God Almighty is the supreme and mighty power who created Paradise (According to Christian, Paradise lies within the rivers Euphrates and Tigris) and made humans live in the serene and calm atmosphere where they are allowed to do whatever they want except the forbidden fruit. Satan provoked the humans to eat the forbidden fruit. Consequently, humans were banished from the heaven and sent to the planet earth where they are put to test and then shall be awarded with either the blessings of heaven or unthinkable punishments in hell on account of good and evil doings on the earth.
Just a quick Sidenote: Heaven and Paradise are not synonyms to each other. Heaven is the place above the earth while Paradise is the blessing and peaceful place, created by God Almighty.
What Happened? (In Christian's Belief)
Satan was an
eloquent speaker of heaven. His speeches
would last from hours to months but other living beings, including angels, would
listen to them with great esteem. That is how he increased his followers and
they would believe in everything spoken in favour of God or against Him.
Christians believe angels overheard God's plan of creating another living being
from the mud and dust; to honour these newly created creatures with being (God
forbids) God's sons and rewarded with Paradise. This infuriated Satan and his
excessive pride mocked him to be equal and worthy enough to replace himself God
from His seat. He razed a war, along with his thousands of followers against the
God and immediately won defeat and he, along with his friends was thrown in
hell. But God Almighty gave him another chance to be virtuous but he declared
that he would betray humans till The Day of Judgement.
Commentary of Andrew Marvell on Paradise Lost
Andrew Marvell was a metaphysical poet, a member of the Commonwealth of England and Milton's fast friend. He had some misconceptions regarding Milton's Paradise Lost. He wondered how the blind poet (Milton) unfolded the vast design of God, the universe, The Messiah, Rebelling Angels, Forbidden Tree, Heaven, Hell, Earth and Chaos. As soon as he heard about Milton's project of such a vast setting, he thought he is digging his grave through the verse he has accomplished, just like the mighty Samson was killed through his own device of power. Samson (In Greek Mythology) was bestowed with an unmatched power and he could slay a lion with his one hand while destroying an army with jawbone of a donkey. But his power was stored in his long hair. As soon as his enemies of Philistine came to know about the source of his power, they betrayed him with his beloved Delilah, who cut his long hair down and on the loss of his strength, his eyes were gouged out. Grieve stricken, he prayed to God in a temple and miraculously, his lost strength was recovered. Excitingly, he gripped the temple's pillar with much strength that it fell upon him and killed him. (Andrew doubted if Milton would kill himself through his over-tired work and skill)
As soon as Andrew read Milton's work, his severe attitude and doubled slowly began to fade away but he still feared the success of Milton on this "less travelled road". Andrew admits that Milton has put the hard work of countless hours in his project which makes the whole creation's day to be presented as a play. He requests pardon from the Mighty Poet for misjudging him. He is convinced that no other poet or prose writer would dare to proclaim any part of Milton's composition to be written by them and there is nothing left, every major and minor detail is studded in its right place. So there is no room left for other writers. What makes the commoners horrified, Milton sings it perfectly. Then he questions Milton where is his chest of compassing vocabulary and vast experience hidden? He admires the Mighty Poet and entitles him Tiresias, who was blind by eyes but he was blessed with the divine knowledge of prophecy.
Milton versed his Paradise Lost in Blank Verse and this might, according to Andrew, offend his readers, who are much likely attracted through musical 'ostentation' of poetry, just like the poetry of Town-Bayes (A title for Dryden), which is equally renowned among the poets and people. But Milton's poetry covers a sublime theme, which is far weighty in number and measure than those of Dryden so "needs no rhyme".
Invocation
Just like Spenser invoked Muses to fill his blinding eyes with the histories of knights, kings and queens to portray them in his romantic epic, John Milton also invokes the Muse (Greek Goddess of Poetry) to allow him to present the story and reality behind the Man's first disobedience of eating the forbidden fruit, which brought great afflictions, including death to Man. He pleads to the Muse through giving the illusions of the mountains, Oreb and Siani (کوہ طور و سینا) and the shepherd, Moses who asked God to show His majesty. Milton is going to present what was not accomplished before in prose and writing. He, then, requests The Holy Spirit (a part of the Christian Trinity, along with God Almighty and Jesus Christ), who lives in the pure heart rather than in temples, churches and mosques, to instruct the blind poet to "justify the ways of God to men. "
He also requests the Holy Spirit to reveal the chief cause behind the expel of our ancestors from Paradise to Earth. It was Satan in the garb of a snake which seduced the Mother of Mankind (Eve) to eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge. With his end of snatching the seat of the eternal sovereign through his rebellious legions. But he had to suffer from eternal wrath and defeat for his gravest sin. Consequently, wrapped in fire, they were condemned to hell. It took them continuous nine days and nights to land in the fiery hell. To put it in perspective, and through some matriculation physical calculations, the instance from heaven to hell counts in 777.6 km. (Formula used: S = vt)
Spectacle of Hell
The Seraphim (the highest level of angels in Christianity) Satan moved his sorrowful eyes around him and wherever his vision reached, "No light rather darkness visible". It was a vast underground prison without peace, comfort and no signs of hope. An immense flood of fire raged through the "Sulphur unconsumed". The Hell was situated at the lowerest part of the chaos and distanced three times from the distance of North Pole. Satan's assistant and god of the mischief, of Palestine, Beelzebub addressed the great adversary of God and broke the horrible silence of hell.
Satan's First Speech
Satan addresses his companion and speaks about his assistant's dimmed glory on account of the flame which wrapped them and forwarded them to the sphere of fire. Satan doubts his presence there as Beelzebub was in the good book of God Almighty. (In Christian Demonology, each Prince of Mischief is represented for a sin in Seven Deadly Sins, for example, Satan for hatred, Beelzebub for gluttony and Lucifer for pride) Satan questions his attendant that can he recall the distance from where they have fallen into that pit of chaos? Through their revolt against the God, they came to know about His actual power, the thunder and wrath. Satan is not sad for what they have lost and what other punishments can be inflicted by the Victor (God), his brightness is dimmed but he will never quit his soul motive behind the unholy great event when he amassed thousand legions to fight against the eternal Sovereign. Who (God forbids) assembled against His tyranny, choose Satan their leader and shook the Mighty Throne. He asserts they have neither lost everything, nor their core purpose which is burning like the fire of that very sphere. They still possess the courage and power to stand against Him. God Almighty's vengeance cannot rob him of Satan's identity. Satan considers the power of fate is greater than the power of God as his eternal fate and never perished might enabled him to shake the throne by his arm. (استغفراللہ) Satan exclaims that he and his fellows are far advance in wisdom than God Almighty, yet they are inferior in physical strength to Him. They can resolve again and defeat the Unchallenged Tyrant of Heaven through force or through a knavish policy. Although the Fallen Angel spoke with vanity but there was an element of despair in his speech.
Beelzebub's Reply to the First Speech of Satan
Beelzebub calls Satan, "O Prince, O chief of many Thronged Powers!", (according to Beelzebub, Satan possessed some collective traits of level three angels, formally known as Thrones), who enforced a battle against the eternal Sovereign to test His authority was due to Chance or Fate. He mourns the defeat, they have been removed from Heaven for good. He quotes that if their mental and physical health is left to endure the fatal punishment of God in hell as He might make them work like His captive servants.
Satan's second speech
Satan replies Beelzebub's logical view that their weakness may suffer them more but it shall never be their intension to perform acts of goodness. They will keep doing such mal-practices until (God forbids) they make Allah Almighty sorrowful of their ex-communication to hell, to end His efforts to spread Goodness.
Satan speaks to his rebel angels who are tossed in the fiery lake of hell. Satan opens his foul mouth against God, asking to glance at the tools of God (vengeance and pursuit) He utilized to send them hell, along with thunder and flame. The tempest which God inflicted upon them has exhausted. Satan provokes his fallen angels to make the most of the opportunity to wax God Almighty and His men with "reinforcement of Hope or resolution of despair".
Appearance of Satan
Satan's immense body is compared with a monster of the sea from Mythology, Leviathan, whose head was so large that a sailor took it for an island. When Satan came out of Hell, it looked as if he had filled the sphere with his body.
Satan's Third Speech
The lost Archangel questions Beelzebub that this fiery place should be called their Heaven? Let it be like so, it is better for them to love far away from God. Then he backs from his previous proclamation and says that he and God are equal in mental power. God has won over them through His force. Satan bids a farewell to the happy fields of Heaven and asks Hell to accept its new monarch. "The mind is its own place, and it itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven"
He quotes the freedom of Hell than servitude of Heaven; it is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. He again summons his fellow angels and says that they should not lie who took equal part in this Unholy War and enjoy the relishes of Hell. Beelzebub replies respecting him with the title "Leader of these arms bright", these unconscious angels will wake up after hearing the voice who proved hopeful in hard hours as they laid without senses as they were cast off from the unmeasured height.
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