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Raphael is an Archangel whom Milton refers to as “the sociable spirit,” a moniker that the angel certainly lives up to during his time on the page in Paradise Lost. In the poem, God sends this benevolent and agreeable spirit to warn Adam and Eve about Satan’s plan to corrupt humanity and lead them into the Hell that Satan now inhabits. However, along with giving this warning, Raphael spends several books of the poem sitting with Adam, telling him stories about Satan’s fall from Heaven and the creation of Eden, and pondering the nature of God’s universe. When relating the story of the war between Satan and God, Milton employs a useful rhetorical trick by having Raphael tell Adam that humans are unable to grasp the reality of angels or Heaven, so he will explain the war using terms and descriptions that Adam can understand. In doing so, Milton describes the angels as fighting with chariots, swords, and cannons, creating an epic physical battle, while also maintaining that angels’ true forms and true methods of battle are beyond human comprehension.
Unlike Michael, who mainly recites God’s commands verbatim to Adam, Raphael is far more talkative and open to discussion. In many ways, Raphael becomes a mouthpiece through which Milton not only can give expository details to the reader about Satan’s fall and the creation of Earth, but also voice his personal thoughts and confusions about astronomy and how the universe works. Note that during Milton’s lifetime, the Biblical beliefs about the solar system, which was thought to revolve around the Earth, had recently been controversially contested by the astronomer Galileo, who had discovered that the sun is the centerpiece of the solar system. As Adam’s interest in astronomy increases, Raphael encourages Adam to forget his questions, as he believes only God can, or should, know the answers. Raphael’s warning that some knowledge should not be sought further, foreshadows the fall of man. Through Raphael, Milton voices his own philosophy that humans should not attempt to comprehend things beyond their purview, as these attempts are not only fruitless but may also be dangerous, considering the quest for knowledge led to the fall of man. In many ways, Raphael’s conversation with Adam, so unlike the more serious dialogues between God and His angels, feels like a conversation between Milton and his reader. Milton not only relates the divine to us in great detail, but also works through some of his own existential questions by way of a dialogue between Adam and Raphael.
