Essay on Satan, the Core of Milton´s Paradise Lost

The great debate whether Satan is the hero of Milton’s Epic Poem, Paradise Lost, has been speculated for hundreds of years. Milton, a writer devoted to theology and the appraisal of God, may not have intended for his portrayal of Satan to be marked as heroic. Yet, this argument is valid and shares just how remarkable the study of literature can be. Milton wrote his tale of the fall of man in the 1674. His masterpiece is an example of how ideas of a society change with time. This is because it wasn’t until the 1800’s during the Romantic era, that people no longer saw the hero of literary works as perfect in every way. It started to become more popular to develop the flawed character similar to the ones written in the classics. A literary†¦show more content†¦Satan was unwilling to back down, no matter how great God’s power. This mission stands out as an element of the epic hero. In almost all epics written the hero has to stifle past guarded bound aries in order to complete goals. Satan’s bravery in trying to learn answers concerning his existence in heaven and his damnation to Hell is noble. Determination to derive truth is an admirable quality. Though his bitterness creates negative characteristics, his core purpose is not entirely blasphemous. He considers all that is placed before him and says in book 1, â€Å"Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven† (263). He knows that Hell is a place of doom and torture, but he is committed to living there with dignity and hopes to eventually rise above the creator and gain back what he feels he is entitled to as a living being. This acceptance of his conditions and determination to overcome makes him the underdog that an audience cannot help but root for. Everyone knows what it’s like to be in dark place with no visible escape. People want to be able to relate to a character that remains hopeful. In this sense Satan seems very heroic and critics have even gon e as far as interpreting God as the villain. An article, which questions Satan’s role in, Paradise Lost shares, â€Å"God himself cannotShow MoreRelatedPilgrim s Progress By John Bunyan1528 Words   |  7 Pages1) Pilgrim s Progress by John Bunyan is an infamous Christian allegory and wildly considered to be the first great book of the non-secular English language. After the Bible, it was the most read book for centuries. Bunyan wrote it based on his largely Baptist, often Calvinist theology. This is evident in Pilgrim s Progress through the name choices of the main characters and his conversation with Ignorance regarding reaching the Celestial City. 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