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Unit 20: Paradise Lost-I (Non-detailed Study): Discussion and Analysis–I

One important way in which the narrator develops our picture of Satan—and gives us the impression Notes
that he is a hero—is through epic similes, lengthy and developed comparisons that tell us how big
and powerful Satan is. For example, when Satan is lying on the burning lake, Milton compares him
to the titans who waged war upon Jove in Greek mythology. Then, at greater length, he compares
him to a Leviathan, or whale, that is so huge that sailors mistake it for an island and fix their anchor
to it. In other epics, these sorts of similes are used to establish the great size or strength of characters,
and on the surface these similes seem to do the same thing. At the same time, however, the effect of
these similes is to unsettle us, making us aware that we really do not know how big Satan is at all.
No one knows how big the titans were, because they were defeated before the age of man. The
image of the Leviathan does not give us a well-defined sense of his size, because the whole point of
the image is that the Leviathan’s size generates deception and confusion.

What is Satan’s attitude in the beginning of the poem?
More than anything, the similes used to describe Satan make us aware of the fact that size is relative,
and that we don’t know how big anything in Hell is—the burning lake, the hill, Pandemonium, etc.
Milton drives this fact home at the end of Book I with a tautology: while most of the devils shrink in
size to enter Pandemonium, the important ones sit “far within / And in their own dimensions like
themselves” (I.792–793). In other words, they were however big they were, but we have no way of
knowing how big that was. Finally, it is important to note that the first description of Satan’s size is
the biggest we will ever see him. From that point on, Satan assumes many shapes and is compared
to numerous creatures, but his size and stature steadily diminishes. The uncertainty created by
these similes creates a sense of irony—perhaps Satan isn’t so great after all.
The devils in Paradise Lost are introduced to the story here in Book I in almost a parody of how
Homer introduces great warriors in the Iliad. The irony of these descriptions lies in the fact that
while these devils seem heroic and noteworthy in certain ways, they just lost the war in Heaven. As
frightening and vividly presented as these creatures are, they did not succeed in killing a single
angel.
In Book I, Milton presents Satan primarily as a military hero, and the council of devils as a council
of war. In doing so, he makes Paradise Lost resonate with earlier epics, which all center around
military heroes and their exploits. At the same time, Milton presents an implicit critique of a literary
culture that glorifies war and warriors. Satan displays all of the virtues of a great warrior such as
Achilles or Odysseus. He is courageous, undaunted, refusing to yield in the face of impossible
odds, and able to stir his followers to follow him in brave and violent exploits. Milton is clearly
aware of what he’s doing in making Satan somewhat appealing in the early chapters. By drawing
us into sympathizing with and admiring Satan, Milton forces us to question why we admire martial
prowess and pride in literary characters. Ultimately he attempts to show that the Christian virtues
of obedience, humility, and forbearance are more important.

20.2 Book – II

20.2.1 Summary: Prologue and Invocation

Satan opens the debate in Pandemonium by claiming that Heaven is not yet lost, and that the fallen
angels (or devils) might rise up stronger in another battle if they work together. He opens the floor,
and the pro-war devil Moloch speaks first. Moloch was one of the fiercest fighters in the war in
Heaven, and he anxiously pleads for another open war, this time armed with the weapons of Hell.
He reasons that nothing, even their destruction, could be worse than Hell, and so they have nothing

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