The HELL WITHIN HIM is both the physical realm and the mental anguish which he must suffer for all eternity. Satan creates his own Hell, in his mind. God cast Satan and his ilk out of Heaven, but it is Satan who has tormented himself to greater lengths. Hell is a prison of the mind and soul- perhaps not a physical realm at all. Its existence could all be an elaborate dream inside of Satan’s head. There is a lot of sleep imagery in this set of lines (17-30) that could give such a theory some validity. Satan carries the knowledge and the memory of Hell wherever he travels. Another explanation for the HELL WITHIN HIM could be that his Hell is the fire of his hubris and vanity and the seeds of rebellion that were always inside of him and just needed an excuse to come out. The line suggests that Hell has always existed and that it is a mental torment that Satan puts himself through. It hints that perhaps not Hell itself, but the seeds or the promise of a future Hell always existed inside of Satan. The physical horrors of Hell are merely realized fragments of Satan’s evil and twisted thoughts. This is the irony of the punishment that God inflicts on Satan.

Lisa Stanton loyaltotheroyal@hotmail.com