satan in paradise lost

In Paradise Lost by Milton, Satan plays both the epic hero and the villain. Since Satan is the only point of view (other than God above) that witnesses all of these early scenes, he must be transformed into the hero for the first few books. However, his villainous ways make their appearance in the latter books. Milton begins the poem in media res and gives Satan the first scene. This makes him the first empathetic …

…in ruining them: "public reason just¾ / honor and empire with revenge enlarged…compels me now to do what else, though damned, I should abhor" (1541). Though Milton initially introduces Satan as a hero that can be sympathized with, he shows the villain's true colors later in the poem. At the beginning, Satan has the courage, perseverance and tenacity of an epic hero. However, by the end, he is depicted as a conniving, manipulative and devious villain.