In the Christian tradition, Satan is commonly accepted as a hideous and monstrous being in direct contrast to the gracious mercy of God, often a dark figure with little depth. Yet there is another very Gothic vision of this figure, as demonstrated by Milton in Paradise Lost, of a suffering villain who appears more of a tragic artist than a supreme deceiver. The Monk, by Matthew Lewis, uses more tragic and mythical elements to create something completely different, a Dionysian figure. Lewis uses descriptive discourse, symbols, and themes, all connected to Greek myth, to present a character who creates chaos and who transgresses not only God, but the boundaries of society. While transgressions have been extensively studied in Gothic literature, the Dionysian myth connected to the demonic spirit has been neglected. I will reveal how much the scene of Ambrosio's first encounter with Satan draws on myths, symbols, and perceptions of the Greek god, and also why these connections exist in and strengthen the Gothic genre. Before revealing the scene of Ambrosius and the fallen corner it is necessary to give a brief general history of Dionysus, as regards this passage. Dionysus was born to a human mother Semele, who burns after seeing Zeus in his true form (Hamilton 65). Zeus saves the child and places him to be raised among the nymphs, associated with the “stars that bring rain when they approach the horizon” (65) and in this way Dionysus is “born of fire and nursed by rain” (65). The vine image also helps perpetuate the god's annual death, tearing him to pieces each winter, as well as influencing the Maenads, a group of frenzied women who run around tearing everything in their path to pieces. While wine can bring joy, these sinister aspects... at the center of the card... surprise that strangeness exists, showing fears of a non-normative sexuality, which like Dionysus is uncivilized. The beauty of Gothic literature is that a monster villain is never just a monster villain, but something deeper on a psychological level. In this case, Satan is the strange Greek Dionysus, and in the future this connection between Dionysus and other monsters in Gothic literature should be studied, since the only way to see status and power is to look at those who lack it or subvert it. Works Cited Abrams, M.H. "Gothic Novel." A glossary of literary terms. 9th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. 137-8. Print.Aristophanes. The frogs. Public Domain, 2005. Kindle.Hamilton, Edith. "The two great gods of the Earth: Dionysus or Bacchus." Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1942. 64-76. Print.Lewis, Matthew. The Monk: A Love Story. London: Penguin, 1998. Print.