This is also true of the epic tradition. In ancient epics, the hero traditionally represents that culture's ideals and appeals to the citizens on a personal level; however, as the epic tradition progresses, the author increasingly begins to use the hero and other central characters as a tool to promote his own agenda: to shape, and potentially change, the values of his society. ... Satan is a traditional hero as his qualities reflect the attributes valued in his society; however, Milton also suggests that these modern heroes should be questioned. ... Milton expresses his personal malconte...

• Word Count: 1343
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Satan: The Unlikely Hero The following references to Paradise Lost' means Book 1 only. In 1656 John Milton endeavoured to write the first English epic. ... Due to this atypical admiration, Satan becomes an unlikely hero. ... John Milton was a very religious man, as evidenced by the subject matter of his epic. ... Satan has become a hero for the reader. ...

• Word Count: 1518
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Paradise Lost by John Milton is an epic that talks about a married couple named Adam and Eve that lives in a garden. John Milton wanted to make them as sort of hero types and not referring to the original Adam and Eve. This epic deals with temptations and making choices under pressure. Epics deal with the supernatural elements, warfare, and trips to the underworld. The climax of the epic is when Eve eats the fruit and things start to turn around. ...

• Word Count: 403
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

However, for people who are familiar with epic poetry of such authors as Homer, we can see that this is really a great example of an epic poem, which is no surprise since in his times, Greek poetry was quite famous and influential. ... Of course in every epic poem, there is a hero, and this one is no different, but who is the real hero in this book? ... I really believe that the real hero is Satan, though of course that is not what was intended. However, as every hero, he goes against the authority, he has followers who he encourages with great speeches, and he has a quest which he finally ...

• Word Count: 1754
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

According to Neil Forsyth, John Milton's Paradise Lost is "an epic poem about the origin of evil" (Forsyth). ... Milton goes back and forth portraying Satan as both the hero and the villain. When in hero mode Satan leads an uprising and revolts against God who in his opinion was a tyrant. ... Did Milton intend to portray Satan as a hero or a villain? ... According to Kaiter and Sandiuc, Milton realizes he was coming too close to portraying Satan as a hero. ...

• Word Count: 1335
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The overall poem itself is labeled as epic. The main question that was asked from readers was if Satan was considered the hero of the story. Of course when you think of a hero, you may think of someone that saves the day or being a positive role model. So a lot of people wonder how could Satan be considered a hero if he had none of these qualities. Whether Satan is or is not a hero in this poem is debatable. ...

• Word Count: 1227
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

A hero is generally defined as a great warrior, who shows great courage or the main male character in a literary or dramatic work. ... Satan certainly fulfills each of these requirements to be a hero. ... These evil attributes don't necessarily make him a true villain, just as heroic qualities don't make him a hero. ... As a result of the depth of his development, Satan cannot be typecast as a traditional epic hero or a classic villain. ... His heroism is defiled because generally, a hero is one who is fighting for a good or noble cause. ...

• Word Count: 2236
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School