Contemporary views of Satan stem from his role as an adversary of God and potentially mankind in the Bible. Nevertheless, even though there is no basis for such a portrayal of Satan in the Bible, one theologian argues that the modern portrayal of Satan is that ôof a red-costumed comic character who parades around forcing people to do things against their will; or who presides over a placed called Hell, where he and his demons gleefully torment the residentsö (Satan 2003, 1). While such depictions of Satan may have little or no basis in Scripture, he is portrayed as possessing some of these characteristics in literature like DanteÆs Inferno and John MiltonÆs Paradise Lost.
In MiltonÆs Paradise Lost we see a variety of different portrayals of Satan from his fall from Heaven to his rise as the supreme adversary of God. In Book I Satan is portrayed as full of energy and almost heroic in his status as an underdog fighting against the forces of the universe. He is not yet the jealous and hateful Satan we will see later in the work. He is more forlorn and in pain, but he remains energetic and revengeful, ôSo spake thÆ apostate angel, though in pain, / Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despairö (Milton 1979, 1415). Satan laments the fact that God must be ôalmightyö because ôno less / Than such could have oÆerpowered such forceö (Milton 1979, 1416). Therefore, in Book I we see Satan as a rather energized, vengeful and wounded warrior. This is a far cry from modern portrayals of him. In an effort to overthrow his Maker, Satan tries to be his own ôGod.ö His failure to do so goes against his contemporary portrayal as a powerful force of evil.
We do see that Satan is portrayed in Book I similar to contemporary portrayals of him as the Lord of some underground filled with demons and evil entities. However, Satan is not portrayed as a defeated or evil persona in Book I as much as he is portrayed as someon
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