Song that the Angels Can't Sing--Hailey Walsh


    In book five of Paradise Lost, Milton presents a new character; one that will act as yet another foil to his wonderfully antagonistic protagonist, Satan. Through Raphael's words on the fall of the angels, he presents Abdiel, the angel that joined Satan's followers in listening to a speech against the unfair domination of God over them all. Though he listens to what Satan has to say, Abdiel is the first and only angel in the assembly to contradict it. He vouches for God's majesty and justice and then runs through the night to God's side in order to tell him everything.

    While Milton may be making another jab at Predestination (ahem; why does God need a tattletale to tell Him what's going on?), he is certainly pointing at a form of redemption for Abdiel. While Satan and his army are eventually thrown out of heaven, Abdiel gains a spot among the faithful servants of God, proving His righteousness. Milton suggests a fleeting thought of rebellion in the head of Abdiel. Else, why would he be among the followers of Satan (unless he's an inter-angelical super spy...)? If this is the case, God forgave the thought of rebellion with the act of repentance in coming back to Him. A foreshadowing of what the human path to salvation would (vaguely) look like? 

    Either way, Milton certainly suggests that the angels could have turned back at any point before their fall from Heaven. According to him, they were not doomed to rebel against the One who could and cannot be successfully rebelled against. So, maybe some angels have their own redemption song. One that we are unable to sing.


I commented on Emma Dalgety's and Emmet Bryant's posts.


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