And now expecting Each hour their great adventurer, from the search Of foreign worlds 

Gustave Doré created this engraving to illustrate John Milton's epic poem, *Paradise Lost.* Doré, working in 19th-century France, lived in a time of political upheaval following the French Revolution and the rise and fall of Napoleon, a period of renewed social conservatism. The image depicts winged devils gathering, ready to welcome their leader. Doré's work invites us to consider how power is perceived and wielded, and to reflect on the poem’s exploration of disobedience. Milton’s epic, published in 1667, was written in the aftermath of the English Civil War and the execution of King Charles 1. Both Milton and Doré lived through times of religious and political conflict that challenged traditional authority. The visual vocabulary of romanticism emphasizes emotional intensity. As we gaze into the abyss, consider how it mirrors our own confrontations with authority, rebellion, and the search for meaning.