6. 1 - 28:

In this passage, Raphael continues to relay the account of Satan's fall to Adam. Abdiel has been travelling all night to return to God and warn him of Satan's treachery. He heads back to the cave where God's throne is. Heaven is described as being "like Day and Night" (6. 8) and Heaven's darkness is compared to Earth's twilight. Abdiel notices that the plain of Heaven is "cover'd with thick embattl'd Squadrons bright, / Chariots and flaming Arms, and fiery Steeds" (6. 16-7). Heaven appears to be preparing for war and Abdiel understands that they had "already known what he for news had thought / to have reported" (6. 20-1). Interestingly, they are preparing for war even though God could easily stop Satan himself. The preparation for the battle proves the loyalty of the faithful angels as they plan to fight for God rather than questioning why they must. As such, the battle asks the question of loyalty on both sides. Abdiel is then welcomed back by the other angels "with joy and acclamations loud" (6. 23) for remaining loyal to God. The angels then take Abdiel before God to hear him speak.

6. 29 - 55:

In this passage, Raphael continues his story of Abdiel, who has denounced Satan and returned to Heaven and God. God gives Abdiel his approval for bearing "Universal reproach, far worse to beare / Then violence” [6.34-5]—it’s interesting that the scorn of the faithless is somehow considered more terrible than their physical harm. In the same vein, God assures him that he is now left an easier task — joining the heavenly host to meet Satan’s forces in battle. He appoints Michael and Gabriel heads of His army and adds that their forces are ‘equal in number’ to their enemy. I suppose this is an example of God’s justice, though it seems again to add risk to the endeavor that would not otherwise be necessary if God just decided to destroy the evil altogether. He seems to believe, however, that the Heavenly host will not have any trouble in forcing Hell’s forces back into ‘Tartarus’ (a Greek mythological, and therefore pagan, turn for the fiery corner of punishment in the Underworld).

This passage also includes God making a common link with Satan’s thinking — God mentions ‘the Messiah’, his son, as a power in heaven through merit. Satan is frequently preoccupied with his own ‘merit’, which he states in Book I has been offended by his fall.

6. 56 - 113:

In these lines the speaker is narrating the arrival of the angels and the fallen angels, ready to fight. It begins by having God's golden cloud darken as he finishes speaking, and the marching in of the "Perfect ranks" (6. 71). The angels are not touching the ground as they move, and are instead staying high in the air. When they approach the fallen angels, they see Satan, described as "High in the midst exalted as a God / Th' Apostate in his sun-bright Chariot sat / Idol of Majesty Divine, enclos'd / With flaming Cherubim, and golden shields" (6.99-102). It is obvious from these lines that his followers treat Satan like he is a God, however with the word Idol I could only compare it to one of the 10 Commandments, "Thou shalt not worship false idols" or in other words, "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me" (Exodus 20 :3). In these lines Satan has presented himself like a God in front of his army and Gods, with his sun-colored chariot. His golden shields also remind me of God's golden cloud in the section before this, but instead of being products of divine power, the shields are held up and come across as mimicry.

Satan is also called "Th' Apostate" which is an extremely fitting title as he has definitely committed apostasy by breaking away from following God, as well as encouraging others to commit apostasy as well by following him. When Abdiel sees Satan we are told he cannot bear the sight of him.

6. 114 - 26:

Rafael is describing the calmness before the battle and states how he finds it unfair that Satan still looks like an angel and has tons of power, when he does not have any angelic/good traits left. He then says that he is going to test Satan's army's strength with the help of god and that he has already proven that Satan's morals are corrupted. After that Rafael declares that Satan may have won in getting others to join his side but he will not win in a battle against God. Rafael ends this passage by saying "though brutish that contest and foul, / When Reason hath to deal with force, yet so / Most reason is that Reason overcome" (124-126). I interpreted this as meaning if Satan needs to use force with his reasoning to lead the fallen, than it is not real leadership because if it was he would not have to use force to keep himself in power.

6. 127 - 30:

The speaker is speaking in this section, and they are describing the heroic act of Abdiel standing up against Satan on the battlefield. This act is characterized as heroic with the the act of standing up to Satan proving at least somewhat effective as "securely him defi'd" (130). The actions of Abdiel seem to be shown as an examplar of standing up for your faith in the correctness of God and putting your faith and thought into actions.

6. 131 - 48:

In this section, Abdiel is addressing Satan. The angel taunts him saying: “Proud, art thou met”(6.131), as Satan assumed he would be able to easily take the throne of Heaven. The angel points out how Satan believed that “the terror of [his] Power / Or [his] potent tongue” (6.134-5), would have been enough to usurp the thrown. This is not true, and Satan's vanity has put him at a disadvantage because he has underestimated God’s power. Abdiel contrasts Satan’s vanity with the grandeur of God saying he could:

Have rais'd incessant Armies to defeat
Thy folly; or with solitarie hand
Reaching beyond all limit at one blow
Unaided could have finisht thee, and whelmd
Thy Legions under darkness.(6.138-40)

God is infinitely stronger than Satan, so much so that with one hand he could vanquish Satan and all his followers. The angel continues, saying that Satan's following is not as strong as he thinks and that there are those who's “Faith Prefer and Pietie to God” (6.143-4). This is to say that God has a strong and devout following, which cannot be tempted by Satan. The angel recounts how he was once temped by Satan, but was able to stop his “dissent”. Abdel demonstrates the power of repentance, being one who has transgressed and subsequently forgiven in the eyes of God.

6. 149 - 70:

Lines 149-170 are Satan speaking to the seraph Abdiel. The passage begins with Satan telling Abdiel that he will be the first to face his wrath, saying he will be victim to "the first assay / of this right hand provok'd" (6.153-154). As we discussed earlier in class, before Christ, Satan was God's right hand, so the use of "right hand provok'd" works both physically with the image of an attack, as well as in the sense of his former title. Satan then goes on to reference a group or "Synod" of gods who agreed that "while they feel / Vigor divine within them, can allow / Omnipotence to none" (6.158-159). This is an important part of Satan's speech, both because of his rejection of singular omnipotence, as well as his assertion of multiple gods. This reminded me of a key pillar of Christianity: a singular God. It is important to note, though, the biblical quote "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3), which can be interpreted as there being multiple gods, but a more powerful, singular God. So, when Satan mentions other gods rejecting omnipotence and implies that God embraced it, his portrayal of a more sinister, power-hungry God can be understood.

Further in this section, Satan says that Abdiel has only confronted him out of a desire to be praised by God. He states, "But well thou com'st / Before thy fellows, ambitious to win / From me some Plume, that thy success may show / Destruction to the rest" (6.159-162). According to the OED, "Plume" in this instance refers to an adornment received for an accomplishment or merit (as opposed to the modern definition of colourful feathers). Following his assertion about Abdiel's motivations, Satan explains that he used to think that freedom could exist in Heaven, but that he realized that servitude to God removes the possibility for true freedom. He mocks those who have remained faithful to God, saying "Minist'ring Spirits, train'd up in Feast and Song; / Such hast thou arm'd, the Minstrelsy of Heav'n, / Servility with freedom to contend" (6.167-169). These lines serve the dual purpose of mocking the power of God's army, and making Satan's followers represent the positive attribute of freedom, as opposed to the [generally] negative attribute of servitude.

6. 172 - 88:

Abdiel is speaking in this passage to Satan as he states that all angels are slaves to God. Abdiel, always faithful to God, states that Satan's use of "Servitude" is incorrect and that he is wrong to state that all angels are slaves to God. He says that to worship and to obey God is an act of love and faith to God's actions is not an act of servitude, "When he who rules is worthiest (opposite of worthless?), and excells / Them whom he governs" (6.177-178). Abdiel is basically saying that with a leader like God and for all of good he does for the Angels (his followers), those who do follow him are doing it because he is a great leader and not because of slavery. He then adds that "Servitude" is when people follow the unwise and those who reject the idea of freewill (which is a stab at Satan by saying those who are following him are slaves). The passage ends with Abdiel saying that go down to Hell with all the chains and he'll stay here to serve God and obey him with all the glory. Once again, this reflects on the concept of freewill and grace of the story. However, it is very clear that if you chose to not follow God, you'll end up in Hell with Satan. Sadly, this makes me think about the following: if I had to chose between Heaven or Hell, why wouldn't you pick Heaven? So it seems like it's a set up to follow God no matter what you want to believe in.

6. 189 - 261:

The speaker is describing these events throughout the passage.

Here Satan enters the battle in Heaven. Abdiel strikes Satan with incredible swiftness, shocking and enraging the rebel angel (6.189-200). This may bear out Abdiel's claim that his greater moral fortitude and reason will guide him even in physical combat.

The battle nearly makes Hell out of Heaven, with clashing swords, flames, and booming trumpets filling the air (6.206-225). This draws to mind Satan's cohorts extolling the virtues of hell as despite its horrific qualities, it was free and essentially at peace. It seems the behaviour of a place's inhabitants have more influence on its quality than the place itself. This idea of violence and sin entering Heaven is mirrored by the fall of man, with Raphael previously claiming that had Earth existed during the war, it would have felt its effects then.

The perfection of the angels is not diminished however, as even in combat they are graceful. Each angelic warrior is his own leader, yet they all work in unison. There are no acts of cowardice or self-service as in a human conflict (6.226-245)

Finally, Michael and Satan meet in battle. This is the dramatic height of the passage, as the two oldest and strongest arch-angels begin to fight (6.250-261).

6. 262 - 80:

The Archangel Michael is the speaker and he is speaking to Satan during the battle in Heaven. Michael has already defeated Satan and has been smiting other rebel angels during the battle before Satan moves towards him again and when Michael sees him he speaks so that he can end the fighting. Michael explains that Satan created evil, suffering, strife, through his rebellion because heaven was a place of pure bliss before Satan. Michael hopes that damning Satan and the other rebel angels to hell will return Heaven to its former state of goodness. At one point Michael explains that Satan corrupted thousands with his malice and he seems to be confused as to how Satan was able to be so persuasive to once loyal angels. Also at one point Michael says that Satan has created nature's misery so I believe that alludes to the dangerous aspects of nature that one would assume that they would not be in the Garden of Eden. At the end Michael shows his strength by offering another solution to the end of the war, instead of damnation he will smite them.

6. 282 - 95:

Michael has just finished saying his lines to Satan, and now Satan responds. He says for Michael not to make verbal threats that he has yet to back up with his actions, as Satan isn't finished yet: just because he might be down in this battle, he has not given up the fight, he will "rise unvanquisht" (285-286). Satan says Michael is mistaken if he thinks it will take just some threat will chase him away, saying that his own side of the fight is not evil like Michael thinks. Satan believes his fight is for the fallen angels' lost glory, and aims to reinstate them to Heaven, or to turn Heaven into a Hell, either as a place where they can live free if not rule over. Satan then says Michael can call on God's name all he wants, but that Satan sought him out and is here to fight.

6. 296 - 417:

Raphael continues to talk about the conflict between Satan and God. Michael and Satan had been arguing, they then stop talking and begin to fight. They are described as “two planets” (6.13): each leading their own constellation, or army. When these two powerful forces meet, Michael chops Satan's sword in half and then slashes his right side. Satan bleeds a “nectarous”(6.32) substance, but his wound quickly heals. Raphael notes that this is the first time Satan has felt pain. His minions quickly transport him back to his chariot, but he is very upset, as he realizes that he may not be as matchless a fighter as he had previously believed. Meanwhile, the battle rages on. Gabriel is fighting Moloch while Uriel, Raphael, and Abdiel all defeat various rebel angels. As the battle continues to turn south for Satan’s crew, they begin to flee. This battle is the first time that these angels have felt pain or fear, which is rather unsettling to them. Night falls, and both armies set up camp, with Satan calling for a meeting of his council.

6. 418 - 45:

In this section Satan is attempting to boost the confidence of his council. The speaker says that they will gain more than they have suffered, that it's not all for loss (ll. 429-45). The speaker goes on to say that the council must prepare with "weapons more violent" (6.439) than before. The speaker seems to be describing his plans for revenge in hopes to boost the council's confidence. Sadly, knowing that one cannot win fighting fire with fire, this could foreshadow Satan and all of Hell's population to continue to suffer eternally.

6. 446 - 50:

In this section, I can no longer tell after reading the story of the rebellion whether it truly is Raphael speaking to Adam anymore or if it is merely merging into the Speaker's voice telling the story (because the story previously mentioned Raphael's name, but perhaps he was speaking in the third person about himself in the battle).

Regardless, this section tells of how Satan, after speaking to his army of rebel angels, sits down as one of his followers stands to speak - one called Nisroch (whose name may mean "eagle" according to the footnotes). Nisroch's name comes from the Assyrian god of agriculture. His status of "Principalities the prime" indicates that he is the leading angel in the fifth-highest celestial class, whose responsibility it is to oversee groups of people and act to guide and educate. As he stands, we are told that he is quite bloody and torn from battle and cloudy of mind as he begins to speak.

6. 451 - 68:

In these lines the rebel angel Nisroch gives a mournful account of pain, as it is something the rebel angels have not yet been subjected to until now. He refers to the battle when stating, “too unequal work we find / Against unequal arms to fight in pain” (6. 453-4). From these lines the reader can understand that only the rebel angels are being subjected to pain and not those who remain on the side of God. The fact that the rebel angels have not felt pain before this time emphasizes the absolute paradise they must have lived in, and furthermore all that they have lost. He goes on to suggest that their efforts are useless because pain has the ability to mute even the greatest strength and power. This exposes the rebel angels’ loss of control over themselves, as they are now at the disposal of pain. Even though I have not read the entire poem, I feel that the rebel angel’s first experience of pain may foreshadow and parallel that of Adam and Eve after the fall.

In his final lines Nisroch, states that anyone who has the ability to either inflict this sort of pain on there enemies, or create a defensive for themselves, is worth deliverance, in his opinion.

6. 469 - 95:

Keeping in mind that Rafael is telling Adam a story, this section is the part of the story that Satan replies to Nisroch who discusses the rebel angels in pain. Satan looks composed, meaning that he is free of emotion and nervousness. There is an obvious shift in his description of heaven, first realistically as "This continent of spacious Heav'n, adornd / With Plant, Fruit, Flour Ambrosial, Gemms & Gold, (6.474-475). Satan does not pretend that Heaven is something else, he states the truth of it positively and using light. He then describes it using negative and dark language: "Deep under ground, materials dark and crude, / Of spiritous and fierie spume, till toucht" (6.478-479). Even if Heaven is beautiful, which he describes it to be, it is still dark and crude. Basically, heaven is not all that it is said to be. Satan reassures his fallen angels when he says: "Effect shall end our wish. Mean while revive; / Abandon fear; to strength and counsel joind / Think nothing hard, much less to be despaird" (6.493-495). He says that there is no reason to be feared and to abandon said fear and turn it into strength and join this councel as there is nothing that will be despaired.

6. 496 - 536:

In this section, Raphael is the speaker throughout. The passage lends itself to further subdivision according to tone and subject, which vary greatly.
The first two lines give the rebellious Angelsí immediate response to Satanís invention of artillery: ìThir languisht hope revivídî (6.497). It is a huge morale boost, especially following Nisrochís desperate plea against the pain owing to their relative impuissance in 6.464-468. Tracking Satanís character, it is yet another display of his pre-eminence in cunning and craft over and above his ranks, which are left in admiration and wonderment. To distil 6.498-500 in other words, ëwhy didnít I think of that?í
Raphaelís next phrases leave the scene of Satanís heavenly plot in order to caution Adam (and perhaps the reader as well) that his progeny are not at all immune from suchlike mischief. In this way, though Adam does not yet know of the wages of sin on a personal level, Raphaelís pointed pointed illustration of ìwar, and mutual slaughterî (6.506) should indicate the perils of disobedience as a potentially ongoing menace: if Adam chooses the way of sin, the consequences will not rest with him but extend to his offspring. Turning to Miltonís timeframe, it seems that the horrors of the English Civil War are still all too real for him, including the prospect of ever-deadlier weaponry.
Lines 508-523 describe Satanís crew at work, turning ìWide the Celestial soilî (6.510) to reveal ìthí originals of Natureî (6.511). It is a poetic, rather than a technical retelling ñ neither Adam nor the reader are granted access to the metallurgic secrets; the products of artful concocting, adjusting, reducing are what stand out: something resembling a cannon with ìBalls / of missive ruinî (6.518-19), propelled by black powder and lit with a fuse of ìincentive reedî (6.519). Granted that Raphael had qualified his overall account ìby likíning spiritual to corporal forms / As may express them bestî (5.573) to ìhuman senseî (5.572), the surprisingly earthy feel of heaven should pique the reader, whether in Miltonís time or ours, to examine our own speciesí technical advancements and our use of geological resources. The Biblical precedent is Cainís descendant, ìTubal-cain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and ironî (Gen. 4:22) ñ where exactly he got his knowledge is left unstated.
Finally, the action shifts back to Godís ìVictor Angelsî (6.525) who discover Satanís forces preparing again for battle. The last two lines, 6.535-6, lead into the alarm cry sounded by the swift Cherubim, Zophiel.

6. 537 - 46:

6. 547 - 57:

In lines 547-557, the speaker is describing how Zophiel just finished warning the other angels of Satan’s return to battle. Hearing the news of Satan’s return, the angels “took alarm / And onward move Embattl’d” (6.549-550). In the distance, the angels are able to see the enemy advancing towards them “with shadowing Squadrons Deep / To hide the fraud” (6.554-555). After a moment, the angels are able to see Satan and the lines end with him commanding.

6. 558 - 67:

In lines 558-67, Satan is speaking, and commanding his army. He tells his army to divide. Satan wants the angels that hate him to see that he only wants peace and agreement. Satan says, "and with open breast / Stand ready to receive them" (6.560-61). If the other angels want to switch sides Satan will receive them with open arms. He thinks that his gesture of peace will not be enough to sway any of the angels, and calls God's hosts 'perverse'. Satan wants all of heaven to witness the ideas he has brought forth, compared to the mystery of God's plans. Satan says, "while we discharge / Freely our part" (6.564-65). By using the word "freely" Satan brings up the issue of blind obedience with the context that in his army the angels know his end game, and have a choice to follow him or return to God. To finish his speech, Satan orders the angel that is in charge of God's army to tell his soldiers his proposal.

Since this is Raphael retelling this event to Adam, maybe Adam is supposed to realize that Satan will always try to twist things to make himself look good. Satan does not want peace unless he is in heaven and has everything the way he wants.

6. 568 - 608:

6. 609 - 19:

In this section Satan has just dismantled Heaven’s battalion with his cannons of thunder. However, rather than advancing to completely obliterate the “Victors” he ceases his assault in order to hold a derision (in other words to subject the Angelic army to mocking ridicule) [610]. Satan begins his taunt with a rhetorical, but deeply sarcastic, question: “O Friends, why come not on these Victors proud?” the obvious answer is because his fiendish army has just blasted them “into strange vagaries” [609, 614].

What are vagaries though? It is important not to confuse the multiple meanings of the word. Milton did not mean that the blast was so powerful that it expelled the Angels to such a length that they experienced “a wandering or devious journey” before the end of their fall [OED: vagary]. Instead Milton used the definition of vagary that is defined as “A departure or straying from the ordered, regular, or usual course of conduct, decorum, or propriety; a frolic or prank, esp. one of a freakish nature” [OED: vagary].

As a result of this definition the picture of the first round of the war in Heaven takes a different spin, at least in my imagination. Satan’s thunderous blast did not render the Angels into such a stupor that they were physically unable to advance on the devilish foe. Instead quite the contrary seems more plausible; Satan’s dismantling of the Angelic hosts delivered them into a state of wild frenzy. The passage describes their frenzied dance as “Somewhat extravagant and wild” [616].

Satan finishes his derision by saying that due to the superiority of his army and their recent victory perhaps he will present the “proposals once again” but this time garnering a more favorable result from Heaven so they save themselves from so magnificent an infantry [618].

Even though I understood the text this section left me asking the following questions: Why would Satan stop for this derision, if not for the rewards of a just war? Is Satan then an advocate for Justice? Whether it be for the sake of his glory or God’s, is the definition of Justice not the same across the board?

6. 620 - 7:

In this passage, Belial is speaking to Satan (Leader), he's agreeing with Satan and carrying on the jeering that Satan started. In my mind they're cocky think that they have beaten the other angels without much trouble. The last line of the passage: "They shew us when our foes walk not upright" made me wonder if they had some sort of ability to find their foes' weaknesses so that they can exploit them. It feels to me like Belial is being boastful and feeling triumphant and maybe a little dismissive.

6. 628 - 79:

The speaker is these lines is once again Raphael. These lines are a part of a battle in Heaven.

Both sides are intensely fighting the battle. In line 5.634 the two armies start to throw mountains at one another. A lot of things such as thunder also get brought in and thrown towards Satan and his allies. The angels are quite violent in the military/war pursuits against Satan in this passage, as they try to keep their ground.

In 5.643-646 the angels are fighting with sustaining Heaven. God's angels have a lot more resources and power then Satan and the fallen angels have. In this passage near the end the Mesiah starts to end the war. God has sent for his son to come down and end the battle.

The fighting that is happening in the battle is an epic confrontation. It is not really a heroic battle in this case. The goal of the battle is very objective and dependent on the different sides and what they are trying to obtain by being victorious in their pursuits.

In and around line 5.659 the reader is presented with a description of God's angels true motives. It describes the place where they wish to send Satan. It is not specifically called Hell but from the description one can tell that that is very much the sort of place. Given the description it sounds like in earlier passages the threats of making Hell worse than it already is, are going to be fulfilled by Satan's refusal to leave voluntarily and by engaging in a war. In this section of the poem, specifically in lines 5.659-660 one can be assured of the characters as Satan and the Fallen angels that are being willed to hell because they are "Spirits of purest light, / Purest at first, now gross by sinning grown". Here we can see how they are fighting essentially against those whom at one time were allies. Now due to sin and due to following Satan in his course of evil have become soiled and tainted and have fallen from the Heavenly place of virtue to a place so bad as Hell is.

In line 5.669 as noted in the foot notes is a resemblance to Hesiods story. This is not a story that I was the most familiar with although having some knowledge of it, it did seem to fit well into the passage.

6. 680 - 718:

In this passage Raphael is recounting what God says to his son during the war in Heaven. God reviews the last couple of days stating that the fight has been difficult for the angel Michael and his army since the fallen angels are equals in all aspects except for their sins. God then asks his son to end the war so that "all may know / in Heav'n and Hell [that his] Power [is] above compare" (6.704-5); driving the rebel angels into hell would allow God's son to manifest his worthiness as the heir to Heaven.

The line "none but Thou / can end it" (6.702-3) is peculiar because one would assume God, being all powerful, would be able to end the conflict whenever he wished. Assuming that he could, we can take the meaning past a literal sense and assume that God believes it is necessary for the son to be the factor which ends the war. God does believe that the son needs to prove his worthiness as an heir. The concept raises further questions: why would the angels in Heaven question God's decision to place his son as the heir? All the angels who would question/oppose the decision have already joined Satan's side, so why would God not simply end the war himself?

6. 719 - 22:

Raphael says that the sun's rays shone directly on the father's son. By saying "he all his Father full exprest", it is similar to Hebrews 1:3a where it says about Jesus that he is "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word". So the passage could be explaining metaphorically how God's power and authority shines through his son, where his son is therefore a complete representation and expression of his being and of his character.

6. 723 - 45:

In this passage, the son agrees to do as God asks and drive the rebel angels out of Heaven. The son states "declar'st thy will / fulfill'd, which to fulfill is all my bliss" (6. 728-9) and says that he shall always do whatever God asks. The son tells God that "whom thou hat'st, I hate, and can put on / thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on" (6. 734-5) and as such he will go forth to rid Heaven of the disloyal angels. He then refers to Satan as "th'undying Worm" (6. 739) and criticises Satan's disobedience as obeying God "is happiness entire" (6. 741). While Satan and the other rebel angels are dismissing God, the son assures that the pure will remain loyal to God and will rejoice after the faithless are banished.

6. 746 - 800:

In this passage, the Son rises with the sun — on the dawning of the third morning of battle, the Son of god goes forth on a great chariot, inspired by the vision of Ezekiel, flaming, rife with precious stones, and moving on pure spirit, ‘wheel[s] within wheel[s]’ [6.750-9]. So great is his divine power that he restores the heavenly battlefield to its former beauty, but the rebel forces refuse to give in and rally once more. The narrator questions how such spirits, former denizens of heaven, could be so foolish as to not quail before the might of the Divine. In the next line [791] the narrator offers an explanation: the rebel angels recognize the sight as awe-inspiring and of great power, but rather than being cowed, they covet it, and draw strength from their envy and their wish to be in that position. Spurned by this decidedly impious motivation, they face their foes again, as the Son speaks to his own forces.

The passage highlights once more how the discontent among Satan’s forces rallies them and spurs them onward, just as Satan himself believed his ‘merit’ to be offended when he was fell. It’s also a passage, however, that uses pagan and mythological elements to enhance the godliness of the Son, rather than the perverseness of the devil. Milton uses the goddess Victory, or Nike, as a consort of the Son [762-3], and he carries a bow and quiver of thunderbolts [763-4], which evoke images of Jupiter or Zeus.

6. 801 - 23:

In these lines the son of God is speaking as he tells the angels to stop fighting as the fallen angels can truly direct their rage at him. He praises them for their fighting, but tells them that it is his fight since he has been chosen to bring their demise. He does not tell them to return to Heaven however, instead wanting them to watch as he brings down Satan's army, saying "stand only and behold / God's indignation on these Godless pour'd / By mee" (6.810-812). Also he claims that "Vengeance is his, or whose he sole appoints" (6.808) which is an idea that comes up often in the Bible. Building off of this, it makes me wonder why the angels were fighting if the only one who could beat them was the son of God? This could be to allow Satan's army to feel pain for the first time, and for a few days of fighting, to give them a taste of what was to come when they fell to Hell. Satan's army is also referred to as cursed, which makes sense as God has decided they were to be taken down by his son the entire time. In the Bible, God says that he will be the one to take vengeance on those that have done wrong, and encourages those who feel they have been wronged to let him handle it. When it all boils down, Satan does dislike the angels because they follow God, but his anger really lies with God so this is a valid reason to let the Son handle this instead of continuing the fight with the angels.

6. 824 - 912:

This passage starts with the Son very angrily going into battle against Satan and his forces. The Son only throws thunderbolts at them once and they all give up on fighting against him. The fallen are then chased out of Heaven while Raphael describes them as a flock of goats being led out. At the sight of the emptiness on the other side of the wall, the fallen step back but when they think about who is chasing them they decide to jump in it. Rafael then describes their nine day fall from Heaven and how they disrupt Chaos and leave him in ruins finally ending with them being swallowed up by Hell and trapped inside.

Afterwards all the angels in Heaven cheer and celebrate the Son's victory. This is the first time that the Son has really proven himself to the angels that he is worthy of being their leader. Rafael then comes back to the present by telling Adam that this is the whole story and to watch out for Satan as well as to pass God's message on to Eve.