Fire: A Weapon and Punishment

In reading through books five and six, I found it a little ironic that Satan and his followers use fire in their weapons, when it is fire that causes them so much pain in Hell. It reminded me of the phrase “what goes around comes around”, a phrase told to me a few times when I was a child, and one that is still heard today. The beginning of battle scene is described as:

            Now storming fury rose

And clamor such as heard in Heav’n till now

Was never: arms and armor clashing brayed

Horrible discord and the madding wheels

Of brazen chariots raged. Dire was the noise

Of conflict. Overheard the dismal hiss

Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew

And flying vaulted either host with fire. (VI. 207-214)

I was immediately able to picture the clashing of armor and swords, and a swarm of angels rushing at each other, but the use of fire was what caught my attention. And throughout the battle fire returns, such as the cannons that Satan and his followers create after the first day’s battle:

            Which to our eyes discovered new and strange,

A triple-mounted row of pillars laid

On wheels (for like to pillars most they seemed

Or hollowed bodies made of oak or fir

With branches lopped in wood or mountain felled),

Brass, iron, stony mold, had not their mouths

With hideous orifice gaped on us wide,

Portending hollow truce. At each behind

A seraph stood and in his hands a reed

Stood waving tipped with fire while we suspense

Collected stood within our thoughts amused

Not long, for sudden all at once their reeds

Put forth and to a narrow vent applied

With nicest touch. Immediate in a flame” (VI571-584)

From this description, I felt that Satan and his followers seemed quite comfortable knowing that they invented such a powerful weapon, and purposely waved their “reeds” around in a mocking way before firing the canons. And this is where I felt a hint of irony; that the fallen angels would use a weapon with fire to force severe pain on their enemies and then be thrown into a word filled with fire and severe pain. Did God know they were going to use fire and then create Hell to encompass that element? Or was Hell already made, regardless of the weapons Satan and his followers used? To me, it seems that if God is all knowing, he already knew hat Satan would do, and what better way to punish him by putting him through his own torture. There may not be canons in Hell, but there are flames that “shoot” up, much like a canon firing.

Rebecca R.