Question- Who is the hero of Paradise Lost ? Give reasons for your answer.

Or
Examine Satan as hero of Paradise Lost.
Or
Who is the hero in Milton's 'Paradise Lost' ?
Or
Sketch the character of Adam in 'Paradise Lost'.

Answer - 

Who is the hero of Paradise Lost, has been a matter of sharp controversy. Satan, Adam and God have been assigned the status of the hero by different critics.

Satan as the Hero: Writers like Dryden, John Dennis, Burns, Blake, Shelley, Hazlitt etc., regard Satan as the hero of Paradise Lost.

Satan's Heroic Qualities: He is a dominating figure in the first two books of Paradise Lost. He is a towering personality.

"His other parts besides
Prone on the Flood extended long and large
As whom the fables name of monstrous size"

His shield has a circumsference as broad as that of the Moon and his spear is taller than the tallest pins used for the mast of an admiral ship. He is the archanged and even after his downfall there has been a small dent in his glory.

Satan is proud and independent and determined to continue his fight with God. He thinks that to rule in Hell is better than to serve in Heaven. He has the ability to inspire his followers who have firm belief in his power of determination and are proud of him. The way and the words he speaks to inspire his followers with new courage and fortitude. They obey him as if he is a military general. Satan has demon's magnitude as a character. It is his energy, his eloquence and his courage that provide him a heroic quality. As a courageous leader he takes upon himself the hard task of exploring the new world and corrupting man.

Satan not the Hero: All the arguments given above justify that Satan is the hero. But there are reasons convincing enough to discard him as hero in 'Paradise Lost' as a whole. In the very opening lines of the epic Book I the poet makes his intention clear that he is going to sing the story of the fall of man and the original sin and how his sin atoned by the son of God by the supreme sacrifice. Therefore Satan may be instrumental to the fall of man but he is not hero.

Satan as the Villain : Critics have found, many reasons to regard Satan as villain only. A hero is never deceitful. He is straight forward in action. He does not stoop to guile. We find that there is gradual degradation of Satan's character. He loses his lustre and glory, he stoops to guile, he assumes the form a toad, he takes on the role of spy; he seduces an innocent woman and he is transformed into a serpent. Satan cannot be regarded as hero as he is carried away by his passion for revange, envy and hatred. He uses guile and cunning to achieve his purpose.

God as Hero: Some critics regard God is hero of the Paradise Lost but God cannot be regarded as the hero of the poem by any logic. Milton's God is only the picture of a judge.

Christ as Hero: Some critics regard Christ as the hero. According to David Daiches, "Christ is the hero of the poem and Adam merely the object of conflict between God and Satan." But Christ is just a foil to Satan. Satan reduces man, Christ redeems man.

Adam as the Hero: Accordings to Aristotle the hero of an epic must have some flaw in his character, which leads to his fall. God and his son cannot be the hero because they are flawless. Satan of coarse, has this tragic flaw- pride and excessive ambition but he is a villain. As such Adam is the only character which has better claims to be regarded as the hero of the epic. "Adam, the father of the mankind is virtuous and innocent. Of coarse he has not been painted as having great physical strength as it is painted in the character of Satan but he is virtuous and innocent and holds hopes of his redemption through the suffering and self sacrifice. He is true hero because real heroism lies in fortitude and patience. There is an argument that Adam cannot be hero because he is too passive a character to be the hero of an epic. We must not forget that Paradise Lost is a classic epic with a difference. Its central theme is war between good and evil for the soul of man and not war like exploits of a great warrior. He may not have virtues like valour and skill in the art of war but definitely has rare virtues of patience, endurance and self sacrifice. He suffers not merely because of his own doings but he also suffers because of the conflict between God and Satan. Adam is not entirely a passive character. He has freedom of will and he acts in making his choice.

After all the above arguments in favour or against of Satan and Adam we may conclude that Satan may be the hero of Book I and II but Adam is the hero of the epic as a whole.

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