>>7299708I love that Milton intended Satan as a villain yet his reading as Puritan is so different from many later readings. I am a bit torn on Milton's intention. He either wished Satan to be seen as a cad from the get-go, or, and this one seems more feasible based on how Satan is written, to be perceived in the classical hero role so that we may respect him at first and then see how he gives in to his pride and hate, pushing his better qualities aside as the story continues.
The Romantics definitely loved Satan as a figure, he's practically a prototype for the Byronic hero... just not alienated and affected by "intellectual beauty" as much as most Byronic heroes are. Shelley definitely was inspired by PL with his Prometheus Unbound and does refer to Satan as a flawed hero in PL.
Sorry for dragging on, just taught both titles in the last month. That feel when teach British Literature and most students can't be bothered to read the fucking homework. 
