Satan debate as a hero in Paradise Lost Book 1

1. •SAIMA GUL
•BS ENGLISH 7TH SEMESTER
•GOVT. FRONTIER COLLEGE FORWOMEN
PESHAWAR

2. Is Satan A Hero?
• It is an old dispute that who is the hero in Paradise Lost.
• Hero is the need of all literary branches including Drama, Novel,
long Epic poem.
• Paradise Lost is also a great epic poem and contains all the
features of an epic.
• Hero has its own distinct qualities i.e. he is dominating, a central
figure,
• “Epic hero is a supernatural being with extraordinary qualities.
He has the power to bear extraordinary sufferings and has more
capacity to bear and control every sort of situation.”

4. HELLENIC OR HEBRAIC
HERO
• Satan is a Hellenic hero but not a Hebraic hero.
• William .Herman, a professor at the John Hopkins
University, the former is not concerned with morality
(Achilles), the later is concerned with morality.
• “The Hellene obtains glory through defiance; the Biblical
hero obtains glory through submission.”

6. SATAN
• An important character in Paradise Lost.
• Satan gives epic grandeur to Paradise Lost.
• He has a towering personality-known to have genius and its charm great
beauty, great intellect, great emotions, great physical daring; in all things
prominently eminent.
• The outstanding trait of his character is courage. He is determined not to
be weak under any circumstances . “Fallen cherub, to be weak is
miserable.”
• Satan is a great leader . His greatest quality is his readiness to act under all
circumstances. Even Hell can not robe him of his power to act. He
persuades his fallen angels to leave the infernal lake. If they courageously
face the situation, even Hell will not be too uncomfortable for them to live
in.

8. • A hero falls from prosperity to adversity. After falling, he is in
struggle to regain prosperity and to restore his status. Expulsion
from Heaven is the greatest adversity for Satan and this change is
the fortune of the hero.
• Hero has Hamartia, which invites total destruction for a hero. Pride
was the cause of Satan fall from Heaven –the Pride that has raised
him to contend with the Mightiest.
• Hero is always optimistic. It means he is hopeful and not hopeless.
Satan was too hopeful, he says;
What though the field is lost
All is not lost,

10. CONCLUSION
• In the end we can conclude that Satan is the Hellenic hero in Paradise
Lost Book1. he has all the qualities a great hero has.

11. •THANKYOU