In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan leads the rebellion of the angels against God.
The epic opens after the rebellion has failed. Satan and his fallen angels have been cast out of Heaven and are lying defeated in Hell. Satan then rallies them, builds the palace Pandemonium, and helps plan revenge against God by corrupting the newly created human race.
Milton’s Satan is a major speaker and political leader within the poem, but he is not presented as an uncomplicated hero. His rhetoric can sound grand and persuasive while his choices reveal pride, resentment, and self-deception. The poem’s stated subject is humanity’s first disobedience and the loss of Eden.
Beelzebub is Satan’s chief associate, not the leader of the revolt. Michael and Gabriel remain loyal angels and oppose Satan’s forces.