Infernal Rhetoric: Counseling and Listening among the Fallen Angels in Paradise Lost

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article focuses on how the infernal counselors strategically listen to each other for the purpose of constructing persuasive arguments in their own self-interests. Rhetorical analyses of their speeches reveal that their rhetoric—with the sole aim of gaining the upper hand and dominating the assembly—relies heavily on their tactical use of the previous speaker’s arguments. Fostering such an environment that resembles altercations (altercatio) practiced in the Roman courts of law, however, they unknowingly assist Beelzebub, who listens attentively before seizing his moment. With what he gathers from his peers, Beelzebub delivers a powerful speech that enslaves the audience to Satan’s will. To explore further the centrality of corrupted counseling and listening in the broader narrative of the fallen angels, this article also examines the ways in which an envious Satan fails to listen properly to God and falsely counsels his followers toward the fall.