Analyse the character of Satan as he has been sketched in Book I of Milton's Paradise Lost.

Satan is a complex and intricate character around whom
much controversy centers. Milton begins Book I of Paradise Lost by
presenting Satan as he would have been moments after his expulsion from Heaven, where he
was the chief angel with the highest honors and most exquisite beauty. His angelic
qualities of ministering and compassion would still be intact and at the height of their
strength: angels would retain their essential traits even after rebelling and being cast
out of Heaven as punishment.

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In shape and gesture proudly eminent [ 590
]
Stood like a Towr; his form had yet not lost
All her Original
brightness, nor appear'd
Less then Arch Angel ruind, and th'
excess
Of Glory
obscur'd:

As a result, one of
the first things evident about Satan is his regret, sorrow, and compassion for the
suffering of his followers (605-612). Satan weeps. He is unable to speak for the depth
of his emotion at the changed condition he sees before him in the appearance of the
other angels. Satan shows compassion and empathetic suffering (615-621).

On the other hand, in Book I Satan also makes it clear that his war
against God will rage on and that he will ultimately attain revenge against God. Satan’s
hatred, arrogance, violent nature, pride, and vengefulness are clearly
displayed.

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but of this be sure,
To
do ought good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our
sole delight, [ 160
]

These two sides of Satan
demonstrate what he was and might have continued to be and foretell what he will become
later in Paradise Lost. Book I is a snapshot, if you will, of Satan
during his first moments of separation from God’s grace and
presence.

The controversy around Satan arises because of all the good
and, therefore, sympathetic qualities Satan possesses during this snapshot moment. Some
critics contend Satan’s good qualities indicate that Milton was fashioning him as the
hero of the epic poem because only heroes, even Byronic heroes, are introduced in such a
positive and sympathetic light. In this opinion, the Book I presentation of Satan isn’t
a snapshot of an interim position, it is the representation of the inner truth of the
character of Satan. Other critics contend Milton begins with a justifiably authentic
picture of Satan so that his fall into degeneration can be tracked and eschewed, or
shunned, because of the revulsion Satan’s fall must engender.