Art, Symbol & Imagination
Satan First Knows Pain
An armoured winged figure falls against a sloping rock face, with one outstretched arm and a displaced weapon upon the ground. The rocky surface carries the body diagonally across the image. The caption quotes Book VI's account of Satan's first pain. Doré gives defeat an intensely physical form: armour and immense wings provide no secure support when the body is thrown down. The falling direction of the limbs repeats the incline beneath them, while the separated weapon marks a further loss of command. A cosmic combat is concentrated into a moment of bodily vulnerability.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Satan First Knows Pain" [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 174. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/milton-dore-173
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Original source design and caption inspected; composition retained with scan margins trimmed. No reconstructed or recoloured details.
Sources
From the book
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave DoréJohn Milton; illustrated by Gustave Doré; edited by Henry C. WalshUndated editionMore from this book
All 40 illustrations
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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). Satan First Knows Pain. Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré. Scan leaf 174. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/milton-dore-173