John Milton's Paradise Lost

In John Milton's Paradise Lost, Satan may be considered a hero by some readers, because he struggles to overcome his own doubts and weaknesses and accomplishes his goal of corrupting mankind. This goal, however, is evil, and proves that Satan is unworthy to hold the title of “hero”. According to Wikipedia, a hero is a person “who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, displays courage and the will for self-sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity.” He must always be willing to show forgiveness, humility, and selflessness so that he may better serve others. Satan, however, did not display these good traits, and wished to act against God. He was vengeful, arrogant, and prideful throughout the epic, and did not show any virtue in his actions. One must fully examine the characteristics of Satan and define heroism before considering Satan any type of hero.

Revenge on God was the main vice displayed by Satan throughout the epic, and is not the trait of a true hero. In the beginning of the epic, Satan says that he will “look out for revenge, hating forever”1 the One who cast them into Hell, and will be brave enough to never give in. He promised that he will “never do anything good. To always harm will be our only pleasure, because it will go against the desires of Him we are fighting.”2 He then continues saying that if God tries to create good from Satan's evil, then he will work to twist God's goal and make sure that evil comes out of good. Satan's goal is to cause God grief and knock His most cherished plans off course. The New American Bible says, “Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might i...

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...d take over Heaven. Because of his pride, Satan refused to bow to God, saying that it would be to low for him to do so. He stated that he and the demons were self made and raised by their own strength, therefore denying the fact that they were created by God. After finding these flaws in Satan's character, and comparing him to both Aeneas and Hector, the answer to the question becomes clear. Satan was not a hero.

Works Cited

1. Milton, John. Paradise Lost In Plain and Simple English. Unknown: Golgotha Press, 2012.

2. Merriam-Webster. "arrogant." Merriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arrogant (accessed April 27, 2014).

3. Lattimore, Richmond Alexander. "Book VI." In The Iliad;. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951. n/a.

4. Abate, Frank R., and Elizabeth Jewell. The new Oxford American dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.