John Milton's Paradise LostJohn Milton's Paradise Lost is filled with fantastical tales from the depths of hell, extravagant descriptions of fallen angels, and a curious recitation of counsel demons in their new palace. How did Milton come up with such vivid depictions of demons as horrible as those we see in Book I? Most of his fallen angels originate in the form of pagan gods condemned by the Bible, with real historical contexts that Milton cites in his lengthy descriptions. First, a few words about Satan would seem prudent, for he is the first of the fallen angels. the leader of the revolt and the first to venture onto earth to corrupt humanity. He is Milton's main character, and the only one to expand outside of the strict biblical interpretations of his character. He first appears in the Bible (disregarding the serpent in the Garden of Eden) in the Book of Job, in which he convinces God to test Job by taking away all his material possessions and harming him and his family. He is addressed with the angels and called Satan, so his status as an angel who helps bring pain and suffering is not far from "biblical truth." Old Testament books like Isaiah and Ezekiel reference what appears to be Satan, but are found amid passages that reflect on wicked and fallen kings. In Isaiah 14:12 it is written: “As you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! » Most speculation is that this directly refers to Satan, although in no other passage is he called Lucifer. The passage actually concerns a Babylonian king, much like Ezekiel 28:14-15, which laments (for the king of Tyre), "thou wast the anointed cherub...until iniquity was found in thee." These passages concern the fuse...... middle of paper...... of the Memphian kings (the Egyptian pharaoh of the great city of Memphis) who built the great pyramids, one of the seven wonders of the world, but whose city, Memphis, suffered much damage over the years (the city fell into disrepair and the capital eventually moved to Thebes). They are the actors in Milton's epic tale of light and darkness, good and evil, uprising, hell and everything in between. Exposing popular beliefs of Satan and his rogue angels and borrowing pagan gods from ancient Palestine and Jordan allows for the creation of almost protagonist demons. Although it is easy to view Satan as a rebellious child facing punishment, the poem preaches that you strictly obey God. God is omnipotent, omniscient (he even sees the approach of Satan from the depths of hell), he has defeated countless false and pagan gods, his word is not to be questioned as have been made Adam and Eve..