# God the Father — Paradise Lost character guide > God the Father in Paradise Lost by John Milton. **Role:** major **Also known as:** The Eternal, The incensed Father, Father, the Most High Eternal Father, the Almighty, the Almighty Father, The Almighty **First appearance:** 0000-book-i ## Snapshot The omnipotent sovereign of Heaven, whose decree of free will and foreknowledge frames the poem's moral universe, speaking with calm authority that makes rebellion both possible and inexcusable. ## Who they are From his throne, God the Father beholds the fallen angels and announces that their failure has not diminished Heaven, for he will create a new world and a race of men to fill the vacant seats. His speech to the Son is both a plan and a judgment, declaring that mercy and justice will meet in the incarnation, and that human obedience must be freely chosen to be worthy. He is not a character of psychological conflict but of absolute clarity, and his presence sets the terms against which every other being's freedom is measured. ## Relationships ### [Adam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/adam) _family_ Adam is God's created son, owing obedience and reverence, yet their relationship shifts from filial trust to judgment after Adam's disobedience. ### [Satan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/satan) _rivalry_ God and Satan are eternal adversaries, with Satan rebelling against divine authority and waging a cosmic war of pride versus omnipotence. ### [Eve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/eve) _family_ Eve is God's created daughter, initially obedient but later judged for her role in the Fall, creating a strained familial bond. ### [The Serpent](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/the_serpent) _rivalry_ God curses the serpent as the instrument of Satan's deception, marking it as an enemy of humanity and divine order. ### [Michael](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/michael) _professional_ Michael is God's loyal commander and messenger, entrusted with expelling Adam and Eve from Eden and revealing future history. ### [Uriel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/uriel) _professional_ Uriel serves as a faithful angel under God's command, tasked with guarding Paradise and reporting on Satan's intrusion. ### [Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/death) _rivalry_ Death is a punishment decreed by God for sin, making Death an instrument of divine justice and an antagonist to humanity. ### [Adam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/adam) _family_ Adam is God's created son, owing obedience and reverence, yet their relationship shifts from filial trust to judgment after Adam's disobedience. ### [Eve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/eve) _family_ Eve is God's created daughter, initially obedient but later judged for her role in the Fall, creating a strained familial bond. ### [Satan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/satan) _rivalry_ God and Satan are eternal adversaries, with Satan rebelling against divine authority and waging a cosmic war of pride versus omnipotence. ### [Uriel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/uriel) _professional_ Uriel serves as a faithful angel under God's command, tasked with guarding Paradise and reporting on Satan's intrusion. ### [Adam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/adam) _family_ Adam is God's created son, owing obedience and reverence, yet their relationship shifts from filial trust to judgment after Adam's disobedience. ## In the story ### [Book I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-i) The Almighty Power who hurled Satan and his rebel angels from Heaven into Hell, and whose providence permits Satan's actions for a greater good. ### [Book III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-iii) Sees Satan's approach, foretells Man's fall, and declares His plan of redemption through the Son. ### [Book IV: Satan's Soliloquy and the Temptation in Eden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-iv) Intervenes by hanging forth golden scales to prevent a destructive battle between Gabriel and Satan. ### [Book V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-v) Sends Raphael to admonish Adam; observes the rebellion rising in Heaven and speaks to the Son about the coming conflict. ### [Book VI: The War in Heaven](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-vi) Overrules and limits the might of the warring angels from His stronghold. ### [Book VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-vii) God declares his plan to create a new world after Satan's fall. ### [Book VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-viii) God appears to Adam in a vision, gives him Paradise, commands him not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and brings the animals for naming. ### [Book IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-ix) Referenced as the source of the prohibition and the judge of the trespass. ### [Book X: The Judgment, the Bridge, and the Reconciliation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-x) Approves the angels' vigilance, declares Satan's entrance unpreventable, and sends the Son to judge the transgressors. ### [Book XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-xi) Accepts the Son's intercession, decrees expulsion from Paradise, and commands Michael to reveal future events to Adam. ### [Book XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/chapters/book-xii) God's providence and mercy are emphasized throughout the chapter, guiding history and offering redemption through the Seed. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters/god_the_father - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/paradise_lost_se/characters