Milton's Satan: is he the hero of Paradise Lost?

Milton's charismatic 'prince of darkness' has famously divided critical opinion over the centuries. Is he a heroic figure exemplifying principled resistance to tyranny, or do his claims to heroism ultimately prove to be deceptive? And in either case, what is such a sublimely impressive devil doing in an ostensibly Christian poem? We will consider some of the most influential arguments that have been made on both sides, and come to our own conclusions through close study of Paradise Lost.