Analysis of Hell in Paradise Lost ,Book-I by John Milton

Of all the narrative passages in Paradise Lost, Book-I , John Miltons description of Hell stands out unique ! virtue of its graphics pictorial qualit! and its evocation of a sense of gloo"! terror# $hough Milton %as a%are of the &enaissance concept that heaven and hell are no specifics topographical locals, ut states of the "ind itself, he clings to the "edieval concept of Hell of having topographical entit!# Milton presents Hell as a place designed for the eternal punish"ent of the fallen angels# Hell is a place for re"oved fro" the celestial seat of liss# It is situated in the nether"ost depth of a !ss, and it takes nine da!s and nights to fall into this dreadful pit fro" heaven# Hell is an asse" lage of all the ar itration hu"an e"otions ' pains, despair, env!, restlessness, heartlessness, heart urn etc# $his scene of arren desolation is thus descri ed ! Milton ' () *ungeon horri le on all rides round, +erves onl! to discover sights of %oe ,#Here is sinister %ilderness, .a dis"al situation %aste and %ild# /hile +atan surve!s Hell as far as he can see and o serve, He finds it a vast, gloo"! and drear! region# It is like a huge underground prison house terri le to ehold# Hell is a urning reign, a place of sultriness, a urning oven, a places %here one is trapped and gaoled far ever# 0ro" the urning furnace of Hell the constantl! flickering fla"es issue no light# $he! onl! provides phantas"agoria of di" visi ilit!# $he "edieval notion that the fla"e of Hell give no light is derived ! Milton instigates that the da"ned and the doo"ed are deprived of the sight of 1od, %ho is the for" of light# It is a place %here fire e2ists %ithout light and darkness is al"ost tangi le and this darkness itself reveals the sight of "iser!# Hell is a region of sorro% and "iser!, helplessness and eternal tor"ent# ) look at Hell reveals3 (&egions of sorro%, doleful shades %here peace )nd rest can never d%elt, hopes never co"es $hat co"es to all, ut fortune %ith out end-# Hopes eing totall! a sent, there are onl! never ending torture# )nd there is no release fro" here for the fallen angels# It is ver! unlike the place fro" %hence the! fell# Hell is a lake of ever urning sulfur, a flood of fire, %hich constantl! over%hel"s and engulfs the victi"s i"prisoned in this dreadful gloo"# +uch a place, encapsulated ! utter darkness has een designed ! 1od for the fallen angels as a

"ark of punish"ent for their foul revolt# $he .floods and %hirl%inds of te"pestuous fire "ake it "ost torrid cli"e# It is all %rapped up in s"oke and foul s"ell# Like a volcano it lasts vapour and lo%n off rocks# Here is the urnt surface at the otto"# $he lakes of ever urning fire are, thus, one part of the Hell onl!# On another half of this terri le dungeon la!s an open space, a vast tract of solid ground of . urning "arl# +uch a place of course, heat and insuffera le anguish is Hell %here peace and rest are i"possi le# Peace, rest hope and cal", that %hich "ake life en4o!a le and %orth living, one co"pletel! a sent in Hell# $his is a place of perfect perdition %here to e2ist is to e2perience the %orst death in a deathless %orld# Miltons Hell is descri ed partl! as the readers "ight see it and partl! through +atans e!e# $he o 4ective and su 4ective tor"ents of Hell are thus "ingled %here fro" %e can e2perience ours as %ell as +atans "ind# $o%ards the end of the Book-I Milton has another vie% to sho% of Hell# On the near side of the urning ground stands a "assive structure of architectonic e2cellence, the capital and place of +atan, Pande"oniu", a"idst the o%els of precious curse, gold# It is a "iracle of architecture# Milton descri es ho% this ar"! of uilders prepares "an! calls fro" %hich eaut! gilded forth in ever! for"# 5# +# Le%is o serves that Miltons description of Hell is never concrete, there eing no definition of such things as the si6e of Hell, the e2act nature of its tortures or the degree of heat that +atan feels# &eno%ned critic Prof# Hellen 1ardiner has rightl! o served ' (Its all enclosing dreadfulness t!pif!ing d%arfing a%areness of re"orse, distance fro" 1od, pain fro" %hich its inha itants can never escape# $hough terri le, it is not for"less sea and land e2ist and fro" its soil issue forth destruction unavoida le-# One should also re"e" er that Miltons graphic description of Hell intensifies the tragic intensit! and over%hel"ing effect# Here is the concrete %orld for the a stract idea# Here is the opposite of Heaven ut ."ind is its o%n place for +atan %ho is even read! to rave the hell#