account which aspects traditionally employed in the formation of classical heroism, as given by Nagy (2017), Curtius (1979) and Toohey (2004), are used in the construction of Satan’s character. We examine how an idea of heroism is undermined in face of the theme of the poem and the qualities of a Christian hero, as they are described by Lewalski (1966). We focus on books I and II, which are paramount in first establishing the dynamics between Satan and the narrator with regards to the formation of Satan’s character. Stanzas that indicate the kind of narrative and interpretation of Satan’s character that the narrator promotes are pointed out, as well as speeches 1.84-124 & 2.430-466 as examples of the kind of éthos that Satan promotes. We argue that Satan’s character is built via a complex combination of mechanisms seen in forming a specific kind of éthos through speech, but also through interventions from the narrator that destabilise the impression of heroism and leadership upheld by Satan. In this dynamic, both Satan and the narrator have uneven access to certain stages of discourse organisation: Satan tends more towards mechanisms found in inventio, dispositio and elocutio, whereas the narrator dominates actio. The rhetorical devices that pertain to each of those stages are described in epideictic manuals such as Menander’s Peri epideiktikon, Hermogenes’ Peri ideon, and Fraunce’s The Arcadian Rhetorike, which accounts for the proper use of voice and action in speech. At last, we support the idea that the presence of heroic qualities in the formation of Satan’s character allows for the reader to question certain attributes which are generally seen as virtuous; it also enables different types of approach to the Miltonian poem and to Satan’s role therein, both of which enrich the general reading experience of the poem.
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Satã , Éthos , Retórica epidítica , Milton, John, 1608-1674. Paradise lost , Satan , Epideictic rhetoric , Literatura Inglesa - Séc. XVI-XVII , Poesia Épica , Demônio na Literatura , Análise do Discurso Literário