Paradise Lost

In John Milton's Paradise Lost, Milton tells of Satan's banishment from Heaven.

The entire event is first relegated to a handful of verses from the Christian bible book of Isaiah, and apocalyptic imagery from the books of Revelation. Milton applied his poetic license to the setting, characters, and motives in order to expand the setting and give his readers a humanized perspective of these events. Through the tapestry of his poem, Milton searched for meaning for his own tormented life and answers to questions such as the nature of men, and the reason for evil in the world.

Because Satan and his brigade plotted war against God, they are now doomed to billow in the fiery pits of hell. Satan is a complex character. Like Milton himself, Satan wrestled with his demented nature which was bent on self-destructive behavior. Milton used the exaggerated dimensions of Satan's persona in...
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