Milton’s conception of Hell in ‘Paradise Lost’
Of all the narrative passages in Paradise Lost, Book-I , John Milton’s description of Hell stands out unique by virtue of its graphics pictorial quality and its evocation of a sense of gloomy terror. Milton presents Hell as a place designed for the eternal punishment of the fallen angels. Hell is a place for removed from the celestial seat of bliss. It is situated in the nethermost depth of abyss, and it takes nine days and nights to fall into this dreadful pit from heaven. Hell is an assemblage of all the arbitration human emotions – pains, despair, envy, restlessness, heartlessness, heartburn etc. It is the ‘infernal world’ of horrors, the place of never-ending torture. Milton’s conception of hell is revealed in different ways, sometimes by his direct description and sometimes by Satan’s speeches to his fellow-criminals.
Hell, a fiery lake: Milton gives a fairly detailed description of Hell in the opening scene of ‘Paradise Lost, Book-1’.Satan and the other rebel angels were thrown from the eternal sky to bottomless perdition where they were bound by adamantine chains and penal fire. Here they are seen lying in a semi-conscious state, on the fiery lake of Hell for nine days. Satan is the first to recover from this stupor. While Satan surveys Hell as far as he can see and observe, he finds it a vast, gloomy and dreary region. It is like a huge underground prison house terrible to behold.
Casting his sorrowful eyes around the Hell, he sees that it is horrible dungeon (prison) surrounded by fire on all sides, like one great furnace (oven).
The Essay on Paradise Lost John Miltons Satan Hero Or Not
Throughout time, John Miltons Paradise Lost has been studied by many people and comprehended in many different fashions, developing all kinds of new interpretations of the great epic. There have been many different interpretations of this great epic. Miltons purpose in writing the epic was to explain the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Although the epic is similar to the Bible story in many ways, ...
Yet from the burning flames comes no light. The flames give out just as much light as is needed to make the “darkness visible”. There is a famous medieval notion that the flames of Hell give no light, because the damned or the sinners are deprived from the sight of God, who is the form of light. It is a place where fire exists without light and darkness is almost tangible and this darkness itself reveals the sight of misery. This scene of barren desolation is thus described by Milton –
“A Dungeon horrible on all rides round,
Serves only to discover sights of woe ….”
Here is sinister wilderness, ‘a dismal situation waste and wild’.
Hell is a lake of ever burning sulfur, a flood of fire, which constantly overwhelms and engulfs the victims imprisoned in this dreadful gloom. Such a place, encapsulated by utter darkness has been designed by God for the fallen angels as a mark of punishment for their foul revolt. The ‘floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire’ make it most torrid clime. It is all wrapped up in smoke and foul smell. Like a volcano it blasts vapor and blown off rocks. Here is the burnt surface at the bottom. The lakes of ever burning fire are, thus, one part of the Hell only. On another half of this terrible dungeon lays an open space, a vast tract of solid ground of ‘burning marl’.
Never-ending torture: Hell is a region of sorrow and misery, helplessness and eternal torment. Peace, rest, hope and calm, that which make life enjoyable and worth living, one completely absent in Hell. There are only never ending torture. This is a place of perfect perdition where to exist is to experience the worst death in a deathless world. A look at Hell reveals:
“Regions of sorrow, doleful shades where peace
And rest can never dwelt, hopes never comes
That comes to all, but fortune without end”.
The hopelessness of Hell: Another Significant feature to note is the hopelessness of Hell. Man can partly bear his pains and sufferings. Because he has an optimistic view that it will end sometime. But the complete hopelessness or frustration creates an inner disintegration. The fallen angels, who have brought Hell upon themselves, have no least hope, to get rid of from this ever damnation. So, they have to face it for eternity.
The Essay on Sinful Souls Heaven Hell Place
What is Hell? What is Heaven? Where does a person who commits a heinous sin go? Where does a person who did legitimate things and prays all his life go? This is what distinguishes hell and heaven. Hell is to people, what school is to students, a place where souls of all morals, good or bad, were consigned after death. This is the place of punishment of Satan and the other fallen angels and of all ...
Hell, a Universe of death: The devils, indeed, find the whole Hell to be a universe of death. It is a place of living death, because God is the source of life. As these angels have rejected God, so they must experience a living death. God has created Hell as a place of evil, a place where evil is only good. Here all the living beings die, and all the dead beings live.
Hell, a part of the realm of Chaos: From Satan’s talk we learnt that Hell is originally a part of Chaos. Essentially, Chaos is a region of disorder, uncertainty and darkness. It is opposed to the order, certainty and light of Heaven. As Hell is originally a part of empire of Chaos, we have to imagine it as being situated below Heaven. In fact, Hell is situated even below Chaos. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Hell is situated at the center of the earth but in Milton it is in the lowest depths of Chaos.
Fit place for the fallen Angels: Hell is a place which is really fit to be the abode (house) of the angels who had revolted against God and against goodness and who even now are not feeling repent of their folly. As these fallen angels are feeling no remorse at all, their suffering and misery have to be endless.
Sin and Death, key to Hell: The figures of Sin and Death are essential ingredient (part) in Hell. The key of the gates of Hell is in the keeping of Sin. But Sin, being the Satan’s daughter, must disobey the Divine’s command. As Hell is a region of horrors and terrors the presence of Sin and Death accords well with the atmosphere of this place.
Subjective and objective: Milton’s Hell is described partly as the readers might see it and partly through Satan’s eye. The objective and subjective torments of Hell are thus mingled. We view Hell and also experience it from the point of view of Satan who is to dwell in it forever.
Two-fold Hell: No doubt Milton’s object in describing Hell is two-fold: Firstly, to indicate the fallen angels’ torments which they will now have to tolerate in contrast to the bliss and joy of Heaven which they have lost forever; secondly, to infuse (impart) a feeling of horror in the minds of readers. Milton does not make Hell formless, even though he doesn’t indicate its size or degree of heat. The modern reader, with his scientific background and scientific notions, may not feel as horrified by these descriptions as reader of Milton’s time have felt. But even the modern reader has to recognize not only the graphic quality of description, but also its oppressive and overwhelming effect.
The Essay on Justice Not Death
I, Judge Brady, am sentencing Paula Pretty to a life in prison with no possibility of parole for the murder of a 16 year old female. My decision to oppose the death penalty is based on moral, practical, as well as constitutional grounds. I realize that many of my voters do not support me in my decision, however, I cannot go against my strong belief of a persons right to life. My job as a judge is ...
Summing up our discussion, it can be said that, undoubtedly Milton gives a vivid and effective picture of Hell in The Book-1 of Paradise Lost. Milton’s graphic description of Hell intensifies the tragic intensity and overwhelming effect. Hell is the concrete world for the abstract idea. It is the opposite of Heaven but ‘mind is its own place’ for Satan who is even ready to brave the hell.
It is a hopeless dungeon (jail) where all activity is inspired by the aim of warring (marital) against Omnipotence.
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