Art, Symbol & Imagination
Satan’s Inward Despair
The standing body leans back against the rock, one hand braced beside it and the other lifted behind the head. Broad wings surround a figure whose difficulty now appears inward rather than geographical. Milton’s caption places the scene in Satan’s reflection on his misery and lost condition. Doré isolates him against rock and empty distance, allowing posture to carry an argument that the poem unfolds through speech. The image is a pause before the intrusion into Eden, when the prospect of happiness sharpens his awareness of the condition he carries with him.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Satan’s Inward Despair" [editorial title]. In Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré, John Milton; illustrated by Gustave Doré; edited by Henry C. Walsh. Undated John W. Lovell Company edition; exact publication year unverified, undated edition, John W. Lovell Company. Source scan leaf 111. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/milton-dore-110
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Full source plate, printed verse caption and surrounding poem reviewed. Editorial title; original scan tonality retained. Over-dark plates excluded.
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Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave DoréJohn Milton; illustrated by Gustave Doré; edited by Henry C. WalshUndated editionMore from this book
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Gustave Doré (design). Satan’s Inward Despair. Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré. Scan leaf 111. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/milton-dore-110