The character of Satan is one of the greatest, finest and noblest creations of Milton in English literature. It is not an enigma like Shakespeare’s Prince Hamlet. Satan is an implicit hero of the first two books, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regain. He is considered the first professional politician and propagandist. He has all the characteristics of leadership, courage, unconquerable will, indomitable volition, pride, firm steadfastness, and the unique quality of making fools other on the ground of false hopes like real politicians that deceive the subjects in coming power. It is considered the best characteristic of leadership.
Actually the speeches of Satan are full brief but full of forceful and have instigating power to his disciples. As Satan says in bold words:
“What thou the field be lost
All is not lost, the unconquerable will
And study of revenge, immortal hate
And courage never to submit or yield”
As the text shows that Satan’s pride and foresight reflecting in his will and courage keep him active for revenge throughout the book. He encouraged his fallen disciples on the ground of false hopes of regaining the lost Paradise. Further he says that weakness is half defeat in the battlefield. The coming lines show his false pride:
“To bow and sue for grace
With suppliant knee, and deifying His power
This downfall sine by fate, the strength of God
And His empyreal subjects cannot fail,”
The lines show that his pride does not fail in befooling his followers and excite them to fight against God if they want to regain their lost seat forever. Here Coagula say that the heroic qualities that Satan brings to his mission are fortitude, the steadfastness, hate, which makes him a great and popular hero of Paradise Lost. The second speech of Satan is a mixture of threat and sarcasm. He warns his followers for an immortal war against God. First he instigates them and vomits his indomitable will and thoughts in these words:
“Prince potentates
Warriors, the flowers of Heaven once you now lost
If such astonishment as this can siege
Eternal…chosen this place
Awake arise, forever fallen”
In these lines the mood of Satan shows that he does not want to reconcile with his grand foe at all and says in these words to his followers that they must not lose their courage to get victory in this battle. Read these lines:
‘But of this be sure
To ought good never to will be our task
As being the contrary to His high will
Whom we resist”
Most of the critics agree at this point that Satan is a mixture of stubborn pride, and indomitable hate and at the same time claims his superiority over God in arms and foresight. Further he says that God has played tricks with he attacked us when we were sleeping. God was afraid of our power. Now we shall have to reunite our scattered forces to defeat God in this battle. So Satan says:
“How overcome this dire clamity
What reinforcement, from despair
The description of the eternal failure of”
In these lines Satan proves himself a hardy in courage, strength, might and politics against God in the coming battle. But Satan also knows that God is omnipotent and he cannot defeat Him. He curses God but ends by curses himself. He thinks of submission, but his pride rejects his thinking and puts into his mind that pride is the ruler of this earth. Earth is superior to Heaven here we are at large not slave to God forever. Thinking this Satan considers himself God. He wants to be equal to God in power. Because he was under the control of his pride and bids farewells to the joyous fields of Heaven and chooses earth to live in happily considering himself God of Earth. So he says:
“Farewell happy fields
Where joys dewel forever, hail, horror hail
Infernal world and thou perpetual Hell
Receive thy new possessors…
A mind, not to be changed…”
Satan addresses to his followers that if God imposes war on us we shall fight against God and His Angels. Listening to this his bold commanders’ wave their war- flags in the air. And Satan himself was standing like a tower among his followers in a revengeful mood.
Here his lamentation mingles with pride and obduracy and tears float in his eyes and say:
Fallen Cherubs, to be weak…
Doing or suffering, but of this be sure
But ever to do ill…be our task
And out of good still to find means of evils”
To sum up, Satan’s doom is self-imposed like Dr. Faustus. Knowing all about the religion and its limitations he does such things that are forbidden in it. Satan and Dr. Faustus both do the same things and revolt against God knowingly. The leader of both the persons is pride that guides them to the wrong way and leads them to Hell forever.
Pride is the cause of his downfall in spite of being wise and intellect. But keeping all the qualities of Satan in mind we call him the hero of the Paradise Lost. Lowell Benjamin says that his qualities of heroism are bravery, fearlessness, strong determination, persistent in his mission, his keen foresight, his loyalty to his seat, his want of power like God, and he has qualities of making fools others with his words full of false courage.
But his speeches are fine in thinking and have power to excite others practically to do something for the mission impossible.
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No, only we play role in our life. Not only one but many roles - different to every friend, family member or group we belong. We will be same human being but with a different set of beliefs, feelings, behavior to all of them. What one call devil or satan, one other will call person's choice. We chose to say or do things. Not some mystical being. That being only good for storytelling.