Satan is viewed by some critics as the hero of the story, since he struggles to overcome his own doubts and

weaknesses and accomplishes his goal of corrupting mankind. "The ridiculous Devil of the Middle Ages, a horned enchanter, a dirty jester, a petty and mischievous ape, band-leader to a rabble of old women, has become a giant and a hero. Though feebler in force, he remains superior in nobility, since he prefers suffering independence to happy servility, and welcomes his defeat and his torments as a glory, a liberty, and a joy. Satan is a main protagonist and there is a point to emulating or celebrating him like a true hero. Satan is the most intriguing and compelling of the characters, mainly for his complexity and subtlety. In these regards, he is similar to the character of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello. Another current critic believes that Satan's role as the hero mimics Achilles's injured merit, Odysseus's wiles and craft, and Aeneas's journey to find a new homeland. Others claim that Milton personifies in Satan the spirit of the English Revolution; that Milton's Satan represents the honor and independence of the nation asserted in the face of an incapable government.