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Lucifer
Satan is one of the devils in Hell who was cast out of Heaven alongside Lucifer, the Fiend, Goblin, and thousands of other heavenly beings who became devils. Throughout the course of the poem, Satan is sometimes distinct from the other devils (such as in the Harrowing of Hell, when he clearly bickers with the others). Other times, however, Satan’s name is used interchangeably with that of Lucifer.
Satan Quotes in Piers Plowman
The Piers Plowman quotes below are all either spoken by Satan or refer to Satan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Passus XVIII Quotes
The bitterness that you have brewed, imbibe it yourself
Who are doctor of death, the drink you made.
For I who am Lord of Life, love is my drink
And for that drink today I died upon earth,
I struggled so I’m thirsty still for man’s soul’s sake.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Jesus, who has descended to Hell, reprimands Lucifer and Satan for their evil ways. Jesus contrasts himself with Satan and Lucifer (who are two different devils in Hell) by contrasting life and death. Jesus, the “Lord of Life” offers eternal life—salvation from sin and eternal life in Heaven—while Satan and Lucifer offer eternal death and suffering in Hell. Because of Satan and Lucifer’s own evilness, they are forced to consume their own death-drink, meaning that they, too, are trapped in Hell to exist in suffering (a concept that relates to the modern-day phrase of getting a taste Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ips
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Satan Character Timeline in Piers Plowman
The timeline below shows where the character Satan appears in Piers Plowman. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Passus XVIII
Several devils, including Satan and Lucifer, bicker about if Christ can actually steal their prey from them. Satan knows...
(full context)
Satan points out that because Lucifer trespassed in the garden disguised as a serpent and tricked...
(full context)
Christ tells Satan, “…here’s my soul in payment / For all sinful souls, to save those that are...
(full context)
