Satan is the definition of defiant when one looks at any theological setting as well as more importantly, when one focuses on the heroic poem "Paradise Lost." Satan by being defiant as well as maintaining other protagonistic qualities can be considered a hero in "Paradise Lost." According to Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary hero is defined as "In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods." When focusing on this definition it can be seen that calling Satan in "Paradise Lost" may be ironic. Yet, for the most part the definition fits Lucifer. In Milton's poem, Lucifer is portrayed as a hero due to the characteristics that are given to him.
             It can be seen that there is a certain irony in calling Satan a hero when using the aforementioned definition because Lucifer was definitely one that was not favored by God. However, this was just one of the focuses that Milton intended. Another main focus was that Satan was powerful, ambitious and stood for his beliefs. In fact Satan was so courageous that he actually led a revolt against God. "Against the throne and monarchy of God, Raised impious war in Heaven and battle proud, With vain attempt." The most important aspect of this quote is the fact that the battle was made in vain, meaning that Satan knew that there was no way of winning yet still he fought for what he wanted. Just the fact that Satan stood his ground would be reason enough to be a hero.
             Satan, however, was also portrayed as an intellectual individual and a powerful one as well. Milton makes Lucifer somewhat divine by first inheriting the fact that Lucifer was an angel, hut Milton continues by giving Lucifer a form. While it may be so that Milton did this to show that Satan was definable and thus not omnipotent like God, yet he also showed how much power Lucifer had over man by making him larger than
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