As I was attempting to read Paradise Lost, I found one particular thing to be interesting that I could discuss in my blog post. This is the word "Pandemonium" which in the book is the name of the Hellish capitol. I found this to be interesting because this word is a common word even now and I had no idea of the connotation it has. Since this book was written in the 1600's, I can assume that it was created specifically in Paradise Lost for the name of the Hellish capitol.
With this in mind, I find it amazing that this word is still used to describe chaos and disaster and is used frequently in the common American vocabulary. The origins of this word give it a really negative and ungodly meaning. When they named the town "Pandemonium" it was because it meant "all the demons" in the Greek language. So then I thought that if it symbolized demons and Hell, than why do we still use it today?
Without proper background of the meaning of this word, we do not realize the connotation and the terrible meaning that it gives off. On page 818, it states, "A solemn council forthwith to be held at Pandemonium, the high capitol of Satan and his peers" (lines 755-757). Knowing that it is of the origin of Hell, I do not believe this word should be acceptable to use in everyday language.
I know this post is a little strange, but I just found that to be really interesting and kind of a weird, symbolic word that is still used today.
Questions:
Why was the language in this book so difficult to understand? And why are there so many different religions present in this book? They all seem to mingle; did different religions get along and intertwine in Greece in the 1600's?
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