The Grandeur of Milton's Hell

Satan does a quick tour of hell at the end of Book II when he starts his quest. Here, hell begins to sound a bit like Virgil's underworld — devils are engaging in games (2.530) singing, and even philosophy, as they "found no end, in wandering mazes lost" (561). Satan sees the four rivers of Hell; Styx, Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Lethe (575-583). The Furies are there and souls are ferried over Lethe, but because Milton is a Christian he cannot allow them to drink of Lethe - although they try very hard, there is no reincarnation here! (607-610). Hell is a ghastly place, "Created evil, for evil only good" (623); however, it seems much more rich in atmosphere than a religious reader might expect.

I would like to call attention to the several, and widely varying, aspects of hell as described to us within Paradise Lost.

First we have the stereotypical lake of fire into which the fallen angels are originally cast.

There is the hall of Pandemonium; the "temple" of Lucifer and his minions.

Finally, there are the vast plains of extremes through which Lucifer travels to reach the gates.

Despite all of these different locations, there is no so terrible that we truly see the rebellious angels truly suffering for their insolence. I believe that the reason for this is the fact that physical eternal torment is only a part of the final stage of punishment. As readers, we must also consider the "psycological warfare" that God uses to undermine Lucifer's power. Not only do the fallen angels suffer through their environtment, but they are under the constant anxiety of the reclaimation of Heaven.