Be not deceived! Our enemy the devil goes about like a
prowling lion, seeking whom he may destroy!
The reason you
are confused is because Satan is the father of lies. Milton purposefully portrays Satan
in a sympathetic way at the beginning of Paradise Lost so that his
readers will also sympathize with him. He is hoping to show readers that Satan is crafty
- looks good on the outside, but is evil on the inside. The Bible also warns that Satan
is not always a "prowling lion" and that he was once the angel of light, so sometimes
his evil looks mighty tempting. That is why he was able to trick Adam and Eve into
eating the fruit - he lied to them. He said, "You will not die! God just doesn't want
you to be like him!" So they ate. But this was not true.
In
the beginning of this epic, Satan gives great, leadership intense speeches. He rallies
all of the devils to his side. His speeches in the beginning all present him as almost
heroic. However, as the epic unfolds, we gradually witness his demise. He decides to
forsake trying to get back into heaven and live on earth after all, and this is where
Milton finally unveils him as the true deceiver that he is. All along, Satan's goal is
evil - trying to drag as many people down with him as possible. So, while readers may
identify with him in the beginning (because he is a lot like fallen man!), in the end,
his sin of pride is exposed and we see that Satan does not have any good intentions
towards mankind.
People that think Milton sympathized with
Satan do not understand his religious beliefs, that is why there is some confusion over
this. Satan only seems heroic in the beginning because we recognize ourselves in him.
Pride goes before the fall!
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