I still recall my English Lit teacher in 11th grade bringing this to us. To hear her explain how Milton made the Devil the rebel and hero versus god was almost shocking for a 16 year old.
I'm disappointed that the article didn't explore another perspective on Milton's Satan, which is that the "Devil's party" is deliberately cast as more appealing than the virtuous one. Milton's point is that sin is exciting and enticing, while being principled takes hard work and dedication - as in the parable of the wide and narrow paths to salvation. Satan's rhetoric about democracy is insincere since what he really wants is tyranny and chaos, and the poem emphasises how humans need the aptitude to be able to recognise and reject such false language.
Of course Romantic poets brought a different, more familiar set of values to their reading of Paradise Lost, but I think it is more enlightening to understand the poem within the world in which it was written, and appreciate the depth of Milton's commitment to Puritan and Republican ideals even if aspects of them seem alien to the modern reader.
Of course Romantic poets brought a different, more familiar set of values to their reading of Paradise Lost, but I think it is more enlightening to understand the poem within the world in which it was written, and appreciate the depth of Milton's commitment to Puritan and Republican ideals even if aspects of them seem alien to the modern reader.