Line by Line Outline of Paradise Lost: Book 1

I. 1-49: Invocation of Muse

a. 1-13: Historical setting from OT leading to salvation
b. 14-26: State the argument or thesis of epic
i. To justify the ways of god to man
c. 27-49: Epic question and answer
i. What caused Adam and Eve to fall?
ii. Background of Satan’s fall
1. Battle in heaven over Satan’s claim to equal god.
2. God’s victory over Satan.
3. Satan and rebel angels thrown out of heaven.
II. 50-83: Setting the stage for opening scene in Hell
a. 50-77: Satan peruses his surroundings. Tormented by loss of happiness and by
everlasting pain.
i. Description of Hell
1. Dungeon with flames that give off no light, only slights of woe.
2. Hopeless, unlike Heaven.
b. 78-83: Satan turns to Beelzebub who is beside him.
III. 84-124: Satan speaks to Beelzebub.
a. 84-99: Satan decries Beelzebub’s altered appearance.
b. 100-24: Satan proclaims that even though the battle has been lost to god, he will
not submit or yield to him.
i. Satan commits himself to eternal war with god.
IV. 125-56: Beelzebub replies.
a. 127-33: Beelzebub calls Satan Prince and acknowledges his superiority.
b. 134-55: Beelzebub admits god’s strength and superiority
i. Questions if the battle was worth the outcome of eternal punishment
V. 157-91: Satan replies to Beelzebub.
a. 157-68: Satan claims that fallen angels will never do good, only evil
b. 169-91: Satan assesses the situation
i. God has called back the pursuing angels to the gates of Heaven.
ii. The storm that sent them from Heaven has stopped.
VI. 192-242: Description of Satan. Epic simile.
a. 192-208: Satan is big, long, serpentine.
i. Compared to mythological creatures
1. Typhon
2. Leviathan
ii. Satan is chained on a burning lake under god’s control.
b. 220-38: Satan rises and flies to dry land
i. Use of many classical references
c. 239-42: Beelzebub follows Satan.
VII. 243-70: Satan speaks again (third time)
 a. 243-50: Satan says bye to heaven
b. 251-64: Satan greets the horrors of hell and claims hell as his kingdom
i. Hell is a state of mind and a place of freedom
1. “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.”
c. 265-70: Satan remembers other fallen angels.
VIII. 271-83: Beelzebub speaks to Satan
a. 271-83: Assures Satan that other angels with rise again once they hear his voice
IX. 283-330: Satan move to shore and calls his legions from burning lake
a. 283-300: Satan’s shield and sword described in Epic Simile:
i. Shield = massive as a moon as viewed thru Galileo’s telescope
ii. Spear = massive as a Norwegian Pine that serves as a ship’s mast
b. 300-13: Description of multitude of fallen angels as they lay strewn on the lake
i. Biblical reference to Egyptians destroyed at Red Sea. Epic Simile.
c. 314-30: Satan calls for rebel angels to rise and be forever fallen.
X. 331-506: Rebel angels rise and their twelve leaders are name. Epic Catalog.
a. 331-58: Angels fly up off the lake and hover until Satan directs them down to
plain where they stand in multitude and majesty.
b. 358-60: The rebel angels are described as being godlike.
c. 361-75: Author (Milton) states that the names of the angels have been removed
from the book of heaven and have not yet been renamed. They will be names as
they perpetrate evil acts on the soon to be human race.
d. 376-506: The most twelve most powerful rebel angels are named. Analogous to
the naming of the twelve apostles and twelve tribes of Israel.
e. 376-91: Milton calls forth the muse again to give the names of the rebel angels
i. 392: Moloch – worshipped by Ammonites
ii. 406: Chemos – worshipped by the son’s of Moab
iii. 422: Baalim and Ashtaroth – Egyptian gods
iv. 438: Astoreth/Astarte – Phoenician goddess
v. 446: Thammuz – Syrian god
vi. 462: Dagon – worshipped along coast of Palestine
vii. 467: Rimmon – worshipped in Damascus
viii. 478: Osiris, Isis, Orus – worshipped in Egypt
ix. 490: Belial – most lewd. Has no temple but infects temples and altars of god,
as in Sodom.
XI. 507-621: Fallen angels gather at Satan for a military review
a. 507-30: Fallen angels gather and Stan’s words and presence raise their courage
b. 531-41: Satan raises standard and names Azazal as its bearer.
c. 542-67: Hosts raise standards and stand armed awaiting for command
d. 568-89: Satan reviews his army and is filled with pride
e. 589- 615: Epic Simile
i. Satan stands above all, tall as a tower and with brilliance.
ii. Described as a sympathetic leader.
f. Satan prepares to speak and sheds tears
XII. 622-669: Satan speaks
a. 622-62: Satan incites fallen angels to eternal war with god and his rumored new
creation
 b. 663-69: Fallen angels reply by hurling defiance to heaven.
XIII. 670-798: Building of Pandemonium and assembly of hosts inside
a. 670-79: Led by Mammon
i. Fallen angels go to nearby hill and tear it open, remove golden ribs
b. 700-705: Second multitude removes more gold
c. 705-709: Third group prepares mold
d. 710-722: Pandemonium rises out of the earth to sound of music
i. Built like a temple
e. 722-730: Interior of Pandemonium is described
f. 730-751: The multitude enters and praised the builder, named Mulciber
g. 752-761: Council is called
h. 761- 776: The gates are thronged by the multitude. Epic Simile.
i. 777-789: The fallen angels are made into a smaller size so they can enter the
hall.
j. 790-798: The fallen angels assemble in secret conclave in their own dimensions.