Character Estimation of Beelzebub in Paradise Lost, Book I

The word Beelzebub means ' The god of flies ' in Hebrew. He was worshiped at Ekron , a city of the Philistines as a fertility god. Beelzebub is called is atthew, !ii, "#, 'The prince of the de$ils%& hence he is represented by ilton as ne!t to 'atan in power and in crime. The crime is the crime of rebellion against god. Beelzebub followed 'atan, ne!t in the act of rebellion. (e!t to 'atan, Beelzebub shared the greatest responsibility for the rebellion against god and o$erthrow of the angels. Beelzebub is one of the rebel angels, the chief of 'atan%s fellow conspirators in Hea$en. )n Hell also he remains 'atan%s chief follower. Beelzebub is also a bold leader of the rebel angels. *bo$e all, he is a wise and sagacious counselor of 'atan an able minister who has always his master's interest at heart. 'atan, howe$er, has not Beelzebub's wisdom and practical sense. +or e!ample, 'atan re,oices at the immortality of the rebel angels, and hopes that they will thus be able to $e! god through eternity Beelzebub at once points out that the immortality of the rebel angels also means eternal torture for them. 'atan declares that the fallen angels will always be doing e$il, thus $e!ing god. Beelzebub shrewdly obser$es that their $ery opposition may be turned by god into the furtherance of his own glory. Bold, proud and ambitions, 'atan is at his best on a throne or at the head of an army. The proper place for the wise and sagacious Beelzebub is the council chamber. Beelzebub's first speech -lines ."/ 0 .112 pro$es that he knows better than to oppose directly his leader and thwart his will. He knows that the best way to rule a bold chief is by way of persuasion. He humours 'atan and seems at first to agree with him. But then with his wise foresight Beelzebub comes forward with shrewd hunts of doubt about the future. His character, as re$ealed in the speech, is one of ilton's subtlest. He is not a base coward like Belial. (or has he the rash and unthinking courage of oloch. He is rather the wise, practical councilor who has the good of his chief at his heart. Beelzebub also knows that a great disaster has o$erwhelmed them. 3e may note in this connection that most unlike 'atan, he does not minimize the o$erthrow and defeat of the angels. 'atan proposes to summon his followers who are still

confounded that they may either share misery with him in Hell or prepare for another contest with god. )n reply to this, Beelzebub highly praises 'atan as their leader4 '5eader of those armies bright, 6 3hich but th' omnipotent none could ha$e foil%d. )n his second speech -lines "7. 0"/" 2 , Beelzebub assures 'atan of the fallen angels ' undying allegiance and de$otion to 'atan . )n their with gods host, they had been cheered up by 'atan%s $oice. This time also they will rise from their stupefied condition on the lake of fire at their leader's call. To 8uote from Prof. 9aleigh's ilton, ' His followers are de$otedly attached to him4 they admire him that for the general safety he -'atan2 despised his own.% 'atan and Beelzebub are the mightiest of the rebel angels that fell from Hea$en. They tower abo$e the rest. 'atan is the king of the fallen angels& Beelzebub is their :eputy. )n physical strength and splendour Beelzebub is 'atan's inferior. 'atan is the first of the fallen angels to reco$er from the stupor, Beelzebub is the second. 'atan is also prouder and more courageous than Beelzebub. E$en after the fall from Hea$en 'atan meditates re$enge, whereas Beelzebub is ob$iously despaired.