It is no doubt that Satan is a good orator, exactly, a demagogue, just like Hitler。 But in later books, readers will see his gradual reductive changes from a big tiger to a bird, to an ugly toad, and finally to a hissing serpent。 Comparing Satan’s seeming great image at first with his tiny and shameless image at last, readers can feel a dramatic contrast。 On the one hand, the great image at first serves as a foil to his menial image at last。 On the other hand, it also shows that the seeming great image is just a illusion and Satan’s bluff。 The real powerful one is God。 The sharp gap between God and Satan also serves the purpose of this epic, just as expressed in the prayer at the beginning  of the epic。 And I will discuss the purpose more deeply later。

2。2。2    The separate deeds from purposes 

Therefore, readers should judge a character from the whole work not only a part of the work, because it can produce some misunderstanding。 Now, let’s discuss in another perspective。 John Dryden pointed out that the real hero is Satan and so did Blake, Shelley and Byron。 But what can one person be called a hero? In the Wikipedia, a hero is person or main character of a literary work who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through impressive feats of ingenuity, bravery or strength, often sacrificing his own personal concerns for some greater good。 A hero must be a person who can sacrifice his own benefits and have a good purpose。 And let us look at Satan。 Why did he determine to fight against God? 

        “……what time his pride 

        Had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host 

        Of rebel Angels, by whose aid, aspiring 

        To set himself in glory above his peers, 

        He trusted to have equalled the Most High, 

        If he opposed, and with ambitious aim 

        Against the throne and monarchy of God, 

        Raised impious war in Heaven and battle proud, 

        With vain attempt。……”(Milton, 2013:2-3)

Because he challenged God’s decision to choose God’s Son as his own right –hand man。 He thought he was as powerful as God and wanted to be God。 It is his ambition, more deeply, his arrogance that made Satan fight against God and made so many intrigues to revenge。 Satan did such thing only for his own benefit and selfishness, and can readers call him a hero? Readers judge a person not only from his deeds but also from his ends。 Two persons do the same thing may have entirely opposite purposes。 And a person hold bad purposes can not be called a hero。 

2。2。3 The balance between minor characteristics and core characteristics 文献综述

What’s more,  a character has many aspects and characteristics。 And some characteristics may be opposite。 So how do readers balance these characteristics and comment a character? What readers often do is catching the core characteristics and ignore minor characteristics。 Even if some one still think Satan is a hero because he is so ambitious, courageous, determined and eloquent in the first two books of the work, he will find more other characteristics。 Satan is the Father of Sin and Death。 He made sex with his daughter- wife Sin and then had his son, a monster, Death。 He also seduced man to eat the forbidden fruits and tried to make man fall like him to revenge to God。 All of them show Satan is so indulgent, evil, despicable and incorrigible。 And the first portrayal is just a small proportion while the later one is the main proportion and these are core characteristics making Satan a negative image。 弥尔顿《失乐园》中撒旦形象(5):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_86708.html