We would think that Milton's contemporaries might be aghast that such a sympathetic portrait of Satan could be used at the beginning of the poem.

我们很可能以为，与弥尔顿同时代的人,看到本诗开头就对撒旦有如此具体系统的描述,定会感到惊骇。

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选