Paradise Lost is an exceptional work of world literature, one of the few brilliant and existing examples of the literary epic, a creation extremely diverse in content and at the same time extremely complex and contradictory, causing controversy and discussion among readers. Since the plot of Paradise Lost is based on biblical legends, the poem has been classified among the books considered a poetic and artistic interpretation of the Bible. It is known that John Milton was a believer and expert in the Bible, but it should also be remembered that he interpreted and revealed the essence of biblical texts in his own way. The poet did not completely alter the legends, he only supplemented them. Paradise Lost, in this respect, is the best example. But Paradise Lost not only deviates from church doctrine, but sometimes comes into direct conflict with it. And the most memorable character in this poem, as well as its driving force, is Satan. Lucifer himself is not a classical character in an epic poem. But Milton managed to make his image so ambiguous and requiring analysis. This essay will examine the tragic part of the image of Satan that is so attractive to readers and how this humanity played a role in his journey from one of God's archangels to the most famous lord of darkness. Even today, literary scholars argue about this supposed Satan and the nature of his actions, because the real Bible described him as unequivocal evil, but not Milton. Carey (Carey, 1999, p. 163) noted that Satan's internal debate and self-criticism reveal him as a creature of dynamic tensions, which the other characters in the poem notably lack. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay After one of God's angels, Lucifer, rebelled against his Father, he, along with the other fallen angels who joined him, was exiled to Hell for his disobedience. Now Satan, who, thanks to his rebellious character and his great presumption, has become the main commander of the army and the ruler of the Underworld, has revived and is ready to rise again to strike a new blow. His plan is to corrupt God's new creation - the first people - Adam and Eve. Despite the fact that Satan in biblical legends personifies absolute evil, in Paradise Lost he is a more complex and multifaceted character, whose point of view seems quite convincing. Once exalted by the Romantics, Milton's Satan is still considered by many to be a "gem." Milton portrays Satan as a character he wants to sympathize with at the beginning of the poem. And the truth: an angel who was not free to express his independent opinion and loved only God and angels too much, whose power and authority he considered the only faithful and worthy of respect and adoration. However, these parts of his inner world can be transferred to another plane: the desire for independence, which led to a split in the heavenly sky, pride in his divine origin, which he saw as a higher power and bowing before to the "lower deities"' (the first people) missed the point. As one of the highest archangels in Heaven, Satan feels he deserves more and does not see the power in other beings more powerful than himself and his peers. And this sense of pride leads to his downfall. Milton argues that no one is more powerful than God, and therefore no one should question God's actions. But Satan does just that. And while his jealousy toward God's new 'children' and his desire for independence are understandable, readers can see that his reaction is agitated, unfounded, and perhaps even premature. Carey (Carey, 1999, p. 166) in hischapter calls Satan "a creature of mood", and believes that Satan's character receives greater depth from his wavering, dormant, deceptive ability to apprehend reality through the prism of self-deception and forgetfulness. Milton also tries to show Satan when he doubts the rightness of his actions, what makes him more than a common, standard villain. However, as the epic continues, his logic weakens, and Lucifer unconditionally obeys his evil intentions, planning to seduce people by falling into the meaning of his existence, which ultimately leads him astray. Milton may have chosen to portray Satan in this way to gain readers' attention and justify God's actions. However, Satan's vengeance cannot be fully justified or condemned. Indeed, God gave creatures free will so that they could make their own choices, but this only concerned mankind. The angels, although they could also express themselves openly, but their will and intentions should not go against what God had commanded. One way or another, free will was suppressed and God was realized. And from Satan's gesture it is clear that even if he had availed himself of the right to choose what to believe and what to support, for God everything was already known, and Lucifer's revenge would have been useless. God speaks to his Son with these words in Book 3: “[Satan] seems so intent/on desperate vengeance that it will fall/on his rebellious leader” (Milton, 2001, p. 47). As Saunders noted (Saunders, 1966, p. 95-96), he clearly sees the difference between good and evil. But he stumbles and chooses to follow evil, submitting to pride and an unnaturally tyrannical will. He degrades himself: he implies innocence in his degradation, he abuses his gifted nature and his heroic abilities, and, above all, he is clearly aware of what he is doing. Satan could have taken the most harmless path and repented and asked the Father for forgiveness, and in return his place in heaven, but the Fallen Angel, in fact, gave vent to his feelings. Deciding that God's judgment was unjust, he decided to hurt both God and his creatures. Satan's words of retribution are noteworthy in Book 9: "Vengeance, at first though bittersweet, soon turns in on itself" (Milton, 2001, p. 163). It can also be considered a turning point in Satan's vengeful path when he can realize the consequences of his act and further exile. Satan was very clear in setting his goal, namely revenge against God and Heaven, and the unrealized concept itself gave him pleasure and a sense of anticipation of victory. But by saying these words you can feel his humility and acceptance of the consequences of his decision, which did not lead him to anything good. Here Satan opposes the "sweetness" of revenge to another more unpleasant taste: "bitterness". Furthermore, Urban states that his attempts to portray himself as God's victim are exposed as fallacious by Satan's own words when Satan comes to Earth to tempt Adam and Eve. Here the solitary Satan, with no followers to impress, experiences misery amid the beauty of the Earth. As his conscience reminds him of his lost glory, Satan recognizes the perpetual Hell within himself. He seems to admit that his revenge was ultimately futile and that his purpose will sooner or later turn against him. Satan Milton's power lies precisely in the fact that he, despite all his titanism, is human. Human traits such as pride, disobedience, self-esteem, lust for power, which would seem not inherent in angels and other divine beings, are manifested in the character of Satan thanks to Milton's poetic imagination. Satan's humanity lies in..