Paradise Lost Book 2: Line 714-720 - Explanation

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Line. 714-720: as when two black clouds.....their frown.

      Satan, on his way to the new created material Universe, encountered at the gates of Hell, the grim figure of Death, who dragged him into a quarrel, and barred his exit. Satan incensed drew his weapon, and each at the other levelled his deadly aim. They frowned on each other also, and Milton compares their frowns to the louring sky which is often seen over the Caspian sea.

      These lines express by a simile how the two combatants, Satan and Death frowned on each other. They were like two tempestuous black clouds, charged with the full weight of vapour. Milton frequently reminds us of the immeasurable might of his characters by comparing them with such mighty phenomena of nature.

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