Paradise Lost tells the entire biblical story of the fall of mankind, from the rebellion of Satan to

the temptation of Adam and Eve.

It presents two moral paths that one can take after the 'Disobedience' , the downward spiral of
increasing sin and degradation, represented by Satan, and the road to redemption, represented by
Adam.

In John Milton's Paradise Lost, the parallelism between Satan and Eve's fall is strong in that they were
once both the highest before pure perfection.

The fall of Satan and Eve are parallel because they both come from the power of their free will and
ardent desire to not come in second to God and Adam. Although the cause and motives of each of their
falls create the foundation of their distinctive characteristics; the effects diverge because of Eve's zeal
and ability to repent.

Milton has subversed the epic convention by starting his epic with the antagonist rather than the
protagonist. Satan is first seen lying in the pit of Hell. That a great religious epic focuses on Satan,
presents him first, and in many ways makes him the hero of the poem is certainly surprising and
something of a risk on Milton's part.

The devil comes in good shape and sharp mind - Milton probably wants to warn the readers so he starts
with Satan.

Satan is a complex and intricate character around whom much of the controversy centers .

Milton begins book 1 of Paradise Lost by presenting Satan as he'd have been moments after his
expulsion from Heaven, where he was the chief angel with the highest of honours and exquisite beauty.
He has fallen from heaven along with a host of other rebel angels. Even though Satan is no longer the
beautiful angel he once was, he is still described as an impressive figure. The most dominant
characteristic in Milton's description of Satan is his size: Milton uses a great deal of allusion to describe
Satan's massive size. Milton describes Satan’s magnificent size and terrible appearance through many
epic similes, but the overall picture of him is still vague – in such grand, imaginative places like Hell and
Heaven, size is relative. The devils can change their size and shape, and Satan will gradually become
smaller and lowlier in his incarnations, showing the corrupting effects of his disobedience, and Milton’s
Biblical idea that with goodness comes power.

In addition to being absolutely gigantic, Milton's Satan also has beautiful powers of speech.

Satan's first speech is to Beelzebub where he admits that God's strength was greater , but he also asserts
that only a battle and not the war has been lost. He will not repent or admit his defeat but continue his
defiance. This speech brings out his unconquerable will and courage never to submit his yield, or self-
confidence. On the face of it, these are heroic qualities.

Satan's second speech in a heroic manner is also to Beelzebub but there's also an implicit admission of
God's superior strength. He proposes to get whatever strength he can from hope or despair.
His third speech is perhaps the most inspiring one. His love for freedom and loathe for slavery influences
readers to look at him with sympathy. His reference to a mind being its own place capable of making a
Heaven of Hell and a Hell of Heaven reflect philosophical nobility. But the speech has plenty of
contradictions and absurdities which leave in the reader no doubt about Milton's true intentions.
Therefore, Satan's speeches are seemingly heroic rather than being actually so.

Satan in Hell talks about his throne , his power. He begins with convincing himself that he hasn't
lost everything. He refers to God as glory - acknowledging the greater power. However, he does not
regret his war against God . He claims that his heavenly essence cannot be killed, and as long as his life
and will remains Satan vows to keep fighting against the “tyranny of Heav’n.”

After Satan breaks free from his chains and emerges from the burning lake, he attempts to lift the spirits
of his fellow fallen angels by delivering his speeches. He is not glad at first to be there, but he soon
rejects despair and accepts the new situation: “Be it so…. Farewell happy fields where joy for ever
dwells..

The line "Receive thy new Possessor" is a characteristic of satanic mind and its passion for over lordship.

In lines 242-270 Satan concludes to the fact that they have forever left behind the peaceful and tranquil
place known as Heaven for this place of damnation and suffering.

As they fly Satan laments the desolation of Hell as compared to the glory of Heaven, but he accepts that
“The mind is its own place, and in itself / Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n,” so he would no
longer be satisfied in Heaven anyway. He resolves to make the best of the situation, and declares that it
is “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n.”

“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n” becomes something like his life motto, as he steadfastly
refuses to accept God’s rulership, and struggles against his creator in whatever way he can.

Later in Book I, Satan calls upon the fallen angels, now inhabitants of hell, to assemble. Despite the
circumstances, he does not address them as though they are defeated, but as if they still have power,
calling them “princes, potentates, warriors”. He tries to prompt his followers by rebuking them and
asking with a sense of sarcasm if they had just come to hell to rest after a hard battle. He also asks them
if in their “abject posture” , or their unpleasant and degrading condition, they have switched allegiances
and now worship God. These lines are notable because it shows that Satan is displaying confidence once
again, and has not given up in his fight against God.

There is a sense of unreality about Satan's words for it is not better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

The speeches of Satan shows a combination of vanity and self deception.

He addresses his followers as "Princes , Potentates... The flowers of Heaven" - which is absurd when we
note that these princes and warriors are lying abject and lost , amazed at their hideous change.
 The motive from which Satan acts is his pride. Satan's pride makes him claim equality with
God. It is this excessive sense of his own importance that governs all his conduct, and it makes him
irretrievably evil. He is incapable of repentance. He is a lost soul to "whom hope never comes that comes
to all." Since we hear Satan's version first, Milton's brief comments on Satan seem out of tune with the
stirring quality of Satan's speeches. These comments seem harsh and unsympathetic but they serve to
remind us of the extent to which we are being carried away by Satan's glamour and rhetoric. In both
books I and II we almost forget the distinction between goodness and self-centered energy.

Undoubtedly the portrayal of Satan through his speeches are grand and worthy of highest admiration,
but also we cannot skip the hollowness of Satan's evil character, presented by his own speeches and
comments on character of Satan by Milton himself.

Satan is not only a rebel but a tyrant. His words show how far he is from understanding true
liberty. The reason why Milton has endowed Satan with these qualities is that an adversary to God had
to be of massive dramatic stature and that the power that was to seduce Eve must have an impressive
personality and character.