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Although Beelzebub is used in many Christian and secular contexts as simply another name for Satan, in Paradise Lost, Milton characterizes him as a separate fallen angel. Beelzebub is Satan’s second-in-command and is the first compatriot that Satan addresses after the fall. While Satan immediately begins by stating that his unconquerable will has not been lost, and that he will never yield to God, Beelzebub is more cautious in his observation of their predicament. He admits that their fall proves God’s omnipotence, and that he regrets their rebellion, which has landed them in suffering and misery. Satan, however, plants the idea that they might find some revenge in the destruction of God’s other works and creations, and as the fallen angels familiarize themselves with their new state and begin to discuss their options, Beelzebub falls increasingly in line with Satan’s bold scheming.
At the congress of fallen angels, many step forward to advise on how they should move forward, but Beelzebub makes the winning argument. Here, Beelzebub acts as a mouthpiece for Satan – his argument is a more detailed account of Satan’s earlier proposition. Beelzebub reminds the other fallen angels of God’s new project – the creation of man – and suggests that they might put their power into corrupting man and bringing him to Hell, therefore wounding God through the destruction of His favorite creation. In his speech, Beelzebub portrays his intellectual prowess, showing himself to have superior faculties compared to the other fallen angels, cementing his position as Satan’s right hand. However, when we consider that Beelzebub is only repeating Satan’s original idea, he loses some of his independent characterization, becoming to Satan what Michael is to God – a messenger vessel rather than a free-thinking being. The hierarchy of Hell, which places Satan at the helm both in terms of intellectual abilities and spiritual powers, calls into question whether anyone but Satan has achieved liberation in the fall, and if the fallen angels have simply traded in one authoritarian for another.
