Summary and Reading Notes--Adam Kissel

Book 1 (new and improved) | Book 2 | Book 3 | Book 4 |

1-16, Milton asks Moses' Muse to help him relate the tale of the Fall: "things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme."
17-26, Milton also asks the Spirit, who knows (having similarly acted upon the abyss), to instruct him, to give him illumination about the "Eternal Providence" "And justify the ways of God to men."
27-32, What caused Adam and Eve to fall, to "transgress his will/For one restraint"?
33, "Who first seduced them to that foul revolt?"
34-44, It was Satan, who tried "To set himself in glory above his peers" and "trusted to have equaled the Most High," and who vainly fought the "monarchy of God." This Serpent deceived Eve.
45-49, God had hurled Satan down to the "penal fire" for his defiance.
50-74 [length of the sentence mirrors the eternity of hell], For nine days Satan and his cohorts lay in hell: "but his doom/Reserved him to more wrath." Satan has "obdurate pride and steadfast hate." He sees that hell is terrible and where "hope never comes" [but cf. the demons' attempts at hope, e.g. 1.120, 1.190, 1.275, 1.637]: "darkness visible/Served only to discover sights of woe." It's a place of "torture without end," "With ever-burning sulphur unconsumed." VERY far from Heaven, prepared by Eternal Justice.
75, "O how unlike the place from whence they fell!"
76-81, Satan, the "Arch-Enemy," discerns Beelzebub (#2 devil) and the others.
82-83, Satan "with bold words" begins.

84-94, Satan can scarcely believe that B. is thus fallen! They are now "joined/In equal ruin," as they were joined earlier in battle. Satan claims not to have known "The force of those [God's] dire arms." Though so high before, S. & B. now are very fallen.
94-105, S. recounts the battle: he had felt a "sense of injured merit," which inspired him to disdain God and contend with God, along with sympathetic Spirits who preferred S. "His utmost power with adverse power opposed/In dubious battle on the plains of heav'n/And shook his throne." Still, S. refuses to "repent or change,/though changed in outward luster."
105, "What though the field be lost?"
106-09, "All is not lost: the unconquerable will,/And study of revenge, immortal hate,/And courage never to submit or yield:/And what is else not to be overcome?" [S. has the semblance but not the substance of true virtue; cf. 1.529]
110-11, "That glory never shall his wrath or might/Extort from me."
111-24, To plead for gracious mercy from God would "deify his power" and further wound S.'s pride. Rather, S. hopes against hope that with experience and new knowledge of God's strength, the demons may "by force or guile" wage continual war [note, Satan hopes for hope]
125-27, Milton undercuts S's speech, for S is still "in pain,/Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair."

128-42, God has thoroughly defeated the demons--"by strength, or chance, or fate" [B. hoping it's not the former]--they are without glory but maintain mind and spirit (though in misery).
143-55, B admits God's omnipotence, and wonders whether God has left them "eternal being/[in order] To undergo eternal punishment" or endless divine service.

156, "Whereto with speedy words th' Arch-Fiend replied."
157-62, Satan resolves never to do good, but ill: "As being the contrary to his high will/Whom we resist."
163-68, If God aims to bring good out of evil, S resolves to "find means of evil" which, hopefully, can often succeed, to thwart and grieve God.
169-77, the demons are no longer under direct attack.
178-79, "Let us not slip th' occasion, whether scorn,/Or satiate fury yield it from our foe."
180-83, S notes the "dreary plain" which is at least better than the lake of fire they're in.
183-91, S proposes that they travel to the plain to ponder a plan for success in light of the current situation: "how we may henceforth most offend/Our enemy, ... What reinforcement we may gain from hope,/If not what resolution from despair."
192-220, Milton describes the hugeness of Satan--like Leviathan, a whale mistaken for an island [cf. S's deceptiveness]--being "chained on the burning lake." Satan's every move begins with "the will/And high permission of all-ruling Heaven/[which] Left him at large to his own dark designs." Milton foreshadows the Fall which will paradoxically "bring forth/Infinite goodness, grace and mercy" for man, while on himself "Treble confusion, wrath and vengeance."
221-24, S escapes on his own power from the lake of fire.
225-38, S flies off to the plain, which burns with solid fire as of a volcanic lava flow: "such resting found the sole/Of unblest feet."
238-41, B follows him, and they glory in their victory over the lake, a victory apparently on their own power alone.

242-45, S notes how terrible hell is, compared to Heaven.
245-49, "Be it so" (as though S could choose). S claims to equal God in reason and be second only in force. [S can choose his fate, so it seems he chooses distance from God because of the power inequality: "farthest from him is best."
249-53, "Farewell happy fields"--S chooses hell as his own possession: "one who brings/A mind not to be changed by place or time."
254-55, "The mind is its own place, and in itself/Can make a heav'n of hell, a hell of heav'n." [So that the mind is 'creative' in its own way (even of a kind of space), and the mind somehow dwells in its creations. But there is no "empyreal substance" to this kind of creation. Cf. the opening to Book 3, Milton on the power of imagination.]
256-58, S repeats that it is only power that has made God greatest.
259-63, S chooses hell so as to remain free: "To reign is worth ambition though in hell:/Better to reign in hell, than serve in heav'n."
264-70, S recalls the other demons still on the lake: they must take their places in the next battle against God [hope of some kind of success remains].

272-82, B agrees: it will just take S's voice to inspire them to renewed courage and hope.

283-91, Milton describes S's shield, looking like the moon--in the detail and magnification of Galileo's telescope [theme of transformation, here about size and space].
292-311, Milton describes S's sword, far bigger than the tallest tree. Satan walks in agony over the burning land toward the demons, floating on the lake like Pharaoh's army drowned in the Red Sea, or so many dead leaves.
311-13, The demons lie abject on the lake "Under amazement of their hideous change."
314-15, "He called so loud, that all the hollow deep/Of hell resounded."
315-29, S rallies the demons: are they going to acquiesce, or fight those who may get them while they're down?
330, "Awake, arise, or be for ever fall'n."

331-34, The demons rouse themselves in embarrassment [cf. Jesus' disciples sleeping on the mountain while supposed to be staying awake].
335-38, Though in great misery, they hearken to S.
338-55, They swarm up as a plague of locusts, a deluge of barbarians.
356-63, They assemble in their companies, godlike in shape, though without their former splendor: their names are "blotted out and razed/By their rebellion, from the Books of Life."
364-75, They have not yet been to Earth to receive new names, transformed into animal-idols or false deities in order to corrupt mankind. They will have that chance "Through God's high sufferance for the trial of man."
376-80, Milton calls on the Muse to tell the names of the demons.
381-91, The chief demons set themselves up as rival gods of peoples other than Israel (and sometimes swaying even the Israelites).

   The Catalgoue of Demons. (cf. catalogues of heroes)
392-405, Moloch, "besmeared with blood/Of human sacrifice, and parents' tears," is first. Moloch seduced the Ammonites and even Solomon.
406-18, Chemos, called Peor, seduced the Moabites and even enticed Israel "To do him wanton rites, which cost them woe." He enlarged his lustful orgies till 'good Josiah drove them thence to hell."
420-31, the Baalim and Ashtaroth. "For Spirits when they please/Can either sex assume, or both," because their essence is empyreal and not bodily like people's flesh. They can choose their own shapes, and likewise, "works of love or enmity fulfill."
432-37, Israel often forsook God to follow these other beings, "bowing lowly down/To bestial gods" as though to victorious foes.
438-446, Astoreth, who seduced both Jews and Gentiles.
446-57, Ditto Thammuz.
457-66, Ditto Dagon, regarding whom the Ark of the Covenant "Maimed his brute image." [reminder of God's power]
467-76, Ditto Rimmon.
476-89, Ditto, a bunch of Egyptian deities, in animal forms, all of whose supposed power was swept away along with the plague-ridden Egyptians.
490-96, Ditto Belial, the vilest, who comes last, an embodiment of wickedness.
497-502, Where "injury and outrage" and "riot" and "insolence and wine" are, there is Belial--especially in courts, palaces, luxurious cities.
503-05, sodomy and rape are also the domain of Belial.
506-21, There were many more false gods, such as all those of the Greeks and Romans, admittedly subordinate in place and time, and Celtic gods, etc.
522-30, The demons take some joy "to have found themselves not lost/In loss itself"--at least S. still holds his head high. But S's pride is merely "high words, that bore/Semblance of worth, not substance."
531-43, S. takes the form of a mighty king, with his standard blazing. The demons see this display, "At which the universal host upsent/A shout that tore hell's concave, and beyond/Frighted the reign of chaos and old Night."
544-70, The demons resemble "heroes old/Arming to battle ... firm and unmoved/ With dread of death to flight or foul retreat." Their resolve seems valorous: they have power to "chase/Anguish and doubt and fear and sorrow and pain/From mortal or immortal minds." S is their leader, and they organize on land in their war formations, "in guise/Of warriors old with ordered spear and shield." S sizes them up.
571-87, S's "heart/Distends with pride" at the scene. This army beats any human army in history.
587-99, S proudly stands with some dim luster, as though with the light of an eclipsed sun.
599-615, S is the leader, though darkened; he is beaten but retains courage and pride. The demons had lost Heaven because of S's revolt [cf. Adam's fall after Eve], yet they remain faithful to him, standing as fired pines.

619-21, S is so broken, he can barely speak, and then only with weeping and sighs on the third try.
622-30, S tells them that glory is independent of success and that he was as surprised as they were that God had turned out to be so strong.
631-34, S's rhetoric: why not attempt to repossess Heaven?
635-37, Far be it from S to shy from danger and lose a potential hope.
637-42, S faults God, as monarch who hid His great power, for in that way tempting the then-angels to rebel. [But did God not hide His power so as not to seem to compel obedience?]
643-49, Knowing that God is omnipotent, S counsels evil and war via "fraud or guile [to achieve]/What force effected not." God has overcome their power but not their will [though this is by God's choice, as B had said].
650-59, "Space may produce new worlds" [cf. 1.254]--here follows the rumor of Earth and mankind. [continue to follow the theme of space and the relations among space, thought/mind, and power (see note at 2.246)] They shall escape.
659-62, "But these thoughts/Full counsel must mature [Milton paves the way for Book 2]: peace is despaired,/For who can think submission? War then, war/Open or understood must be resolved."
664-69, The demons approve and draw their swords: "the sudden blaze/Far round illumined hell ... Hurling defiance toward the vault of heav'n."

670-74, The volcanic hill nearby seems to hold precious metals. 674-78, Many demons hasten there, led by Mammon.
678-88, Mammon:"ev'n in heav'n his looks and thoughts/Were always downward bent," admiring the material splendors of Heaven. Mammon taught men to act the same way and mine the earth without respect.
688-90, Mammon's crew wounded, murdered the hill, "And digged out ribs [human overtones; cf. Eve] of gold."
690-92, Editorial comment [how tempting must this gold seem!]: "Let none admire/ That riches grow in hell; that soil may best/Deserve the precious bane."
692-99, Editorial comment: "And here let those/Who boast in mortal things," such as the Tower of Babel, be reminded at how mankind's "greatest monuments of fame,/And strength and art are easily outdone" by those with spiritual power, demons at that, and so much more quickly than humans could (if at all) perform.
700-09, The demons work together to build what seems like a majestic temple on the hill.

710-22, The building is elaborate and more splendorous than the palaces of kings.
722-30, The building sports a fiery light. [Reader feels escorted through the scene.]
730-51, The demons praise the building and the architect, Mulciber, who the Greeks knew but told erroneous stories about; in fact, Mulciber was a fallen angel too.
752-75, The demons call for "A solemn council" and begin to hold it at Pandemonium. The demons swarm there as bees. [remember connotations of bees in epic tradition; cf. the Pope's insignia (thanks to Norton ed. for this note)]
775-92, The demons transform themselves into tiny beings so that they all can fit inside Pandemonium--this exercise of power, and the pomp of the whole affair, re-inspires Satan to "joy and fear." Infinite number, yet infinitely small.
792-97, "But far within/And in their own dimensions like themselves," they all sat close together.
797-98, "After short silence then/And summons read, the great consult began."

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To consider (given by Wendy Olmsted):

• How S perceives B
  S's speech--how he defines their rel'p and his purpose and his values
  How S is "heroic" in the context of the poem and in [Gk.] tradition of the heroic virtues
  Evaluate the rhetoric of B and S -- what is argued well, what poorly? Who is the better deliberative rhetorician?
  Does the possibility of deception imply that we ought distrust rhetoric? language? (if so, to what extent?)
  Look at descriptions and how the text provokes responses in the reader. (What responses?)
  192, how is S like Leviathan--how does reader interact with the desc?
  242, S's whole speech--esp. 253-55, how true is this assertion?
  283, S's shield.
  relationship of demons to desc's in Ovid, syncretism with Scripture (Moloch, Chemos, Baalim and Asht.)
  spiritual "bodies" and "sexuality"
  622, how consistent is S's speech #5 with his earlier speeches? Has he learned, changed since the beginning?