[HPforGrownups] Voldemort/Richard III/Lucifer

[Caius Marcius]

No: HPFGUIDX 2931


----- Original Message -----
From: "Peg Kerr" <pkerr06 at attglobal.net>
To: <HPforGrownups at egroups.com>
Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 6:25 PM
Subject: Re: [HPforGrownups] Voldemort/Richard III/Lucifer


> ht wrote:
>
> > --- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Caius Marcius" <coriolan at w...>
> > wrote:
> > > There is, as JKR has shown us, a world elsewhere.
> > >
> > As someone who bought the British versions of the HP books while in
> > Stratford ON for the festival, I quite agree!
> >
> > Apropos of nothing, did anyone else quite think "Of course! Richard
> > III!" while reading the scene in GoF where the shadows of the people
> > Voldemort had killed come out of his wand and circle Harry and
> > Voldemort, whispering encouragement to Harry and G_d-knows-what to
> > Voldemort?
>
> Yeah, I love that scene (in both GoF and Richard III). I've already
> posted several messages about the similarity, but I'm too lazy to go
> look them up now.  I was pretty pleased when I saw that similarity,
> too.  Hurray for liberal arts.
>
> (even further off topic And do you know about the similarity between
> THAT scene in Richard III to the scene in Paradise Lost, where Lucifer
> practically says the same line that Richard III says--where can I fly,
> when most I fear is myself.  Or something.  I wrote a paper on it in
> graduate school, lo these many years ago, but I'm not in the mood to go
> dig it out of the basement to doublecheck the reference.)
>
>
> Peg

Peg, this is the 21st-Century - one no longer digs literary texts from one's
basement; one does a Web search, and then hits the "Copy" icon.

Satan's speech is at the beginning of Book IV, as he first arrives on the
Earth (in case you aren't familiar with Milton, he has Hell set off in
distant interstellar space, and Satan has to travel some considerable
distance to our planet).

    - CMC

Me miserable! which way shall I flie
Infinite wrauth, and infinite despaire?
Which way I flie is Hell; my self am Hell;
And in the lowest deep a lower deep
Still threatning to devour me opens wide,
To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heav'n.
O then at last relent: is there no place
Left for Repentance, none for Pardon left?
None left but by submission; and that word
DISDAIN forbids me, and my dread of shame
Among the spirits beneath, whom I seduc'd
With other promises and other vaunts
Then to submit, boasting I could subdue
Th' Omnipotent. Ay me, they little know
How dearly I abide that boast so vaine,
Under what torments inwardly I groane;
While they adore me on the Throne of Hell,
With Diadem and Scepter high advanc'd
The lower still I fall, onely Supream
In miserie; such joy Ambition findes.
But say I could repent and could obtaine
By Act of Grace my former state; how soon
Would highth recal high thoughts, how soon unsay
What feign'd submission swore: ease would recant
Vows made in pain, as violent and void.
For never can true reconcilement grow
Where wounds of deadly hate have peirc'd so deep:
Which would but lead me to a worse relapse
And heavier fall: so should I purchase deare
Short intermission bought with double smart.
This knows my punisher; therefore as farr
>From granting hee, as I from begging peace:
All hope excluded thus, behold in stead
Of us out-cast, exil'd, his new delight,
Mankind created, and for him this World.
So farwel Hope, and with Hope farwel Fear,
Farwel Remorse: all Good to me is lost;
Evil be thou my Good; by thee at least
Divided Empire with Heav'ns King I hold
By thee, and more then half perhaps will reigne;
As Man ere long, and this new World shall know.

http://www.ccel.org/m/milton/lost/paradise_lost.html