Is Milton himself the Satan in Paradise Lost?

[gagan deep]

Milton has negative approach in
paradise lost,John Milton.Is he the satan????

[Poetaster]

... what?

[hannah_arendt]

Milton has negative approach in
paradise lost,John Milton.Is he the satan????

What do you mean?

[Lokasenna]

Yes. Probably. Or no. Who can tell?

[PeterL]

That would make some sense. He may well have been projecting his desires for himself into Satan.

[Poetaster]

I don't think Milton would be representing himself as Satan. I think Satan may be an allegory for Oliver Cromwell I guess, or the English Republican spirit. Milton as Satan just doesn't seem right.

[JanVanHogspeuw]

I can see it. Milton being blind (darkness visible) and living in basically nothing but fear and despair, who had vivid visions as he slept, often no doubt of a hellish nature, but probably preferring these visions than the literal reality of his situation (Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven)

The overall course of Satan's story before PL begins resembles that of Cromwell, but the undiminished defiance that seethes throughout his character, even at his lowest point, is Milton's own.

[uiscebeatha]

No use in a God whose ways were to be explained to man if that God's adversary were too weak or too stereotypical. Milton needed a combination of fallen angel, proud defiance, cosmic villain and towering intellect. Something of the paradox of the tragic hero - deeply flawed but with great gifts and great potential. I think Milton consciously embodied some of this in Satan and that at times his creativity outran his conscious intention. He deeply loved the creation of that which he deeply wished to damn - no better challenge and no better avenue for a man of Milton's poetic stature.

[ennison]

In the sense that all an author's creations come from his / her own cerebrealism then yes he is Satan. But that is true of all literary creations. Satan is not Cromwell or the Republican spirit as Milton was an admirer of both. Unless you take the Blakeian view that Milton was an admirer of Satan. That has its fascination as an interpretation but I've always found Blake rather histrionic.