Art, Symbol & Imagination
Satan Contemplates the Earth
A winged figure sits upon a rocky shelf under a densely worked canopy, overlooking a small standing person deeper in the wood. The outstretched wings follow the curve of the foreground branches. The caption gives Satan's comparison of earth with heaven in Book IX. Doré places the observer at a remove from the inhabited garden, allowing admiration and intrusion to share one posture. The trees provide shelter for looking while also separating the two visible bodies. The scene turns a cosmic judgment into a private act of watching a place that appears desirable from outside.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Satan Contemplates the Earth" [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 238. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/milton-dore-237
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 Contemplates the Earth. Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré. Scan leaf 238. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/milton-dore-237