Satan is lamenting his pitiful outcome. He is not king over all, but only king of the damned. He is the leader of all those that wanted too much and will now suffer for it. Satan is supreme only in hardships and in torments. It is ironic that all along he has wanted a crown, but the crown he gets gives him no power. This says that not all kings and leaders are powerful or that they live a glorious life.
Satan is recognized as king of the underworld, but it is not a high ranking
position that anyone would want. This phrase could also be a put down on the
demons he is ruling, as well as his own leadership capabilities. If he is so
miserable than his minions must not be worth ruling over. Also, his actions led
to his misery so he must not be the great leader he thought he was.
Ambition during Milton's time was looked at as a negative quality. It is Satan's ambition that leads to his rebellion. Satan tries to turn this around and say that it is God's fault he rebelled because God created ambition. However, this is not true because though God did create ambition, he clearly says in
Book 3 that all his creations have
"free will." Satan had all that anyone could want in Heaven, but his ambition that was
controlled by his own free will made him revolt.
ambition- eager desire to succeed 2. the object of aspiration or desire