Paradise Lost in His Epic Essay

332-333, 336-337). The fallen angels' response to Satan's call is the final confirmation of his character, because it demonstrates how he is able to maintain the respect and interest of his followers even though it appears as if they have been stripped of everything. In this sense, Satan is a kind of idealized revolutionary leader, outmatched by the "Almighty" but unwilling to give up, all the while maintaining the respect and loyalty of his followers.

In Paradise Lost, it seems almost inevitable that Milton, whether intentionally or not, was on the Devil's side, even if the narrator of the poem was explicitly not. This is evidenced by the discrepancies between the narrator's account of Satan's character and what is revealed in Book I, when Satan first interacts with the other fallen angels. Where the narrator suggests that Satan's actions were born out of vanity and greed, Satan argues otherwise, claiming that God is an unjust, tyrannical ruler who uses his superior power to oppress the lower beings. The specific values that Satan lauds are precisely those associated with human nobility and honor, and it casts him as a consummate underdog. Furthermore, the esteem in which Beelzebub and the other fallen angels hold him demonstrates the compassion and understanding that Satan embodies as a leader, making him further sympathetic and relatable to the reader. In the end, the character with which the reader can most identify is Satan, because he represents the natural human inclination to fight against injustice, even when the odds are stacked…