Category: Initial Ideas

Definition:

“Lamia is an ancient demonic creature originating from Greek mythology. According to legend, this daemon was once a beautiful queen who ruled over Libya. Zeus, king of Olympus, was so intoxicated by her beauty that he took her as one of his many consorts. This caused his wife Hera to become jealous and, in her rage, she kills Lamia’s children and transforms Lamia herself into a monster who is cursed to feed on the blood of children.” (Source: https://monster.fandom.com/wiki/Lamia#:~:text=Another%20common%20interpretation%20of%20Lamia,popularized%20in%20modern%20fantasy%20media. )

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Quotes about Pride:

• “What reinforcements we may gain from hope,/ If not what resolution from despair.” – shows Satan’s immense will to regain control and power by rallying his fellow fallen angels
• “To do aught good never will be our task,/ But ever to do ill our sole delight” – Satan’s pride was hurt, so he now seeks revenge on those who wronged him
• “here condemned/ To waste eternal days in woe and pain?” – link to Revelation Bible – ‘And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.’; more imagery of snakes!
•  “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” – cannot stand being inferior
• “We may be reading the words of a devil, but also of a self-conscious tragic hero.” – commentary on Paradise Lost from Forsyth
• “Stirred up with envy and revenge” – narrator’s depiction of Satan as he is first seen in Hell; clear link between the two Sins
• “his pride/ Had cast him out of Heav’n” – Pride seen as a vice
• “set himself in glory above his peers” – clear theme about Satan deeming himself superior
• “Yet not for [those dire arms],/ Nor what the potent victor in his rage/ Can else inflict, do I repent or change” – Pride refuses to bend under pressure from others/ no compromise

Quotes about Envy:

• “Balancing [Beelzebub’s] unbounded envy of God is his slavish, selfless devotion to his infernal chief, Satan.” – commentary on Paradise Lost from Baumlin
• “Of course, Satan’s and Beelzebub’s relationship has further allegorical significance: they are as close to each other as the vice Envy is to Pride.” – commentary on Paradise Lost from Baumlin
• “with iron scepter rule/ Us here, as with his golden those in Heav’n.” – emphasis on material; envy shown
• “Seduce them to our party, that their God/ May prove their foe, and with repenting hand/ Abolish his own works.” – (Beelzebub talking about humans) ambitious mentality; if they cannot be God’s favourites, nobody can
• “none higher sat” + “A pillar of state” + “Deliberation sat and public care” + “princely counsel” + “Majestic though in ruin” + “sage” + “With Atlantean shoulders fit to bear/ The weight of mightiest monarchies” – very attractive description of Beelzebub

Decision to focus on:

• Pride
• Envy

Why?

• Most well known duo among the Sins (to my knowledge)
• Very ambiguous in terms of imagery – what does Pride look like physically? What does Envy look like physically?

First thoughts:

• ‘Paradise Lost’, John Milton – poem focuses on Sins and their relationships with each other and God
• ‘Lucifer’, TV show – Lucifer (Sin of Pride) depicted in a human setting, and thus Sin depicted in human interaction
• ‘Seven Deadly Sins’, Anime show – Sins depicted in a human form again
• Pride: confidence, expensive, high end, high maintenance, shine, power, influence, yellow, gold, snakes, Devil, Satan, Lucifer, fire
• Envy: aggression, jealousy, green, ambition, pain, love, gossip, silver, diamonds, materialism, Beelzebub, devotion vs envy, ice, destructive, foxes