I once had a friend that said, "If you are having trouble sleeping, open your Bible and the devil will shut your eyes" .... all it does is get me stirring, I long for my brain to turn off at night but the older I get the less that happens.
Sometimes my spiritual insomnia is just a heart cry:
"Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, " Lamentations 2:19
But here I am, getting too much blue light late at night and reading Milton.
Paradise Lost is his epic poem that explores the cosmic conflict between good and evil, the Fall of Man, and the consequences of disobedience.
I once heard that Milton was upset that readers were drawn to his portrayal of Satan in the poem Paradise Lost. While this isn’t directly confirmed, it’s widely discussed because Satan is depicted as a complex and charismatic character, leading some to view him as the tragic hero of the story. Writers like William Blake and Percy Bysshe Shelley even suggested that Milton unintentionally sympathized with Satan due to how vividly he depicted him.
Though Milton, a devout Puritan, likely intended Satan to be the villain, his poetic skill made Satan an intriguing figure. This reaction might have troubled Milton, but it also shows how effectively he gave depth to even his most evil character. Ultimately, Satan’s temporary allure in the poem serves to underscore the destructive nature of sin and the triumph of God’s justice in the end.
PANDEMONIUM
Among its many vivid and memorable scenes is the description of Pandemonium, the capital of Hell. Milton not only creates a place of infernal grandeur but also coins a new term, "Pandemonium," which has since entered the English lexicon to describe chaos and disorder. The origin of this term reflects Milton’s genius for blending classical influences with Christian theology, inventing language that captures the epic scale of his narrative.
The word combines the Greek root "pan-" meaning "all" or "every," and "daemon," which means "demon" or "evil spirit." Thus, "Pandemonium" literally means "all demons" or "assembly of demons," and has come to signify any place or situation of wild disorder and confusion.
Pandemonium appears prominently in Book I of Paradise Lost. After Satan and his fellow fallen angels are cast into Hell, Satan rallies his troops and leads them to build a grand palace, which becomes the center of their new kingdom. Milton describes the construction of Pandemonium with a mix of awe and horror, emphasizing its vastness and the demonic energy that brings it into being. This palace is the infernal counterpart to Heaven’s courts, and Milton's depiction draws on architectural imagery reminiscent of classical epics and Renaissance art.
One of the most famous passages describing Pandemonium reads: "Anon out of the earth a fabric huge / Rose like an exhalation, with the sound / Of dulcet symphonies and voices sweet, / Built like a temple, where pilasters round / Were set, and Doric pillars overlaid / With golden architrave; nor did there want / Cornice or frieze, with bossy sculptures graven." (Book I, lines 710-716)
Milton contrasts the beauty and harmony of Pandemonium’s architecture with the evil that it represents. The palace is both magnificent and grotesque, symbolizing the seductive allure of sin and rebellion. The grandeur of Pandemonium is undercut by the reality of its purpose: it is a place of darkness, deceit, and rebellion against God.
Another notable passage comes when Satan surveys his kingdom and convenes his council: "A solemn council forthwith to be held / At Pandemonium, the high capital / Of Satan and his peers: their summons called / From every band and squared regiment / By place or choice the worthiest; they anon / With hundreds and with thousands trooping came / Attended: all access was thronged, the gates / And porches wide, but chief the spacious hall / (Though like a covered field, where champions bold / Wont ride in armed, and at the Soldan’s chair / Defied the best of Paynim chivalry / To mortal combat or career with lance), / Thick swarmed, both on the ground and in the air, / Brushed with the hiss of rustling wings." (Book I, lines 752-765)
The chaotic energy of Hell’s inhabitants and the demonic grandeur of their new capital underscore the disorder and confusion that Pandemonium represents. The chaotic gathering of demons mirrors the turmoil of Hell itself, reinforcing Milton's larger theme of the destructiveness of rebellion against divine order.
The term "Pandemonium" has evolved far beyond its original context in Paradise Lost.
Today, it is commonly used to describe situations of wild chaos, disorder, or uproar. This reflects the inherent meaning of the word as Milton intended it: a place of tumult and rebellion, a kingdom of chaos ruled by Satan and his demons.
I think I first heard the term at a wrestling match in the old Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham in the 1970's- Tojo Yamamoto hit his opponent with a chair and "PANDEMONIUM" broke out according to the exuberant announcer!
The concept of Pandemonium can also be applied to political scenarios where disorder and confusion reign, often due to power struggles, rebellion, or corruption.
It resonates in everyday life, describing anything from the chaotic atmosphere of a busy marketplace to the frantic rush of commuters during rush hour. Additionally, it can be used metaphorically to describe internal chaos—moments of intense mental or emotional turmoil.
Anxiety (and insomnia) is ultimately a seat near the palace of Satan.
What part of Pandemonium is dominating me right now?
DARK LIGHT
Milton also uses the concept of "darkness visible" or "dark light" as a way to describe the unique and paradoxical nature of Hell. This imagery reflects the inversion of divine light and the corrupted, fallen state of Satan and his followers. "Dark light" serves as a metaphor for the perversion of heavenly truth and goodness, highlighting the spiritual and moral blindness of the demonic realm.
The phrase "darkness visible" appears in Book I when Milton describes Hell after Satan and his followers are cast out of Heaven:
"No light, but rather darkness visible / Served only to discover sights of woe, / Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace / And rest can never dwell, hope never comes / That comes to all; but torture without end." (Book I, lines 62-66)
Milton paints Hell as a place where darkness paradoxically reveals the horrors within, a realm where there is no true light, only an oppressive, shadowy presence that allows the damned to see the misery around them. This "dark light" is not the absence of light, but a twisted version of it—a light that only serves to illuminate suffering and despair.
I wrote about this in length in a previous post: 2018 Spiritual Light and Darkness
This concept reflects the broader theme in Paradise Lost of Satan’s inversion of everything good and holy.
While divine light represents God’s truth, wisdom, and goodness, the light in Hell is a corrupted version, symbolizing the fall from grace and the perversion of divine order. Milton’s depiction of "dark light" emphasizes that Hell is not just a place of physical torment but a spiritual condition—a state of existence cut off from God’s presence, where light no longer signifies hope or life but instead magnifies the darkness of separation from divine grace.
In the broader context of the poem, this imagery contributes to the portrayal of Satan as a figure who once basked in the true light of Heaven but now exists in a perverse and distorted reality. The light of Hell, like Satan’s once-glorious nature, has become twisted and corrupted, serving as a constant reminder of the fallen angels’ loss of heavenly splendor.
Ultimately, Pandemonium is more than just a place; it is a state of being—a symbol of the consequences of rejecting divine order and truth. However, the Bible provides a contrast to the darkness and confusion that Pandemonium represents.
In Colossians 1:13, it is written, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” Through Christ, believers are delivered from the chaos of sin and rebellion and brought into the Kingdom of Light, a place of order, peace, and redemption.
I just want to get some sleep......
other amazing lines in the poem:
When Satan first wakes up after being cast down: This passage captures Satan’s realization of his fall after he wakes up in Hell. He recognizes the shift from the glory of Heaven to the horrors of the infernal pit:
“Is this the region, this the soil, the clime, / Said then the lost Archangel, this the seat / That we must change for Heaven, this mournful gloom / For that celestial light? Be it so, since he / Who now is sovereign can dispose and bid / What shall be right: farthest from him is best, / Whom reason hath equaled, force hath made supreme / Above his equals. Farewell happy fields, / Where joy forever dwells: hail horrors, hail / Infernal world, and thou profoundest Hell / Receive thy new possessor; one who brings / A mind not to be changed by place or time. / The mind is its own place, and in itself / Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” (Book I, lines 242-255)
When Satan sees Man for the first time: This is from Book IV, when Satan first sees Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. His reaction is a mix of envy, bitterness, and inner torment as he witnesses their innocence and happiness:
“Aside the Devil turned / For envy, yet with jealous leer malign / Eyed them askance, and to himself thus plained: / ‘Sight hateful, sight tormenting! Thus these two / Imparadised in one another’s arms / The happier Eden, shall enjoy their fill / Of bliss on bliss, while I to Hell am thrust, / Where neither joy nor love, but fierce desire, / Amongst our other torments not the least, / Still unfulfilled with pain of longing pines.’” (Book IV, lines 502-511)
“Him thus intent Ithuriel with his spear / Touched lightly; for no falsehood can endure / Touch of celestial temper, but returns / To its own likeness, and a heaven-born face / Unveils its true nature. As when the night / Has dimmed the sky and obscured the stars, / A sudden light breaks through the clouds, and the sun / Reveals a brighter day than that before, / So when the angel touched the spirit of man, / He felt its true nature. A kind of joy / From the sight of these innocent beings arose, / And he knew he was a lost and fallen soul.” (Book IV, lines 497-509)
In this passage, Satan’s initial reaction is one of awe and wonder at the beauty and perfection of humanity, which contrasts sharply with his own fallen state. However, his admiration quickly turns to envy and hatred as he reflects on his own suffering and loss:
“So much the more / His hate, and the more to hate the more / His hate. Envy and pride, those twin-born foes, / The new-born ones, the powerful hands of heaven, / Moved him to wrath; and wrath, revenge, and spite / The measureless excess of his revenge, / And unapproachable of hope, thus spake: / ‘O hated, yoke of heaven, eternal, born / Of one who sits above the Heavens’ height, / And more to be despised, more to be cursed / The false exultation of their bliss, / My eyes will never see again. In shame / They shall suffer, in anguish and in sorrow / Forevermore, and I shall evermore / Be grieved and furious at my own expense.’” (Book IV, lines 511-522)
Satan’s famous rally of the troops to rebel: After gathering the fallen angels, Satan gives a rousing speech to incite them to continue their rebellion against God, emphasizing their power and determination despite their fall:
“What though the field be lost? / All is not lost—the unconquerable will, / And study of revenge, immortal hate, / And courage never to submit or yield: / And what is else not to be overcome? / That Glory never shall his wrath or might / Extort from me. To bow and sue for grace / With suppliant knee, and deify his power, / Who from the terror of this arm so late / Doubted his empire—that were low indeed, / That were an ignominy and shame beneath / This downfall; since by fate the strength of gods, / And this empyreal substance, cannot fail; / Since through experience of this great event / In arms not worse, in foresight much advanced, / We may with more successful hope resolve / To wage by force or guile eternal war / Irreconcilable to our grand foe, / Who now triumphs, and in the excess of joy / Sole reigning holds the tyranny of Heaven.’” (Book I, lines 105-124)
Note: This post was aided by the use of Chat GPT for edits, but the thoughts are my own- I organized and developed the content of this post along with the examples and applications. This is true of any writing where I use chat-GPT to research and edit.
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