<P> Eve appeals to Adam for reconciliation of their actions . Her encouragement enables them to approach God, and sue for grace, bowing on suppliant knee, to receive forgiveness . In a vision shown to him by the angel Michael, Adam witnesses everything that will happen to Mankind until the Great Flood . Adam is very upset by this vision of the future, so Michael also tells him about Mankind's potential redemption from original sin through Jesus Christ (whom Michael calls "King Messiah"). </P> <P> Adam and Eve are cast out of Eden, and Michael says that Adam may find "a paradise within thee, happier far". Adam and Eve also now have a more distant relationship with God, who is omnipresent but invisible (unlike the tangible Father in the Garden of Eden). </P> <P> Satan, formerly called Lucifer, is the first major character introduced in the poem . He was once the most beautiful of all angels, and is a tragic figure who famously declares: "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven ." Following his failed rebellion against God, he is cast out from Heaven and condemned to Hell . Satan's desire to rebel against his creator stems from his unwillingness to be subjugated by God and his Son, claiming that angels are "self - begot, self - raised," and thereby denying God's authority over them as their creator . </P> <P> Satan is deeply arrogant, albeit powerful and charismatic . Satan's persuasive powers are evident throughout the book; not only is he cunning and deceptive, but he is also able to rally the fallen angels to continue in the rebellion after their agonizing defeat in the Angelic War . He argues that God rules as a tyrant and that all the angels ought to rule as gods . Though commonly understood to be the antagonizing force in Paradise Lost, Satan may be best defined as a tragic or Hellenic hero . According to William McCollom, one quality of the classical tragic hero is that he is not perfectly good and that his defeat is caused by a tragic flaw, as Satan causes both the downfall of man and the eternal damnation of his fellow fallen angels despite his dedication to his comrades . In addition, Satan's Hellenic qualities, such as his immense courage and, perhaps, lack of completely defined morals compound his tragic nature . </P>

Who said better to reign in hell than serve in heaven