Paradise Lost Book 1 : Summary

Summary

Part One (Satan’s Fall and the Beginning of Milton’s Mission): At the beginning of Paradise Lost, Milton calls upon the Heavenly Muse, a divine spirit, to inspire him. He wants to tell the story of humanity’s first sin: Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit. It brought death, suffering, and the loss of Eden. His goal is to justify the ways of God to humans by showing both God’s justice and mercy.

Next, Milton asks: Why did Adam and Eve fall from grace? Who tricked them? He points to Satan, the serpent. He is driven by jealousy and a desire for revenge.

Milton then describes Satan’s rise and fall. Satan was once a high angel in Heaven. But his pride led him to rebel against God. He gathered many followers and fought a terrible war against heaven’s armies. They were defeated and thrown into Hell.

In Hell, Satan awakens in eternal dark suffering. It is a place where flames burn without light, hope is gone, and peace doesn’t exist. Yet Satan refuses to repent. He rises, rallying the fallen angels and naming Beelzebub his closest friend.

In a bold speech to Beelzebub, Satan remembers their glory in Heaven. He rejects begging God’s mercy and instead promises to continue resistance. Beelzebub responds with respect. He acknowledges Satan’s spirit but also fears their condition. He is afraid that God left them alive to suffer or to serve some purpose in Hell.

Part Two (Satan’s Plan: Reign in Hell and Resist Good): Satan speaks to his closest friend, Beelzebub. He says that being weak is painful. From now on, they will never do well. Their only goal is to do evil because that is the opposite of God’s will. If God tries to bring good from their evil, they will try to stop it. They will try to turn every good thing into evil.

Satan notices that the storms and lightning from Heaven have stopped. So now is the right time to act. He sees a dark and empty plain, full of fire and smoke. He suggests they move there and rest. Then, they can gather their fallen friends and plan how to fight back against God. If they cannot win, they will try to tolerate their suffering.

Satan lifts his head from the burning lake. His body is tremendous, like a giant from myths. He is so large that a sailor might mistake him for an island. He lies in the burning fire. But he can now move because God has allowed it. God wants Satan to continue in his evil. It will make his punishment worse.

Satan rises from the fire. The flames pull back to make space for him. He flies through the heavy air and lands on burning ground. His friend follows him. They feel proud. They think they escaped the fire by their strength, not by God’s permission.

Satan then looks around Hell. He says this is their new home. Even though it is dark and full of horror, they will rule here. He says, “It is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven.” He also says that the mind can make Hell feel like Heaven and Heaven feel like Hell.

Then he asks: Why should they leave their fellow fallen angels in the lake? They should call them to rise and join them to try to fight back or face their full punishment together.

Beelzebub agrees. He says their voice will give the fallen angels hope and strength again.

Then Satan walks to the shore of the lake. His shield is vast like the moon, and his spear is taller than any tree. He walks slowly on the burning ground. When he reaches the edge, he calls out loudly to his fellow rebel angels. He tells them to wake up and rise. They should not lie there in shame. Heaven’s army may return and destroy them entirely if they stay weak. So, they must rise and prepare.

Part Three (The Fallen Angels Awake): Satan’s call wakes up the fallen angels. They were lying weak and ashamed in the burning lake. Like fearful soldiers, they quickly rise and fly. They are still in pain but obey Satan’s voice. Their number is vast, like locusts darkening Egypt or northern tribes rushing into Europe.

When Satan waves his spear, all the fallen angels land on the burning plain. Their number is so large, it’s comparable to storms of barbarians. They gather around Satan, their leader. These angels once sat on thrones in Heaven. But now their names are erased from God’s records.

These same fallen angels later became false gods on Earth. They fooled humans into worshipping them as idols. Some were worshipped with gold and grand temples. Others demanded human sacrifices. Satan lists many of these false gods,Moloch, Chemosh, Baal, Asherah, Astarte, Tammuz, Dagon, Rimmon, and Belial.

Moloch wanted children to be burned alive.

Chemosh and Baalim tricked people into lustful, sinful worship.

Astarte was praised by women under the moonlight.

Thammuz was mourned every year like a love story.

Dagon was a half-fish god who fell before God’s power.

Rimmon ruled Damascus and replaced God’s altar with his.

Belial was lazy, evil, and loved sin for no reason.

More gods came from Egypt and Greece, such as Osiris, Isis, and the Titans, as well as Saturn and Jupiter. They had monstrous shapes and led people far from God.

Even though the angels were ashamed, they felt a little joy seeing Satan still intense. Satan hides his sadness and gives a proud speech. He orders a banner to be raised. A mighty angel named Azazel lifts it high. It shines like a meteor with golden light. It makes the devils cheer loudly. Their cry shakes all of Hell.

Thousands of banners rise. Spears, helmets, and shields fill the plain. Music plays flutes and soft sounds, not angry war drums. It gives them courage and peace. The whole army moves forward in silence, proud and ready.

They stand like ancient warriors, waiting for Satan’s command. Satan looks at them and feels a sense of pride. He compares his army to all great armies in history. Even more powerful than any human army or mythical battle.

Satan stands tall like a tower. He still looks like an angel. His face shows pain, pride, and leadership. He feels sorry for his followers.

At last, Satan prepares to speak. The army silently gathers around him. He tries to say it three times, but cries instead. Finally, he speaks with deep emotion.

Part Four (Satan’s Speech and the Building of Pandemonium: Preparing for War): Satan gives a powerful speech to encourage the fallen angels. He says their fight against God was brave, even though they lost. He reminds them they were strong and united. No one could guess they would be defeated. He still believes they can rise again and return to Heaven.

Satan blames their failure on not knowing God’s full power. He says God seemed peaceful, so they launched an attack. But now they understand God’s strength and their own. He suggests a new plan to use tricks and lies instead of war. If force fails, maybe fraud will win.

He talks about a new world that God might create. It may be filled with new beings. Satan wants to visit or attack that world. He says they must never give up. They will either find a way to fight again or destroy this new creation. He ends the speech by saying war is their only option, either open or secret.

Suddenly, millions of devils draw their swords. Hell shines with fire. They shout in anger and beat their shields, ready for war.

Nearby, there is a burning hill full of metals. A group of devils, led by Mammon, rush there to dig for gold. Mammon only cares about riches. Even in Heaven, he looked down instead of up. He teaches men to dig for gold, too.

The devils quickly built a vast palace from the gold. It is shiny, rich, and beautiful, like a temple. This is called Pandemonium, the capital of Hell. It is more glorious than any human building, even the cities of Egypt or Babylon. The palace rises magically from the ground, full of light and music.

The fallen angels crowd into the palace. They shrink themselves to tiny forms to fit inside. Some angels remain in their large shapes. They are sitting on golden thrones.

Then, a formal meeting is called. Trumpets sound. All the leaders gather to discuss their next plan. The great council of war begins.

English Plot Summary: At the beginning of Paradise Lost, the poet John Milton asks for help from the holy spirit to tell the story of the first sin in the world. This sin was when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. As a result, they lost their happy life. It also brought suffering and death to humans. Milton’s goal is to explain God’s justice and mercy through this story.

Next, Milton tells us about Satan. Satan was once a great angel in Heaven. But he became proud and wanted to be like God. Because of his pride, he led a rebellion against God, accompanied by many angels. They fought a terrible war in Heaven but were defeated. As punishment, God threw them out of Heaven into Hell.

In Hell, Satan wakes up in a place full of darkness and fire. It is a terrible and hopeless place. But Satan does not feel sorry or ask for forgiveness. Instead, he stands up and calls his fallen angels to join him. He chooses Beelzebub as his closest friend. Satan remembers how powerful they were in Heaven. Beelzebub respects Satan. But they worry about their fate. They wonder if God has left them alive for some purpose.

Satan then talks with Beelzebub about their future. They decide that they will never do good again. Their goal will be to do evil because it opposes God. Satan sees that the storms from Heaven have stopped. So now is the right time to act. He looks around Hell. And says that even though it is a horrible place, they will rule there. He believes it is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. Satan calls his fellow fallen angels. They are lying weak in the burning lake. Beelzebub agrees and says their voices will give hope.

When Satan calls, the fallen angels wake up and rise from the lake. They are still hurt, but they obey him. Their numbers are vast, like great armies or swarms of locusts. They gather around Satan on the burning plain. These angels once ruled in Heaven. But now their names are erased. Later, humans will worship some of these fallen angels as false gods, such as Moloch, Chemosh, Baal, and others. The fallen angels feel shame. But they are happy to see Satan strong and proud. Satan gives a speech to encourage them and orders a banner to be raised. The angels cheer and prepare for war with weapons and music. They stand proud and ready for Satan’s command. Satan feels sad for their fall but also proud of their loyalty.

Finally, Satan gives a powerful speech to inspire the fallen angels. He says their fight against God was brave, even though they lost. He explains that they did not understand God’s full power when they attacked. Now they realize how strong God is and how strong they are. Satan suggests a new plan. Instead of fighting with force, they will try to trick God and use lies. He discusses that God might create new beings. Satan wants to visit or attack that world to continue the fight. He tells the angels that war is their only choice, whether open or secret.

Suddenly, millions of devils draw their swords and fill Hell with fire. Nearby, they find a burning hill with metals. They dig gold and build a vast, beautiful palace called Pandemonium. This palace is full of light and music. It is more magnificent than any human city. The fallen angels shrink themselves to a small size to enter the palace. Some keep their large forms. Then, trumpets sound to call all the leaders to a meeting. They come together to plan their next move in the great council of war.