Paradise Lost

It was going along pretty good then I got to Book 9. Not sure if I'm going to be able to get past this. I am having a hard time figuring out what is going on. I have Spark Notes to help me though. Haven't given up yet though.

I've found the criticism of PL to be interesting. There's some speculation on who was the model for Satan - Cromwell? They talk about what life was like back in Milton's day - the English Civil War, the restoration of the King (I think that happened.) Milton was a big advocate for free speech but seems to have lacked a sense of humor. Lots of interesting stuff.