Paradise Lost

Milton explains that Adam and Eve's disobedience occurred partly because of a serpent's deception. This serpent is Satan. The poem shifts its focus to Satan and his followers in Hell, where God in Heaven has just cast them after their defeat. Satan, stunned, lies in a lake of fire that gives off darkness instead of light. Breaking the awful silence, Satan speaks to his second-in-command, Beelzebub, bemoaning their terrible position. He does not repent of …

…Falling action - The Son inflicts punishment; Adam and Eve repent; Adam learns about the future of man Themes - The Importance of Obedience to God; The Hierarchical Nature of the Universe; The Fall As Partly Fortunate Motifs - Light and Dark; The Geography of the Universe; Conversation and Contemplation Symbols - The Scales in the Sky; Adam's Wreath Foreshadowing - Eve's vanity at seeing her reflection in the lake; Satan's transformation into a snake