12 Steps
To whom the Goblin full of wrauth reply'd,
Art thou that Traitor Angel, art thou hee,
Who first broke peace in Heav'n and Faith, till then [ 690 ]
Unbrok'n, and in proud rebellious Arms
Drew after him the third part of Heav'ns Sons
Conjur'd against the highest, for which both Thou
And they outcast from God, are here condemn'd
To waste Eternal dayes in woe and pain? [ 695 ]
And reck'n'st thou thy self with Spirits of Heav'n,
Hell-doom'd, and breath'st defiance here and scorn
Where I reign King, and to enrage thee more,
Thy King and Lord? Back to thy punishment,
False fugitive, and to thy speed add wings, [ 700 ]
Least with a whip of Scorpions I pursue
Thy lingring, or with one stroke of this Dart
Strange horror seise thee, and pangs unfelt before.
1. Figurative Language
 “Goblin” (688)
o imagery: disgusting, gross, deformed, evil
o portrayed as low and weak, yet is talking back to Satan
 “breath’st defiance here and scorn” (697)
o Imagery: angry and spiteful character, but also weathered soul
 “to thy speed add wings” (700)
o Imagery: wings; connection to Raphael, whose wings are described in detail (5.277)
o Meaning: go faster
 “whip of Scorpions” (701) AND “stroke of this Dart” (702)
o Imagery: stinging weapon; poisonous
2. Diction [see colored text above]
 Verbs where Satan performs the action (“broke”, “outcast”) are mainly negative
 (689) “Traitor” – etymology: Latin “traditor”
o “One who delivers” – delivers Hell, evil, loss, and maybe freedom?
o When considered with (700) “wings,” Satan seems to be portrayed as the evil version of
Raphael (and Hermes) – they both “deliver”
 Nouns
o “faith” (which Satan “broke”) – trust; honesty
o “defiance” (which Satan “breath’st”) – challenge; declaration of war
o “scorn” (which Satan “breath’st”) – contempt
o “punishment” (which belongs to Satan) – correction; penalty
 “False Fugitive” (700)
o “false” – untrue; deceitful; treacherous
o “fugitive” – runaway; fleeing; shun
o Double meaning: treacherous and shun from Heaven AND/OR not fleeing Hell (because
Death intends to stop Satan)
 Adjectives used to create negative image of Satan, or a positive image of things before
Lucifer’s fall
 “Strange horror” (703)
o “strange” – unknown; new
o “horror” – dread; religious awe
o Possible hidden meaning: Death threatens Satan with religious awe, which is unknown to
Satan
3. Literal Content
Death responds to Satan’s demand to leave Hell by describing Satan’s reputation in a
negative light and ordering him back to Hell with threats of pain and horror.
4. Structure
 Iambic pentameter and enjambment work together to create orderly and logical progression
of thoughts, yet full of connotations and emotion strengthened by imagery (see Style section
for expansion of the use of enjambment)
 Breakdown of excerpt:
o Introduces speaker before entering dialogue (688)
o Death describes and shows contempt for Satan’s bad reputation (689-95)
o Death established relative superiority over Satan by refuting Satan’s position as a “Spirit
of Heaven” and asserting his position as “King and Lord” (696-699)
o Death threatens Satan and demands that he return to Hell, his “punishment” (700-703)
5. Style
 Death uses repeated questions to make points against Satan and mock him for:
o Being a traitor
o Breaking peace
o Drawing a third of God’s Angels from Heaven
o Being “outcast from God”
o Identifying himself as a “Spirit of Heaven”

Enjambment used to separate:
o Broken from unbroken piece (690-1)
o “Spirits of Heaven” from “Hell-doom’d” (696-7)
o “defiance and scorn” from “I reign King” (697-8)
6. Characterization
 Of Death
o Rude – began by mocking the King of Hell
o Angry – uses harsh words and described as “Goblin”
o Intelligently answered Satan’s rudeness – “And reck’n’st thou thy self with Spirits of
Heav’n”
 Of Satan
o Outcast – “outcast from God”
o Not worthy of Heaven – “Hell-doomed”
o Unsure of his identity – is he the ruler of Pandemonium in Hell or an outcast from
Heaven – here, Satan asserts his power by identifying as the latter
 Of the relation between Death and Satan
o Death was born in Hell, while Satan fell from Heaven
o Death is an important figure in the inferior world where he is a native, while Satan failed
to maintain his important position in the superior world where he is from
7. Tone
 At first – mocking, sardonic, and full of contempt
o “Art thou that Traitor Angel, art thouhee…”
o “to enrage thee more, / Thy King and Lord” (698-9)
 Then – angry, aggressive, mean and scary
o “Back to thy punishment, / False fugitive, and to thy speed add wings” (699-700)
o “Least wuth a whip of Scorpions I pursue” (701)
8. Assessment
 Microcosm of Satan’s internal conflict that is further explored in later books
 Struggle of power and origin
 Satan wants to be the most powerful in Heaven; now he is the most powerful in Hell and
haunted by his fallen existence
 This depiction of a character with faults and inner struggles and obstacles he hopes to
overcome makes Satan’s character more sympathetic
9. Context
Satan goes on a journey from Hell to learn about Mankind and plot its downfall, but discovers
that he must pass through gates guarded by his son, Death. He approached Death and demands
that he, as his superior, be allowed through, threatening Death with the power of “Spirits of
Heav’n” (688).
10. Texture
 Structured rhythm, but loosened with enjambment and strong passionate language and
imagery
o Mirrors the scene – orderly argument and specific threat strengthened with harsh,
emotional insults and retorts
 Structure, imagery, and figuration conducive to our perception of Satan and Death and
relatable characters because it matches the texture of regular conversation
o Constrained by rules of language and formalities ~ iambic pentameter
o Back-and-forth responding to previous statement ~ “Spirits of Heav’n” retort
o Imagery – emotion reinforces pathos
11. Themes
 Satan identifies with “Spirits of Heav’n,” even though is outcast, because that is where he is
from
o Identity
o Power
o Roots
 Death points out that Satan is rejected by Heav’n and punished in Hell
o Good vs. Evil
o Hell vs. Heaven
 Death tries to establish superiority over Satan by bringing up Satan’s past failure
o Reputation
12. Thesis
The excerpt presents Satan as a conflicted character whose position as the leader of Hell is
undermined by the desire for power in Heaven that led to his downfall.