the depth of his emotion at the changed condition he sees before him in the appearance of the other angels. Satan shows compassion and empathetic suffering (615-621).

On the other hand, in Book I Satan also makes it clear that his war against God will rage on and that he will ultimately attain revenge against God. Satan’s hatred, arrogance, violent nature, pride, and vengefulness are clearly displayed.

but of this be sure,
To do ought good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our sole delight, [ 160 ]

These two sides of Satan demonstrate what he was and might have continued to be and foretell what he will become later in Paradise Lost. Book I is a snapshot, if you will, of Satan during his first moments of separation from God’s grace and presence.

The controversy around Satan arises because of all the good and, therefore, sympathetic qualities Satan possesses during this snapshot moment. Some critics contend Satan’s good qualities indicate that Milton was fashioning him as the hero of the epic poem because only heroes, even Byronic heroes, are introduced in such a positive and sympathetic light. In this opinion, the Book I presentation of Satan isn’t a snapshot of an interim position, it is the representation of the inner truth of the character of Satan. Other critics contend Milton begins with a justifiably authentic picture of Satan so that his fall into degeneration can be tracked and eschewed, or shunned, because of the revulsion Satan’s fall must engender.

It is clear that Satan is presented as a charismatic leader who is able to rule his minions and convincingly persuade them through his speech of their chances of gaining victory through alternative means. At the beginning of this epic, it is clear that Satan and his troops are somewhat bemused and shocked by the transformation that has occurred. They have gone from being "Clothes with transcendent brightness" to languishing in hell. However, in spite of the sudden shift of circumstances, he believes he has not lost everything:

What though the field be lost?
All is not lost; the unconquerable will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield...

Satan is thus presented as being implacably opposed to God in his determination never to yield or submit to God and to maintain his hatred. He is able to encourage Beelzebub and to turn what is a terrible situation into a kind of victory. Note how he famously addresses his legions in hell, encouraging them to see the positives in their new situation:

Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n.

Thus it is that Satan is presented as a cunning leader who is able to inspire confidence in his troops in the most desperate of situations, even after suffering a grim defeat. He shows that he is confident and charismatic in how his speech inspires his legions with new hope. The twisted logic that he applies to his situation is admirable, as is the way that he shows that in defeat his spirit is still not broken.

In Milton's Paradise Lost, Satan's character develops throughout the poem. Let's look at how the character changes by book 4 to help you get started on this assignment.

In book 1, Satan is “racked with deep despair.” He has been chained in the burning lake after his rebellion against God, and he is no longer the archangel he once was. Yet he is already making plans to spread evil as much as possible now that he can no longer live in Heaven. He declares grandly that it is “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” We can see Satan's pride here, yet he is still partly horrified by what has happened to him. He even cries when he looks at the other fallen angels and sees how they have changed. We can see here, then, that Satan is adjusting to his new position. He is still defiant, but he is also somewhat bewildered by what has happened. His pride is intact, though, and Milton draws him as a highly complex character.

By book 4, Satan has changed somewhat. As the book begins, he is looking down upon Eden, and he laments what has happened to him again. He is sad as he looks upon the garden, and he admits to himself that he has brought Hell with him even in this beautiful place. He realizes that his pride has caused his fall, and he grieves his lost glory. Satan even admits that God is the creator and has treated him justly. He knows that he cannot defeat God. Yet Satan also feels envy toward the creatures who are still happy and innocent, namely Adam and Eve, and he begins to plot their downfall. Satan also meets Zephon and reveals, accidentally, his true form. Gabriel questions Satan, who then flees. In this book, we see a weaker Satan who has lost some of the grandeur of the first book. He is still complex, but he whines more and clearly does not have the power he thinks he does.

Much to his chagrin, Satan has come to the conclusion that a head-on assault of Heaven will not work. He won't be able to gain revenge on God this way for casting him down to Hell, along with the other fallen angels.

So he tries a different approach. Instead of attacking God directly, he's going to do so indirectly by corrupting his greatest creation: humans. He plans to do this by turning himself into a serpent and tricking Eve into eating the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. In doing so, Satan will be introducing sin and death into what was once an unspoiled paradise.

Satan arrives at his decision after a good deal of deliberation. He carefully considers what kind of creature he should turn into which might best serve his interests. Eventually, he decides on the serpent, which, he concludes, is the most subtle beast of all.

The serpent is just like Satan in many respects: sneaky, cold, and utterly ruthless. This makes it the perfect creature for the Lord of Darkness to turn into. Once Satan has transformed himself into this scaly reptile, he's well-placed to carry out his dastardly plan to corrupt humankind by getting Eve to disobey God and eat of the Tree of Knowledge.

Initially, after being cast down from heaven, Satan is a physically impressive specimen, in keeping with what we'd expect of a fallen angel. He is a strong, imposing character who positively exudes charisma and authority. But however impressive Satan may appear on the surface, beneath his noble exterior beats the heart of a monster, the very epitome of all that's evil.

For much of the poem, a stark contrast is drawn between Satan's impressive physical appearance and the corruption of his devilish soul. No matter how physically imposing he may appear, Satan is incapable of opening his mouth without telling lies.

Over time, Satan's moral corruption causes him to change his appearance on numerous occasions, depending on what his immediate aims are. When he leaves hell he disguises himself as a comet; later on, he will transform himself into a toad, a cormorant—a species of sea-bird—and, of course, a serpent.

Satan turns himself into a serpent in order to seduce Adam and Eve into defying God, thus introducing evil and death into the world. And although Satan is ultimately successful in his wicked aims, his revolting physical appearance, in the guise of a snake, is an outward manifestation of his gradual degradation.

Here are some points about Satan from Paradise Lost:

• "Lucifer" means "light bearer."
• means "enemy" or "adversary" in Hebrew
• Ungrateful for God’s blessings
• Unafraid of being put to death or being damned eternally
• His greatest flaw is pride
• Cast down from heaven, alienated from the godly
• Deteriorates from a mighty fallen angel to a serpent
• Unable to reconcile his eternal punishment
• A picture of constant intellectual activity
• "Milton's portrayal of Satan is honest and reflects an important truth: evil is powerful because it is attractive, and this is part of its danger."
• He is an alazon (an impostor who thinks he is better than he really is)
• "Robert M. Adams and George M. Logan point out in their introduction to the poem in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, [Satan's energy] is ' 'energy in a bad cause," even if it is heroically exercised."
• He becomes heroic for his rebellion to the Romantic authors later
• Evolves into the Byronic Hero: •wounded or physically, disabled in some way •moody, mysterious, and/or gloomy •passionate (both in terms of sexuality and deep emotions generally) •remorse laden (for some unnamed sin, a hidden curse, or crime) •unrepentant (despite remorse) •persecuted by fate •self-reliant (often rejecting people on both physical and emotional levels)

Unlike most characters in fiction or poetry, Satan actually changes shape over the course of Paradise Lost. At the beginning of the poem he is an angel. Though he has been thrown down from heaven, Milton emphasizes his majesty and power:

Their dread commander: he above the rest
In shape and gesture proudly eminent
Stood like a Tower; his form had yet not lost
All her Original brightness, nor appeared
Less then Arch Angel ruined...

Satan is the vain, deluded leader of the demons (once angels, as Satan was) who rebel against God. Satan's main flaw is to think he is better than God and to fight against God's rule. Satan suffers from excessive pride and hates to be subjected to anyone. He is that individual of the type we probably all have met who always has to be in charge, regardless of whether he is qualified to lead.

Satan is eaten with anger and spite when God defeats him in battle and consigns he and his followers to hell. He refuses to accept God's superiority, and being an excellent orator and propagandist, is able to rally his demons to continue the fight against the Lord. At this point, he doesn't care as much about gaining anything for himself as he does about hurting and harming God. He tries to do so through corrupting and ruining the crowning glory of God's creation, humankind.

Of course, God has foreseen all this and is going to double or triple Satan's anguish by making Satan the agent that redeems and glorifies humankind.

Satan is not a nice being. He is violent, deceptive, two-faced, a liar, spiteful, angry, nasty, and cruel. However, in Milton's hands, God also comes across, unwittingly, as a bit of sadist himself, setting Satan up for failure and anguish. Milton would say Satan deserved it for challenging God, but audiences at least since the early nineteenth century have often felt sympathy and identification with Satan as the doomed underdog who nevertheless keeps on fighting, and for his statement that he would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven. Satan might be despicable, but he is also gutsy.