Paradise Lost Satan Character Analysis

Tragic heroes are not always what one would think. Upon hearing the term, many people probably think of Gatsby or Romeo and Juliet, but tragic heroes can be the villain of the story of well. The character of Satan in Thomas Milton’s Paradise Lost is one example of this rare occurrence. Anyone who has ever been exposed to the Christian faith or the bible knows that Satan is most definitely the antihero of the story. Nevertheless, when looking at Milton’s interpretation of Satan, he unquestionably falls into the category of a tragic hero. Satan can definitely be considered a tragic character, but defining his as a hero takes a little more thought. Satan’s fall from the right hand of God, his flaw of being astoundingly prideful, and his recognition

With the position that Satan was in, he had to ability to make a major positive impact for the Kingdom of Heaven, but instead he chose to use that influence for bad. If Satan had been a random angel that had no real standing, his fall would not have inflicted the amount of attention that we see in Paradise Lost. His fall in the novel is the cause for the remainder of the story. Without the rebellion of Satan, hell would be nonexistent and fall of man would be avoided. The simple truth that one angel’s fall can change the fate of all of mankind is a testimony to the magnitude of Satan’s downfall. His fall can be a difficult one to categorize for the reason that Satan seems to, in some capacity, thrive in his newfound power in Hell. He uses it as a platform for his revenge and seems to enjoy bringing the human race to its downfall. Upon further consideration, it becomes apparent that no matter how much power Satan has in Hell, it will never surpass the power possessed by God. He is constantly trying to gain his rightful place in heaven by trying to overpower God through the human race. No matter how hard he tries, Satan will always be striving for an impossible