The character of Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost has been a topic of discussion among many scholars for centuries. One of the most controversial debates about Satan is if he can be considered an epic hero in the poem. According to the article “The Epic Hero” by Gregory Nagy, there are three characteristics an epic hero must possess. The first is that “the hero is unseasonal”(citation). This means that the hero is not appropriate or expected for the time or season. The second characteristic is that “the hero is extreme”(citation). Being extreme in a positive sense is being the best in some category, in a negative sense the extremeness can contribute to the character’s unseasonality. The final characteristic is that “the hero is antagonistic toward the God who seems to be most like the hero”(citation).
Through focusing on Books I, II, and VI in Milton’s Paradise Lost, it is clear that Satan has all three of those characteristics. Satan is arguably the most unexpected hero, this is especially true given the story of the fall of Satan. From previous basic knowledge of the bible, the reader has a predetermined notion that God is the “good guy” and Satan is the “bad guy”. That God kicked Satan out of heaven because Satan was trying to overthrow God and take what wasn’t meant to be his. Through Milton’s Paradise Lost however, the perspective is shifted to that of Satan’s and the reader’s predetermined notions are challenged. In this first characteristic, Satan can be viewed as not only the hero, but the heroic underdog.
In Book I Satan is thrown out of Heaven and dropped in a completely foreign place. Not to mention this place is full of fire, darkness, misery, and hopelessness. Yet in the speech Satan gives from lines 106-111 he says “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? That Glory never shall his wrath or might Extort from me”. Here Satan is explaining how he has not lost, he will not give up. God has not taken away his pride, vengefulness, hatred, and courage and he never will. Satan’s refusal to give up and back down even though he has seen and experienced God’s almighty power is very heroic. Later in Book 1, as Satan is talking to Beelzebub he says “better to reign in hell then serve in heav’n”(1. 253). He understands how awful and torturous the place he has been damned to is, yet he is determined to live there with all of his dignity and with a hope that one day he will be able to conquer his enemy God.
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It is the level of acceptance and willpower in the situation that makes Satan out to be the underdog and the reader cannot help but rally behind him and his followers. The Merriam-Webster dictionary lists two definitions of an underdog: (1) a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest; and (2) a victim of injustice or persecution (Merriam Webster, 1994)(citation).”In competitive scenarios where inequality is present people’s sense of fairness and justice are aroused, which are principles that people care deeply about. It is the concern with justice and fairness that drive the support for the underdog. People become less satisfied with outcomes as discrepancies between parties’ outcomes increase. People’s concerns with fair outcomes can even override self-interest such that people experience more utility with equality than advantageous inequality”(citation).
This can be seen as the readers begin to rally around Satan because they view his situation as unfair even though his later actions will lead to the corruption of man which directly affects the reader in a very negative way. The reader is willing to overlook that negative effect in order to restore that level of fairness in the competitive situation between God and Satan. The readers sympathize with him, they understand what it is like to be in a situation that seems hopeless and to have feelings of being lost and in a dark place. Readers want to be able to relate to a character that continues to be hopeful in a time of defeat. Satan’s extreme quality is his pride.
It is his extreme pride that both leads to his demise and makes him out to be a hero. Satan’s pride contributes to his unseasonlity as it caused his unexpected overthrow attempt in Heaven. His level of jealousy can be seen in lines 85-90 in Book VI as he says “The banded Powers of SATAN hasting on With furious expedition; for they weend That self same day by fight, or by surprizeTo win the Mount of God, and on his Throne To set the envier of his State, the proud Aspirer”. Satan’s pride most likely came from his position as God’s right hand man, but when the Son of God was seemingly taking his place, his pride took a hit and he was engulfed in jealousy. It was the jealousy that led to the actions that got him kicked out of heaven. Satan’s fatal flaw of immense pride makes him the epic hero. Other Epic Heroes such as Achilles, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh all have fatal flaws in common with Satan. His actions caused his ultimate downfall, but the downfall was necessary because it caused Satan to understand his true purpose, corrupting man.
Another instance of Satan showing his pridefulness is in lines 631-634 of Book I as he is talking about himself and his army of fallen angels. He says “For who can yet believe, though after loss, That all these puissant legions whose exile Hath emptied Heav’n shall fail to re-ascend, Self-raised, and repossess their native seat?’ Satan has such pride and confidence in himself and his army. He exaggerates how many angels he was able to get to join his cause and he says even after this loss, he and his army will rise up all by themselves and “repossess their native seats”. Satan is overflowing with pride in this instance and it is this emotion that once hurt him that is giving him confidence and drive to push to the top. Even though Satan’s thoughts and plans seem unwise and impossible at attain, he is still true to his own unique ideas and beliefs even though they don’t fit in with the social norms of heaven.
It is simple and easy to imagine that if Satan had never chosen to go against God, that he would not have been thrown out of heaven and he could have avoided this life full of torment and misery in hell. But when thinking back to how God is as a ruler and how Satan is forced to obey a leader he did not agree with, unable to question his rule and commands, it is not hard to understand why Satan did what he did. The third and final characteristic is that the hero is antagonistic toward the God who seems to be most like the hero. God is the predetermined hero in the reader’s eyes. God is the almighty creator who blesses his people and will give people eternal life if they choose to follow him. Satan on the other hand is the predetermined villain. He is the evil serpent who dammed the human race and he is the voice in our ears that persuade humans to do evil. Throughout Milton’s Paradise Lost the tensions between God and Satan are very present. However, Milton reverses the roles of hero and villain using those tensions.
God can be labeled as the anti-hero. Milton describes God in a way that creates feelings of fear and resentment in the reader instead of the reader viewing God in the traditional biblical fashion they are expected to. God is not depicted as a cordial presence. He is the far off and almighty power who honors the ones who do as he commands and expresses how wrath toward those who don’t. His commands are not explained or up for debate, yet they are forcibly encouraged to be followed. God is also labeled as a tyrant. Satan calls God “Sole reigning holds the Tyranny of Heav’n” (1. 124). Readers associations with tyrants are negative. A tyrant is a cruel and oppressive ruler (citation). Throughout history, tyrants have caused great harm and terror upon their subjects. When Milton describes God as a tyrant, the reader uses their knowledge and experiences of tyrants and then associates God with those qualities creating the image of God as the villian.
The readers are also willing to label God as a tyrant because the poem is written in a very black and white fashion, saying what is the absolute right and absolute wrong, otherwise ultimate morality vs. ultimate immorality. The part that does not quite sit right with the reader is that they often times find that they have more in common with Satan than they do with God. This is so bothersome because the reader knows and understands that Satan is supposed to be the villain, he is the master of all evil, and he in in the place of absolute wrong in the black and white terms of the book. For the reader to see so much of themself in Satan and for him to be in that place of absolute wrong means that they are in that place too. This is very hard for readers to accept and they have a negative look on it since it is human nature to be self-oriented.
To cope, readers agree with Satan in labeling God as a tyrant and choose to portray Satan as the tragic fallen hero/freedom fighter. Milton helps keep this image of Satan as the “good guy” when he portrays Satan as the democrat in Book II. The act of Satan leading the army fallen angels with broken souls in such an effective manner is very heroic. Satan uses democratic systems to lead his army. In Book II Satan asks his men to give their own opinions on what they think the next step for them as a group should be.
He allows everyone who has an opinion to give it and then everyone votes on which option they feel is most beneficial to the group as a whole. Satan recognizes that everyone in his group’s voices deserve to be heard and are important to their grand mission. “By what best way/Whether of open war or covert guile, /we now debate; who can advise, may speak” (Book II. 40-42). He does not force his will on the fallen angels, he instead encourages them to volunteer to help with the mission they just voted on. He does not give out commands and orders, opposite of what God does.
