"Satan: The Unlikely Hero" - Paradise Lost

Satan: The Unlikely Hero In 1656 John Milton endeavoured to write the first English epic. The result was 'Paradise Lost'. His awe-inspiring poem tells the indescribable story of humanity's 'first disobedience', the 'original sin'. However the most intriguing element of the poem is his character representation of Satan. This character (Satan) is usually regarded as an antagonist, though Milton, surprisingly, presents him as a protagonist. Throughout the story Milton intentionally creates heroic qualities in Satan, in …

…cular the revelation of his sensitive side when he weeps to his comrades, creates quite a fascinating and likable character. As has previously been mentioned, the stereotypical perception of Satan as a malicious individual, who is irredeemably wicked, is uncomfortably questioned in Milton's epic. This is why these valiant qualities seem so out of place. Milton's 'Paradise Lost' is unsettling to the status quo of his readers because Satan is presented as a hero.