This shows that the poem will tell a grand story of sin punishment and human history The theme is religious moral and universal It is about all mankind A Great Hero Epic Character Every epic has a central figure In Book I Satan is shown as the main character Even though he is evil he is brave proud and full of energy Even after being thrown into Hell he does not give up He tells the fallen angels that they will still have courage and strength He says that it is better to be free in Hell than to serve in Heaven Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav n Satan has many heroic qualities like leadership strength of mind and strong speech He is evil but he still plays the role of an epic hero in Book I of the poem A Vast Setting In epics the story happens in many places not just one small area In Paradise Lost the action takes place in Heaven Hell and later Earth In Book I Milton gives us a picture of Hell Hello is full of fire darkness and pain In hell there is No light but rather darkness visible This huge setting makes the story feel big and powerful fit for an epic Long and Speeches Epic characters often speak in long and serious speeches These speeches show their plans emotions and ideas In Book I Satan gives many strong speeches For example Awake arise or be for ever fall'n He speaks to give hope to the fallen angels and calls them to act These speeches make the poem more dramatic and grand Supernatural Elements Epic poems include gods angels devils and magical places In Paradise Lost we see God Satan angels and the creation of Pandemonium the capital of Hell All the characters are supernatural beings not normal humans The war in Heaven is also between divine forces not earthly armies This gives the poem a myth-like feeling which is common in epic stories Epic Similes We see epic similes in epics These are long comparisons that make something clear and powerful In this poem Milton compares Satan to a giant sea monster Leviathan Leviathan hugest that swim th' Ocean stream This helps the reader imagine how big and strong Satan looks in the burning lake of Hell These similes are often rich beautiful and long which is a special feature of epic poetry Formal and Elevated Language Milton writes in a formal and elevated style even without using rhyme His sentences are full of powerful words and the tone is grand This makes the poem sound noble and important just like other great epics like The Iliad or The Aeneid In fine Book I of Paradise Lost has all the major epic qualities a grand theme a heroic central figure a wide setting supernatural beings formal speeches epic similes and elevated language Milton used these tools to create a powerful religious epic