The character of Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost is a different representation than that suggested by traditional biblical teachings. The Christian tradition provides a dichotomous vision of heaven and hell, good and evil, God and Satan. Milton's theology is different in that it forces the reader to think more critically about Satan's character and how he fits into the story of the lucky fall. Milton also appeals to the fallen reader, creating Satan as a more dynamic character. The reader sees him in different situations: at war with God, in power in hell, and in the temptation of Eve. Although Satan does not appear significantly after the fall, he is a present figure leading to the temptation of Adam and Eve. It is also easier to sympathize with Satan, as a character, in Milton's theology. Continue to exist in Hell, but experience heaven. He is the most powerful in Hell, but the weakest in Heaven. The overall irony of Paradise Lost is that Satan should be seen as the opposition to God and all things holy, but yet he offers some of the most logical reasoning in the poem. Satan uses his own intuition to appeal to Adam and Eve's reason, which ultimately results in their fall. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Satan's affinity for logic and reason is first clearly shown in Book II, when the council of Hell is deliberating on a plan of action to implement to fight back against God. There they are suggestions to start another war in Heaven, or to stand by and avoid retaliation, but Satan's response to these suggestions is what shows his reason. He replies that both war and peace against God are useless. “For He will be the first and last to reign as one king, and he will lose no part of his kingdom because of our revolt, but over Hell he will spread his empire and rule with an iron scepter” (323-7) . He then counters with the suggestion that God is attacked through his greatest creation: man. He characterizes man as "created like us, though lesser in power and excellence" (349-50). Man is one of God's original and treasured creations, but he is also far weaker than all the fallen angels. Satan is unique in that he appears to be the only one of Hell's council who has learned from losing to God in the great war. Note that they have already been banished to Hell and will be forced to live in servitude, so neither war nor peace is the answer to how the group should proceed. They instead focus on humans because they will be much easier to defeat. Although Satan displays a higher level of reasoning in this situation, he uses it for the purpose of defeating the perfection that exists in heaven. Reason, as it pertains to Satan, has a negative connotation that can also be seen as devious or conniving, both characteristics often attributed to Satan. As we focus on Satan's reasoning in the previous section, it is important to take stock of Scott Elledge's notes on reason. If reasoning is divided into two categories (discursive and intuitive), how does Satan's reasoning qualify? It is more likely that Satan, like angels, depends on intuition. If he were following the laws of his “intuitive intelligence” (Elledge 464) instead of a logical process that leads to conclusions, then one would be led to believe that Satan follows the same line of reasoning used by angels, like Raphael. If this conclusion turns out to be true, it only reinforces the theory that Satan was created with the same variety and level of reasoning,