An example of Epic Simile in Paradise Lost:
"...his ponderous shield...
Hung on his shoulders like the moon, whose orb
through optic glass the Tuscan artist views
At evening from the top of Fesole,
Or in Valdarno, to descry new lands,
Rivers or mountains in her spotty globe" (Bk. 1; Ln.284-291)
Here, Beelzebub's superior(I believe is Satan) is stepping up after Beelzebub has finished speaking. His shield is compared to the moon and Valdarno. Both of these are rough, but beautiful surfaces. I believe Milton is speaking to the nature of Satan, his legions, and Hell in this comparison as being rough, and imperfect, but still admired, loved, and closely inspected by people for its beauty. Before Galileo, people assumed that the Moon's surface was that of a sphere, but when Galileo looked at it "through optic glass," he found it to be rough and jagged with craters. This same concept is made with Valdarno's "Rivers or mountains in her spotty globe." While this is true, the moon and this valley are both beautiful sights to humanity.
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