Paradise

 The poem opens with an invocation; that's when the speaker asks the muses
– ancient deities thought to inspire poetry and art – to inspire him, give him
the ability to perform, etc. We see speakers talk to their muses in the
beginning of a lot of epic poems; check out the first lines of the Iliad.

 He asks the muses to sing about "man's first disobedience" (1), the Forbidden
Fruit, his exile from Eden, his eventual redemption through Jesus Christ, etc

 Satan addresses Beelzebub, saying he doesn't look like the friend he knew in
Heaven (apparently, the fallen angels have also undergone a change in
appearance as well as location).

 Satan describes how he and a bunch of other angels fought with God and
lost. Although they've been beaten, all is not lost.

 Beelzebub responds, saying that he's upset and worried about the current
state of affairs
 He suggests that the only reason they still feel strong and courageous – still
feel alive – is so that they can completely experience their punishment and
satisfy God's "vengeful ire."

 Satan responds, saying that their goal from now on is to be evil: "To do ought
good never will be our task, / But ever to do ill our sole delight" (1.159-60). If
God does something good, they will try to screw it up.

 Satan suggests that he and Beelzebub move to a nearby plain and think
about how to war against God, deal with the horrors of their circumstances,
and repair their losses.

 As Satan moves towards the plain, the narrator describes him: he is much
bigger than any of the famous giants of classical mythology or the bible. He is
so big, a sailor might mistake him for an island and attempt to moor his boat
there.

 He moves off the lake and flies – these fallen angels still have their wings – to
the plain, which is also burning. Beelzebub eventually follows him.

 Satan looks around and says it's not so bad because he'd rather be as far
from God as possible.
 He then suggests that his forces reassemble on the plain so they can figure
out a plan of action.