A Thematic Study of Empathetic Imagination on John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost’s Satan has attracted people’s attention for a long time. Some named him as the epic hero, some assumed him to be a human being, and some associated humankind’s traits with him. However, seldom, anyone notices the extraordinarily strong feeling of empathy the author of the epic, John Milton, felt for Satan. The following research first, through a historical analysis, provides evidence on the compatibility of Milton and Satan which led Milton to empathize Satan, and second, explores the result of such empathy apparent in the human-like characteristic and heroic presence of Satan in Paradise Lost.