John Milton's Paradise Lost tells the story of Satan's fall from grace, war with Heaven, and temptation of Mankind. If the reader could describe any character as the "hero," surely it is Satan, as he is the only character that Milton fully develops and the most interesting, as the angels and god simply parrot lines from the Bible. The god of Paradise Lost, much like the god of the Bible, is an abusive, controlling, bully. When Adam asks his messenger about the working of the universe, he is told, "Think only what concerns thee and thy being; Dream not of other Worlds, what Creatures there Live, in what state, condition, or degree" (p. 180). God simply wants to control humanity's access to information. Later, after Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, god tells the angels not to panic, saying, "Assembl'd Angels, and ye Powers return'd from unsuccessful charge, be not dismay'd, nor troubl'd at these tidings from the Earth, which your sincerest care could not prevent, foretold so lately what would come to pass, when first this Tempter cross'd the Gulf from Hell" (p. 224). Milton's god, based on Yahweh, knew that humanity would fail the test he put to them, and punished them for failing anyway. This creature is nothing more than a petty tyrant, deserving of neither love nor adoration.
As to Milton's style, he writes in heroic verse, much like Homer or Virgil. It seems that he anticipated this concept not appealing to a wide audience as he begins his account with a note to the reader, writing, "Rime being no necessary adjunct or true Ornament of Poem or good Verse, in longer Works especially, but the Invention of a barbarous Age, to set off wretched matter and lame Metre" (p. 17). Though heroic verse works well for the story, Milton's defensiveness implies that he doubted his own work. The work includes references not only to other stories in Christian mythology, but to Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology as well as astrology, thereby implying a polytheistic worldview in which Yahweh is but one of many gods.
This edition, released by the International Collector's Library, is a nice hardcover copy for the collector. It includes Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes. My only complaint is about the author of the introduction, Richard Eberhart, a Milton fanboy and Christian apologist, who suggests that a reading of this text will serve as a return to traditional values in the face of vices including "the incursion of homosexuality" (p. 2). Best skip the introduction and simply read the poem as a work of literature. ( )

"Read also Milton’s paradise lost, Ossian, Pope’s works, Swift’s works in order to form your style in your own language." - Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 19 Aug. 1785 [PTJ 8:405-408]

The 5 rating is really for Samson, which is deeply important to me. "At the mill with slaves" has long been
my description of my own life. I like Paradise Lost and respect Paradise Regained, but Samson is my favorite. ( )

From PARADISE LOST
Holy War in Heaven, or the birth of Consciousness, as unconscious content violently begins the process of breaking itself into component parts, the blackening of the alchemical nigredo:

And clamour such as heard in Heav'n till now
Was never, Arms on Armour clashing bray'd
Horrible discord, and the madding Wheeles
Of brazen Chariots rag'd; dire was the noise
Of conflict; over head the dismal hiss
Of fiery Darts in flaming volies flew,
And flying vaulted either Host with fire.
So under fierie Cope together rush'd
Both, Battels maine, with ruinous assault
And inextinguishable rage; all Heav'n
Resounded, and had Earth bin then, all Earth
Had to her Center shook. What wonder? when
Millions of fierce encountring Angels fought
On either side, the least of whom could weild
These Elements, and arm him with the force
Of all thir Regions: how much more of Power
Armie against Armie numberless to raise
Dreadful combustion warring, and disturb,
Though not destroy, thir happie Native seat;
....
.... no thought of flight,
None of retreat, no unbecoming deed
That argu'd fear; each on himself reli'd,
As onely in his arm the moment lay
Of victorie; deed of eternal fame
Were don, but infinite: for wide was spred
That Warr and various; sometime on firm ground
A standing fight, then soaring on main wing
Tormented all the Air; all Air seemd then
Conflicting Fire: ....

from PARADISE REGAINED
God proclaims His Son, Jesus, the second Job, given over completely to Satan for testing:

.... This Man [Jesus], born and now upgrown,
To shew him worthy of his birth divine
And high prediction, henceforth I expose
To Satan; let him tempt, and now assay
His utmost subtlety, because he boasts
And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng
Of his Apostasy. He might have learnt
Less overweening, since he failed in Job,
Whose constant perseverance overcame
Whate'er his cruel malice could invent.
He now shall know I can produce a man,
Of female seed, far abler to resist
All his solicitation, and at length
All his vast forece, and drive him back to Hell -
Winning by conquest what the first man [Adam] lost
By fallacy surprised....

PARADISE REGAINED:
Satan is frustrated with Jesus, who is not tempted by any element of physical life … tells Jesus, since he doesn’t want the any of the benefits of consciousness, why did he bother to “irrupt” out of it? Jesus might as well sink back into unconsciousness and bypass the whole experience of differentiation.

"Since neither wealth nor honour, arms nor arts,
Kingdom nor empire, pleases thee, nor aught
By me proposed in life contemplative
Or active, tended on by glory or fame,
What dost thou in this world? The Wilderness
For thee is fittest place:...."