How does an individual cope with the fall from grace? The fallen angels in Milton's Paradise Lost use a variety of techniques to come to terms with their fate and the eternal despair it brings. For Satan, the task of coping is less involved with accepting one's desolate fate than embracing the pain that comes with it.
             The most vivid account of the fallen angels various means of coping with their fate is seen in book two. Satan has left Pandemonium and the angels are left to pass the time in his absence. "...the ranged Powers/Disband; and, wandering, each his several way/Pursues, as inclination or sad choice/Leads him perplexed, where he may likeliest find/Truce to his reckless thoughts," (2.522-5). As the angels go their own ways, some respond to their situation by "tearing" at and through the pain with anger: "Others, with vast Typhoean rage...ride the air/In whirlwind; Hell scarce holds the wild uproar." Some of the angels recoil sadly from the sorrow: "Others, more mild,/Retreated in a silent valley" (2.546-7). Of the remaining angels, some simply contemplate their situation, and seek to justify their anguish: "Others apart sat on a hill retired,/In thoughts more elevate, and reasoned high/Of Providence, Foreknowledge, Will and Fate" (2.557-9). For the angels, coping with the emotions of their fallen status is not about taking action. They must only accept the despair of their future, and deal with the sadness it entails.
             Satan's approach to coping with his fallen state is more proactive than the other angels. Satan seems to be dealing much more with personal rejection rather than simple despair about the future. He embraces the pain inside and seeks to avenge it; he does attempt to satiate his pain. In book one Satan first responds to the fall with great resolution: "What reinforcement we may gain from hope,/If not, what res
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