Satan in Paradise Lost

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Satan’s character in Paradise Lost can be seen as a hero in some cases. Most people would be completely shocked at the mere thought of Gods fallen angel being a hero in any sense of the word. However, in this work by John Milton, Satan can be seen as the major protagonist. The question most people will ask is why. Why do people find such pleasure in analyzing Satan’s character? One of the major reasons could be the depth of the character; he is such a round character with so many likable traits that make him stand out from the others. Satan has been classified as one of literatures most dynamic and complicated characters and for good reason.
Before one could understand the motifs of the character Satan, that person must know the basic plot of Paradise Lost. Satan was God’s highest ranking angel and ruled Heaven alongside God. Everything was running smoothly until Satan decided he wanted to rule Heaven by himself. Satan wanted all the power for himself and refused to rule under someone. Satan banded other angels to be his followers of the movement only to be shafted by God’s almighty power. God sentenced Satan and the other angels to a place called Hell. God later sent a man and a woman named Adam and Eve to Earth to observe how humans would act and also to see if they would obey him. Adam and Eve reacted to the Garden of Eden just like any other person would. He viewed the Earth as absolutely beautiful, even more beautiful than Heaven. God told Adam and Eve to enjoy the garden, but do not eat the forbidden fruit. They lived happily until Satan decided to test the humans so that he could potentially get them to go against God’s wishes. He deceitfully talked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and by doing this he doomed the human ...

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...nce Guide to English Literature. Ed. D.
L. Kirkpatrick. 2nd ed. Chicago: St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. < http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CH1420005659&v=2.1&u=avl_ludc&it=r&p=LitRG&sw=w&asid=81bc92cf4151feaa596bf45b93ff9e43
"The Ways of God: Paradise Lost." John Milton: Poetry. David M. Miller. Boston: Twayne,
1978. 65-155. Twayne's English Authors Series 242. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Luxon, Thomas H., ed. The Milton Reading Room, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton, April,
2008. Web.
Murphy, Christopher. "Construction and Rhetoric: A Study of Satan in Paradise Lost." . N.p.,
n.d. Web. 23 Apr 2014.

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