Notes

In the beginning of the epic Satan is not pure evil By the end of book one he still resembles Lucifer the angel he once was in heaven It is not until the later books that Satan is portrayed as completely evil and disagreeable Satan is seen as a tragic figure as he is thrown down into Hell This evokes feelings of sympathy towards him Because Satan is not pure evil it leaves room for people to feel positively towards him Satans magnificence also comes from the inspired verse which Milton puts into his speeches All is not lost the unconquerable will and study of revenge immortal hate and courage never to submit or yield and what is else not to be overcome Satans passionate and encouraging words draws the reader towards him Satans character is far more complex than Gods and more interesting to read about
Satans positive image with the reader is also due to his attitude Satan responds to his fate by claiming the mind is its own place and in itself can make a Heaven of a Hell a Hell of a Heaven The strength in Satans personality causes the reader to feel favorable towards his attitude The idea that it is better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven is also widely believed in todays society Many young readers may see Satans pride as a positive rebellion against God because ambition and pride today is used for self-improvement But Satans infectious character cannot be misjudged- he is the villain in the story not the hero Satan was thrown out of Heaven for his proud and ambitious acts His proud character is meant to be viewed as a sin not as righteous rebellion against the tyranny of Heaven
Milton praises God throughout book one by undercutting Satans heroic courage Milton is careful to still maintain God as the Almighty one Satan says after his defeat our Conqueror who I now of force believe to be Almighty Milton shows that it is God who creates peoples fates not Satan Satan cannot even rise from the lake until God releases him from his chains Milton also makes the narrator belittle Satans efforts throughout the epic The narrator explains So spake the apostate Angel though in pain vaunting aloud but racked with deep despair and him thus answered soon his bold compeer Milton made Satan as large as the monstrous Totanian or Earthborn to demonstrate how powerful God must be to defeat such a force
The devils personality is made favorable so the reader can understand how powerful and deceitful temptation is If Milton had made Satan disagreeable from the beginning then Adam and Eve would have simply been viewed as weak characters However now that the reader himself has been shamefully drawn in by Satans character one can relate to Adams conflict
Miltons presentation of Satan makes it very difficult not to respond to him with some admiration and sympathy Lucifer is an impressive figure and Milton has prepared for him many persuasive speeches These speeches were prepared purposely so people can understand the temptation faced by Adam and Eve however Satan is not the epics hero Satan can only continue to live after his immoral acts because of the grace of God Satans pride and ambition is too strong for his own good and it blinds him to whom the true power in the universe is- God Milton has made Satan into a mighty stature to show how strong God must be to defeat his force