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Uriel is one of the seven Archangels of Heaven, and he is standing guard over Eden when Satan attempts his initial entrance into Paradise. Coming to Uriel in the false form of a lower cherubim, Satan convincingly pretends that he simply wants to look upon God’s beautiful new creation. Uriel, impressed by the angel’s devotion to worshiping God and His works, allows the disguised Satan passage into Eden.
Milton uses Uriel’s interaction with Satan as an opportunity to explain that angels are unable to understand hypocrisy and deceit, as their purity makes it difficult for them to recognize impurity in others. Thus, Uriel can be tricked by Satan, as true goodness such as Uriel cannot comprehend such subterfuge. Through Uriel, Milton comments on how easy it is for good beings – including people – to be manipulated by those who are fraudulent and sinful. He warns that people who see the world through a truly good and holy lens will be vulnerable to attacks from those who feign goodness but instead seek to harm.
However, the idea that it is impossible for an angel to conceptualize certain forms of evil – in this case, deception – raises questions surrounding the powers of Satan compared to the remaining unfallen Archangels. While some passages in Paradise Lost suggest that Satan’s fall from Heaven has made him into a weaker, baser version of his former glorious self, he is able, through his own powers of manipulation and falsehood, to intellectually defeat Uriel, and slip into Paradise uncontested. Although his methods are deceitful, Satan ultimately bests Uriel, calling into question the scope of Uriel and the other Archangels’ power.
