Summary:
Analyzes the second book of Paradise Lost, by John Milton. Compares Moloch, demon warrior, to Belial, the sarcastic demon. Contrasts each demon's philosophy and argument before the Council.
The Second Book of Paradise Lost, by John Milton, opens at the Council of War amongst the demons of Hell. Moloch, demon warrior, passionately advocates for open warfare. On the other hand, Belial, the sarcastic demon, uses asperity to criticize Moloch's argument. This Council, particularly the arguments that Moloch and Belial present, represent two separate schools of thought: warfare at any cost and existence at any price.
Moloch, upon getting his chance to speak, wastes no time in expressing his opinion: open warfare with heaven. He is full of mixed emotions at this point, such as: shame, insult, torment, arrogance, and vengeance. These fuel the passionate rhetoric which he gives in support of his stand.
The shame which they all feel, comes from the loss of Heaven or more specifically the loss to Heaven, in their rebellious conflict. Another part of the shame may be the result of their loss, which is Hell. They were accustomed to a beautiful Paradise, yet they reside in a Paradise Lost. Their shame of defeat is thus added to be their exile to this dismal, dark, burning place.
Insult, is added from the pursuit of the fallen angels as they descend into the deep. The battle is over, yet they are still being pursued by God and by His angels. There is a Latin sense to this, as the footnote suggests, that they were being stamped or danced upon, by the Heavenly Hosts. Defeat must of been humiliating (shameful) enough, yet this feeling of being "stamped upon" must of just added salt to their "wounds."
Torment, is an emotion either caused by the demons being in actual torment by their surroundings or by the actual separation between themselves and Heaven. The actual physical landscape, is one of burning lakes, hot sulphurous hail, and unextinguishable fire.
As the demons awoke following their defeat, they were actually lying in this burning lake of fire. The separation theory is just that, a theory. Many theologians speculate that when a soul has the misfortune of going to Hell, the actual separation between the soul and Heaven is unbearable. Even if a person is not "saved" they still feel, as theologians suggest, love and support from Heaven. Like some subconscious awareness of sorts. When that love, that support is gone, the actual pain is from the anguish we feel being totally cut off from that line in Heaven. Their torment could be one or both. But one thing is for certain, this torment is unending.
All of these emotions, just to address a few, run through the demons hearts and minds. It is causing them to sit and linger in Hell as Heaven's fugitives, rendering them numb as to their next course of action. Moloch's solution to end this bondage is to once again battle Heaven. He even begins his speech, "My sentence is for open war." "Armed with Hell's flame and fury," he states, is how they shall attack. Heaven will be resistless to their attack. And they shall have the last laugh by the turning the tables on the Torturer, as God is mentioned as being, by returning His tortures upon Himself. Moloch passionately speaks in advocating this move. He mentions the feelings they all have. He even has a plan of attack.
But warfare with Heaven may have its price though, as Moloch suggests. There is the possibility that if they provoke their "stronger" (enemy) again, His wrath may lead to their destruction. But Moloch counters this fear by asking what can be worse: hell or destruction. At this point, his passion peaks. The warrior in him cries out at their fate if they do not try. A fate they are doomed to of utter woe, with unyielding fire burning them, with no hope of ending, serving as vessels who carry His anger (vassals could be taken to mean vessels), as a means of obtaining the unobtainable penance. A definite no win situation. This warrior spirit would rather go down fighting than reside complacently in Hell's torment. If God should choose to destroy the demons for their second rebellion, than why fear? Death is better to Moloch than continual existence. In his opinion, the "worse" is much better than Hell. If they are divine and God cannot destroy them, than they are no worse off then where they began. And this is what motivates him to once again battle with God and Heaven.
In his speech, Moloch examines and elaborates on the emotions that the demons feel as their defeat and their damnation to Hell. Their damnation, is actual bondage, for they are fugitives who must serve an eternal term of torment to earn penance. Because of Moloch's warrior type background, he resists this eternal "prison term." Thus he comes up with a plan that suits his character makeup: warfare with the possible price being destruction, a fate he fears not. He employs syntax in his speech that would provoke passion from its audience. In this, he builds his plan of attacking Heaven, making it seem easy if not ideal, while belittling the consequences by downplaying their significance. His plan is warfare. His motivation is vengeance for the torment that they are made to endure. The cost is the possible utter destruction of the demons, a price he is willing to pay.
Belial stands next to speak. He is a demon, who on the surface is dignified and composed. Yet he is hollow and false and has the ability to sugarcoat things he says, in other words, a believable liar.
Belial begins by attacking the main purpose of the warfare, which Moloch suggests. Utter dissolution (destruction) and despair (vengeance) are not reason enough to war with Heaven. Their plans should not be made on the grounds of hate or despair, the motivation behind Moloch's reasoning.
Belial then moves on to say that Heaven is impossible to take over, which makes an attack a foolish enterprise. There is no chance of success by the impregnable nature of Heaven. All access to it is cut off by the armed guards in their lofty towers. Even the border between Heaven and Hell is entrenched with whole legions of angels, who jealously guard the border. Surprise is not a factor that the demons can draw upon should they choose to attack.
Belial then suggests that if Hell should rise and the fallen ones should force their way back to Heaven, God is still untouchable. For He is Heaven's purest light, unable to be polluted, and corrupted. The only result of this is defeat again, thus leaving their only hope being that of despair.
The possibility now exists that God may unleash His anger on the demons for their second insurrection. The result of such anger may be complete destruction. The loss of all thought and all feeling, even pain. This seems to be an acceptable loss to those who counsel war, says Belial. The suffering they must eternally endure would come to an end. However, it is unknown whether or not God can destroy the demons.
The demons supporting war speak of the "hell" they are going through. Burning pains, endless nights, and eternity of damnation they must carry out as a result of their actions. They even question whether or not it can become any worse should they choose to rebel yet again. Belial thus says that Hell is not all that bad. It is a refuge from the lightning that afflicted them in their withdraw from Heaven. It is even called a shelter from the Lord's wrath. Their situation becomes worse though when they awake from their stupor, finding themselves chained to a burning lake.
Now Belial suggests how their situation can become worse. The flames that burn around them could all of the sudden reach a seven-fold rage. The lightning could resume its affliction. Hell's stores could just bust wide open, releasing impending horrors and cataracts of fire. They could become transfixed to a rock while a tempest roars around them. Bad can become worse by the demons being sunk into the burning ocean, bound in chains, conversing with only their cries, for an eternity.
Their "beloved" home can become a Hell's Hell, the result of a second war, as Belial suggests. It is better that they suffer their current fate than any even more grisly one. God knows all and sees all. Even as they plot secret plans, God knows it and could frustrate any plot they make in vain.
The only reasonable action is passive endurance and active energy. They should continue to carry out their bondage of pain. In time, God may remit His anger and be satisfied with the punishment, causing the fires burning around them to slacken. They can overcome their torments. They will become accustomed to the flames, pain, and horrors of Hell. Their hope can become the possibility of this happening. It is something worth waiting for, thus they should not bring anymore trouble on themselves by rebelling again. Nothing good may come of their coexistence with Heaven, but Hell will not become any worse than it already is.
Belial lives up to his slick reputation in his speech. He plays on the fears of the demons. He advises the Council to wait and see what God will do instead of fighting. If they were to provoke God, He could either annihilate them or only increase their torment. A self-preservation instinct could kick in and make waiting to see what will happen a rather attractive prospect. Belial enjoys his pitiful existence of thought and motion in Hell too much to war with Heaven and be wiped out of existence. Hell is not all that bad, in fact it could become tolerable, if God is not provoked to make their lives even more unbearable. Belial's smooth talking quickly makes Moloch seem foolish for even wanting to pick up his spear in defiance of Heaven. By using descriptive devices, such as postulating how Hell can become worse, Belial leaves little room in the demons minds to not believe him over Moloch.
Moloch and Belial portray two types of evil in their speeches. Moloch's evil is uncontrolled and unreasonable aggression. He advises that they fight until either the demons or God is destroyed. Belial's, on the other hand, is more subtle and sophisticated. He appears to be a courtier and what he says is reasonable, but all of it is false. God will not become less angry over time, thus giving those who believe him false hope. This is all typical of the make-up of their characters. Moloch, is a fallen angel who is mentioned earlier as a "horrid King" to whom children were sacrificed, a warrior demon who fights at all costs. Belial is the most dissolute and sophisticated of the fallen angels, speaking smoothly and seemingly reasonable, however it is all for his "ignoble ease" rather than for honorable action. Both characters and their speeches are at polar opposites. One advocates war, while the other advocates inaction. Both speeches are effective in getting their points across. Moloch uses syntax to provoke passionate emotional responses and channels the responses in his aggressive direction. Belial uses descriptive language to play on the fears of the other demons to cow them to his point of view. These dynamic speeches give a point of view for the indecisive demons that truly represent their speakers.
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