Self & Society: British Lit @Hood College

For Hot, Cold, Moist, and Dry, four champions fierce Strive here for mast'ry and to battle bring Their embryon atoms. (line 897-900)

"Thither full fraught with mischievous revenge Accursed, and in a cursed hour, he hies.' (Book II Lines 1054-1055)

"So he with difficulty, and labour hard Moved on; with difficulty and labour he: But he once pass'd, soon after, when man fell, Strange alteration; Sin, and Death, amain, Following his tract (such was the will of heaven) Pav'd after him a broad and beaten way Over the dark abyss, whose boiling gulf Tamely endur'd a bridge of wondrous length, From hell contained, reaching th'utmost orb Of this frail world; by which the spirits perverse With easy intercourse pass to and fro, To tempt or punish mortals, except whom God and good angels guard by special grace." (Lines 1021-1033)

"...Out of thy head I sprung! Amazement seized All th' host of Heav'n. Back they recoiled afraid At first and called me "Sin" and for a sign Portentous held me. But familiar grown I pleased and with attractive graces won The most averse (thee chiefly) who full oft Thyself in me thy perfect image viewing Becam'st enamoured and such joy thou took'st With me in secret that my womb conceived A growing burden." (Book 2, Lines 758-767) "...and swifter far Me overtook, his mother, all dismayed, And embraces forcible and foul Engend'ring with me of that rape begot These yelling monsters that with ceaseless cry Surround me as thou saw'st, hourly conceived And hourly born as sorrow infinite To me." (Book 2, Lines 791-798) And then these hell-hound children of hers crawl back into her womb and chew on her insides? What the fucking shit, Milton? (Image from Meme Generator - https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/400x/2...

Book 2 opens up with Satan debating on whether he and his demons should try and fight God again to overthrow his power. I don't understand why they are still trying because they failed once already. Do they not understand that they cannot be greater than God? This section gives the arguments of the four demons on what they think they should do. Satan asks his demons what they think their best option would be: go to war or give it up. Why doesn't Satan just come up with the plan himself? Beelzebub says, "...seduce them to our party that their God may prove their foe and with repenting hand abolish His own works" (2.368-370). He believes that he can get God's people to follow them and leave their ruler. What are they thinking? https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwjK7Pf2o7_XAhXH7BQKHUxhBfMQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvriley.edublogs.org%2Ftag%2Fparadise-lost%2F&psig=AOvVaw0iWeZ9N6g5F9DfRA-h2JeN...

“On th’ other side Incensed with indignation Satan stood Unterrified and like a comet burned That fires the length of Ophiucus huge In th’ arctic sky and from his horrid hair Shakes pestilence and war.” 706-711 Notes for understanding: Ophiucus is a large constillation of a man holding a snake. Also comets were frequently thought to be the cause of war or other bad events. On the other side Feeling really angry and frustrated about the unfairness of things satan stood there He was unafraid and like a big firey disaster causing comet With enough power to go very far and cause a lot of bad-ness.

"Satan in Council" Ninteenth century woodblock print by Gustave Doré "The Stygian council thus dissolved and forth In order cam the gran infernal peers. Midst came their mighty paramount and seemed Alone th' Antagonist of Heav'n, nor less Than Hell's dread Emperor with pomp supreme And God-like imitated state. Book 2, lines 506-511

Satan is very amusing in the passage, he ponders the impossible. The passage states, "Satan, their chief, undertakes alone the voyage, is honored and applauded." This is referring to the possibility of another battle with heaven. It's so amusing that the fallen angels would select Satan after he led them straight to hell before. But it's hilarious that Satan would take this cursed position yet again. It makes many wonder if Satan is insane or truly enjoying his damned eternity.  Maybe he believes he can achieve since here is no where left to fall.

In the beginning of book two, Satan debates whether or not another battle would be hazardous for the recovery of heaven.I question Satan and his motives. Does he really care about searching the truth about the prophecy? It seems to appear that in this situation as it is weighted so much, Satan is a "hero".I find it interesting when he is considered as their “chief” if he thinks that he is on the same level as God? Before book two we see Satan questioning God’s power and how he possibly does not understand it. Does Satan really have the people's best interest at heart or is he doing this for his own personal reasons?I am a little confused as to what he is trying to do.

The demons argue about what their next move should be and I thought that Mammon's idea to build up Hell to be as beautiful and industrious as Heaven was pretty cute. I didn't think that any of the other demons would be on board with that plan, given that it seems like the easiest way to impress God and be rewarded with his forgiveness. Also, it doesn't seem very realistic... How are you going to put out a fire that consumes an entire lake? Hell is described as a huge bummer and to say that they can just clean it up and have it looking like Heaven seems like a stretch. However, the idea of corrupting an entire race that God loves the most, is definitely more of a plan to humiliate God. I had it in my head that humans already existed (because I thought angels were dead humans) so this part made a lot more sense to me when I realized that God hadn't yet created mortals. Are the original angels by God's side just spirits? Sorry for being ignorant :/  https://upload...

It's weird reading about demons who are trying to figure out how to deal with their situation. When I usually think of demons I think of beings who enjoy the flames and torment. In Paradise Lost he makes them out to be suffering. Yet this suffering doesn't affect their ability to have a council and decide what to do with their current situation. These fallen angels are very human-like. I guess that explains why the fallen angels say that humans are "created like... us though less in pow'r and excellence" (349-350). I am enjoying the 'fresh' perspective on demons and angels. http://thepinoycatholic.blogspot.com/2014/01/council-of-trent-happened-450-years-ago.html