Poetry Tuesday: Paradise Lost — Book: II --The Council in Hell
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Paradise
The fallen angels gather in Pandemonium to decide their next move against Heaven.
Last week we began our journey through John Milton’s Paradise Lost with Book I: The Ruin of Pride.
Satan and the rebel angels lay stunned in the burning lake after their defeat by God. But Satan rose, rallied his followers, and led them to build their new capital — Pandemonium, the great hall of Hell.
Now, in Book II, the leaders of the rebellion gather for a council.
The question before them is simple:
What shall they do next?
A Council of Dark Counsel in Hell
Milton gives us one of the most striking scenes in English poetry: the Parliament of Hell. The great fallen angels speak one by one, each proposing a different strategy.
Some urge renewed war against Heaven.
Others argue for patience and survival.
Still others suggest corrupting God’s new creation if such a creation can be found.
Milton’s brilliance here is remarkable. Each speech reflects a different form of evil — pride, despair, cunning, hatred. Hell is not merely chaos; it is organized rebellion.
Moloch: War Without Hope
The first to speak is Moloch, fierce and reckless.
He urges immediate war against Heaven again, even though defeat seems certain.
Milton writes:
“My sentence is for open war.”
Better, Moloch says, to perish in battle than endure the slow misery of Hell.
His speech reveals the spirit of destructive rage — the kind of evil that prefers ruin to submission.
Belial: Smooth Words and Moral Weakness
Next comes Belial, elegant and persuasive.
He argues against war, not out of loyalty to God but out of fear and comfort. Better, he says, to remain where they are than risk worse punishment.
Milton describes Belial beautifully:
“In act more graceful and humane;A fairer person lost not Heaven.”
Yet behind the beauty lies soft corruption — the evil that dresses cowardice in noble language.
Mammon: The Spirit of Materialism
He proposes that Hell should build its own kingdom rather than fight Heaven.
Instead of longing for God, they should mine the riches of Hell and create their own civilization.
It is the spirit of materialism — the belief that wealth and industry can replace the presence of God.
Beelzebub: The Hidden Plan
Finally Beelzebub, Satan’s closest ally, rises to speak.
He introduces a new and dangerous idea.
Rumor has reached Hell that God intends to create a new world and a new race of beings.
If they cannot defeat Heaven directly, perhaps they can corrupt this new creation.
Milton writes:
“Thither let us bend all our thoughts.”
The council agrees.
Someone must undertake the perilous journey through Chaos to find this new world.
Satan Volunteers
At last, Satan himself rises.
He volunteers for the mission.
Milton describes the moment with great power. The fallen angels admire his courage, though we see the deeper truth — Satan’s pride will not allow him to remain idle.
He will go.
He will cross the dark abyss between Hell and the new creation.
And there, in that new world, the great drama of temptation will begin.
Why This Book Matters
Book II shows us something profound.
Evil is rarely simple.
Milton portrays it as argumentative, persuasive, and strategic. The speeches in Pandemonium sound almost like political debates — and that is part of Milton’s warning.
Sin often appears reasonable.
It may speak with courage, elegance, or practicality.
But behind every speech in this council lies the same root: refusal to submit to God.
Where We Go Next
At the end of Book II, Satan sets out alone across Chaos, the dark wilderness between Hell and the created universe.
Next week we will follow him into that terrible journey.
And soon we will arrive at the moment when Satan first beholds the new world — and the garden called Eden.
The great conflict is moving toward mankind.
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