This shows how strongly he felt about not being above everybody else. .
Satan's essential characteristic is deception. He deceives himself, he deceives others. To trick the angel of the sun, Uriel, he changes shape to become a polite young cherub eager to see God's creation. When he approaches Adam and Eve, he changes into whatever animal will get him close to them. He becomes a toad to squat by Eve's ear and give her a nightmare. And of course he deceives Eve in the shape of a serpent. His seduction of Eve is a masterpiece of persuasion. He knows exactly which buttons to push- her vulnerability to flattery, her desire for power, her susceptibility to a logical argument.
When we last see Satan he has become the serpent whose shape he borrowed to seduce Eve. There is little sense that he understands the punishment he will eventually receive. He thinks he has won. .
"I am to bruise his heel; .
His seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head: .
A world who would not purchase with a bruise, .
Or much more grievous pain?" (X, 498-501) .
Satan's rebellion leads us to another one of his most noticeable qualities. This would be his ability to give speeches. With this ability, Satan is able to influence others to follow him in his rebellion. When Satan says, "to govern, not to serve" he emphasizes liberty and encourages the other angels in heaven to all join him and his rebellion (Revard 216). Milton uses the whole rebellion scene, when put together with the battle in heaven, ends up being one-eighth of Paradise Lost, to show heroic qualities in Satan. Devoting this much time to a certain scene, Milton makes it clear how important Satan is in his eyes. .
While Satan may not be the "hero" of Paradise Lost, Milton quickly establishes him as its main character, and he is the most complex and detailed of Milton's portraits. His unrepentant evil nature is enticing; even cast down in defeat, he does not consider changing his ways: "to do aught good never will be our task, / But ever to do ill our sole delight" (I.