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Pandamonium

Milton describes Pandemonium in Paradise Lost as a magnificent structure built in Hell by fallen angels under the direction of Mammon. With miraculous speed, the angels erected a massive building that surpassed human achievements like the pyramids through their supernatural strength and skill. Pandemonium had ornate decorations inside and out, with arched ceilings hung with flaming lamps that provided light. Though built for an evil purpose as the seat of Hell's government, Pandemonium showed the devil's desire to recreate the beauty and order of Heaven through architecture and technology.

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Chiranjivi Naini
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86 views

Pandamonium

Milton describes Pandemonium in Paradise Lost as a magnificent structure built in Hell by fallen angels under the direction of Mammon. With miraculous speed, the angels erected a massive building that surpassed human achievements like the pyramids through their supernatural strength and skill. Pandemonium had ornate decorations inside and out, with arched ceilings hung with flaming lamps that provided light. Though built for an evil purpose as the seat of Hell's government, Pandemonium showed the devil's desire to recreate the beauty and order of Heaven through architecture and technology.

Uploaded by

Chiranjivi Naini
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The word “pandemonium” 

is a compound word formed by joining Greek words “pan”


and “demonious” meaning ‘a place or abode of all demons’.

In Paradise Lost Book 1, Milton describes pandemonium as a structure of architectonic


excellence. This marvelous structure is situated in the pit of hell where darkness is only
visible. On top of a hill, which constantly vomited out ‘fire and rolling smoke’, the huge
brigade of the fallen angels undertook the task to build up the high structure of
pandemonium. The leader of the builders was Mammon. Mammon when he was in
Heaven had his eyes downward bent on the golden pavement. He was not concerned with
anything divine or exalted. Other angels had interest in divine but Mammon was
exceptional.

Prompted by Mammon, men searched for riches on earth and robbed their mother earth
of the treasures hidden within her. Under the direction of Mammon the fallen angels dug
a hole in the hill and extracted gold from it. The fallen angels, directed Mammon, worked
with miraculous speed and built the massive structure called Pandemonium. Milton
describes effort of the fallen angels in the following words:

“Strength and Art are easily outdone

By Spirits reprobate, and in an hour

What in an age they with incessant toil

And hands innumerable scarce perform.”


Milton says that the architectonic excellence of the Pandemonium could easily excel
human achievements of Babylon and Egyptian pyramid. What took an age or about
twenty years for human beings to build, it took only an hour for the fallen angels to build.
Another group of fallen angels prepared cells near on the plain. They separated impurities
and collected the metallic ore in these cells. The metallic ore was derived from liquid fire.
A third group of fallen angels made moulds of varied shapes and designs, and from the
boiling cells carried off the molten metal by some peculiar mode of transportation. This is
how the foundation was constructed.

Then with the sound of harmonious music, square columns and master beams and doric
pillars were raised on top of the foundation. Every cornice or frieze was embossed with
golden decoration. The roof too was intricately decorated with gold. The magnificence of
the structure was such that it surpassed Babylon and Egyptian
pyramids. Pandemonium had a stately height and the doors were made of ‘brazen folds’.
The building itself had enormous space within it. Milton very meticulously described the
interior decorations:
 

“From the arched roof

Pendant by subtle

Magic many a row

Of starry Lamps and Blazing Crossets fed

With Naphtha and Asphaltus yielded light

As from a sky:”
Some admired the work, and some the architect. Milton a little later described the chief
architect:

“his hand was known”


In heaven by many a towered structure high. In ancient Italy Ausonian Land “men called
him Mulciber.” In ancient Greece he was known as Hephaestus.

It is in this structure called Pandemonium, built with awful ceremony and trumpeted
sounds, that the first conference of all the fallen angels in Hell was held.

Pandemonium introduces that imagery of technology, commerce and luxurious barbaric


tyranny which surrounds the fallen angels, for they foreshadow all human error.
Pandemonium suggests a Florid Renaissance (or late Roman) building.

Pandemonium is the devil’s attempt to recreate heaven and is concession to their


frustrated psychology. Evil, Milton once more seems to suggest, can only make not
create. In place of the natural clarity of Heaven are naptua-fiares. In need for light the
devils imitate the society of heaven.

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