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nowaynohow149
nowaynohow149
Student
College - Freshman

What does the phrase "Thus repuls'd, our final hope is flat despair" mean?

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Posted by nowaynohow149 on Wednesday March 18, 2009 at 3:33 PM and tagged with attack, belial, heaven, hell, milton, paradaise lost, paradise lost, repulsed, translation, words.

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  1. robertwilliam

    eNotes Editor

    This is from the bit in Book 2 where the various devils are putting their cases to Satan about what they think should happen next.

    Belial is speaking - and arguing that he would be very much in favour of "open war", except that the reasons for going for war displeased him. Heaven is well armed, he argues - and there will be no way

    ...what Revenge? the Towrs of Heav'n are fill'd
    With Armed watch, that render all access
    Impregnable; oft on the bordering Deep
    Encamp thir Legions, or with obscure wing
    Scout farr and wide into the Realm of night,
    Scorning surprize...

    God has heaven well guarded, Belial argues. There is another option, he says, which is that they try and break their way in by force:

    Or could we break our way
    By force, and at our heels all Hell should rise
    With blackest Insurrection, to confound
    Heav'ns purest Light...

    However, God would still win: he'd expel them again, and purge off their fire, proving ultimately victorious:

                       ... yet our great Enemy
    All incorruptible would on his Throne
    Sit unpolluted, and th' Ethereal mould
    Incapable of stain would soon expel
    Her mischief, and purge off the baser fire
    Victorious.

    Beaten in this way, ("thus repuls'd") their only, and final hope, is dull, flat, straightforward despair:

    Thus repuls'd, our final hope
    Is flat despair...

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/paradise-lost-text

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    Posted by robertwilliam on Monday March 23, 2009 at 6:12 AM