...Paradise Lost -John Milton- John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), written in blank verse. Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. Writing in English, Latin, Greek, and Italian, he achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644)—written in condemnation of pre-publication censorship—is among history's most influential and impassioned defenses of free speech and freedom of the press. William Hayley's 1796 biography called him the "greatest English author," and he remains generally regarded "as one of the preeminent writers in the English language," though critical reception has oscillated in the centuries since his death (often on account of his republicanism). Samuel Johnson praised Paradise Lost as "a poem which...with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the human mind," though he described Milton's politics as those of an "acrimonious and surly republican". Because of his republicanism, Milton has been the subject of centuries of British partisanship. The phases...
Words: 1872 - Pages: 8
...How has Milton’s Paradise Lost shaped modern depictions of Lucifer? John Milton’s Lucifer has become so prominent in modern discussion of hell and sin that it is often confused with the theological account of the devil. Luciferian characteristics or depictions of Lucifer himself can often be linked back to Milton’s Paradise Lost and I will discuss multiple ways that Lucifer has become integrated into modern popular culture. From DC Comics’ Lucifer Morningstar to Walter White in Breaking Bad, I will show how Milton’s Paradise Lost has shaped modern depictions of the devil. Milton’s Lucifer was seemingly created from the influence of the Italian Renaissance devils of Giambattista Marino and Torquato Tasso. Lucifer’s ‘prissy disdain for earth’ and hatred of man in Tasso’s Gerusalemme Liberta helped form Milton’s depiction of the character. Philip Beitchman suggests that ‘Milton saw Satan’s contempt for man formed from dust’, drawn from such lines as ‘Man, man the vile, born of vile mud’. This hatred is exemplified by Milton in the words ‘Woe to the inhabitants on Earth!’ paraphrasing the New Testament verse of Revelations 12:12. Beitchman suggests that Lucifer’s hatred is fuelled by the purpose of man, claiming that ‘it was standard wisdom that man was created to supply the place of fallen angels’. If man was created to replace him, then we can perhaps understand Lucifer’s disdain towards them in Paradise Lost. We ought to look towards Marino’s La strage degli innocent, in...
Words: 2881 - Pages: 12
...Literature and the Individual in Early Modern Masterpieces John Milton was a unique individual with the artistic ability to write various forms of literature in several different languages that catered to a wide scope of genres. Milton had a profound impact on the English language because of his contributions to the English dialect (Crace, 2008). Milton was a devout protestant that was not afraid to show his dedication to his beliefs regarding religion and his civil rights, even if it meant casting a different outlook on religion entirely. Within today’s society it can be concluded that Milton revolutionized the English language this will benefit the American Culture in the past, present, and future times. Milton’s response to earlier writer’s regarding his religious and political beliefs were quite exquisite. Milton was highly educated in all subjects including, theology, philosophy, and mathematics. Therefore, he was active in the country of Europe where he had the opportunity to meet great Renaissance writers like Galileo (Longman, p. 1796). Milton took it upon himself to sacrifice his poetic writings to set that aside and work full-time toward the Puritan Reformation, in which he focused on religious and political pieces that focused on Puritanism. He adopted strong beliefs as an individual who encourage other people to adopt the same outlooks on religion and politics. Therefore, the classical authority that of Milton’s defining markers can be clearly defined through authors...
Words: 1069 - Pages: 5
...Cosmology in Paradise Lost Nothing less than the creation and ordering of the universe defines the scope of Paradise Lost. The epic explores its cosmological theme in theoretical discussions between Adam and Raphael and in the narrator's descriptions and metaphors. Further, Milton imagines Satan surveying the universe in an expedition of discovery through a new world in his fall from Heaven and his passage through Chaos to Earth. Adam tries to understand the earth's physical place in the universe and its associated ontological and theological value as the home of man. He wonders aloud about "this Earth a spot, a grain,/ An Atom, with the Firmament compar'd/ And all her numbered Starrs, that seem to rowl /Spaces incomprehensible" (PL 8.17-21). Milton asks us to imagine the first man struggling with many of the same questions a Renaissance thinker, contemplating new models of the universe, must have considered. In response to the theory that everything revolves around the sun and not the earth, philosophers were forced to question the importance of man's role in the universal order. Raphael, responding to Adam's concerns, suggests there is no reason "bodies bright and greater should not serve / The less not bright, nor Heav'n such journies run / Earth sitting still" (PL 8.87-9). Yet, the poem does not answer all such questions directly, and scholars often find it difficult to determine Milton's attitude toward science. In these debates, it is helpful to remember that Milton was not...
Words: 4666 - Pages: 19
...Paradise Lost Paradise Lost is a poem about Adam and Eve, how they were created and how they came to lose their place in the Garden of Eden, which was also called Paradise. It is very similar to the book of Genesis in the Bible, except it is expanded by John Milton into a very long, detailed, narrative poem with a different view of Satan. Even though he leads a war against God, is sent to hell, and seeks revenge throughout the poem h still ends up being a very likable character. In “Paradise Lost” I think that Milton’s character Satan may be considered one of the most complex characters and is always changing. Of course at first he comes off as a very evil guy, who had a strong thirst for vengeance and liked to wreak havoc. Even though when we think of Satan we picture a guy dressed in red, with pointy ears and a pitchfork, with a long tail. Milton still found a way to kind of make readers feel a little sympathy for Satan for example like when he wakes up in Hell and is chained to a burning lake, when he shed a tear or when he was sad because Adam and Eve were living in Paradise and he wasn’t. It kind makes the readers have mixed emotions about him. On one end it is like that what he gets but on the other hand you can’t help but feel sorry for him. I would go as far as to say he is the hero in the poem but he is definitely one of the most interesting. He is evil, dangerous, and seductive, very persuasive, and acts like the victim sometimes. “Farewel Remorse: all Good to...
Words: 777 - Pages: 4
...Paradise Lost By John Milton John Milton Biography Early Years John Milton was born in London on December 9, 1608. His parents were John Milton, Sr. and Sarah Jeffery, who lived in a prosperous neighborhood of merchants. John Milton, Sr. was a successful scrivener or copyist who also dabbled in real estate and was noted as a composer of liturgical church music. The Miltons were prosperous enough that eventually they owned a second house in the country. Milton seems to have had a happy childhood. He spoke of his mother's "esteem, and the alms she bestowed." Of his father, Milton said that he "destined me from a child to the pursuits of Literature, . . . and had me daily instructed in the grammar school, and by other masters at home." Though the senior Milton came from a Catholic family, he was a Puritan himself. Milton's religion, therefore, was an outgrowth of family life and not something he chose at a later period in his maturity. Education Sometime, as early as age seven but perhaps later, Milton became a student at St. Paul's school, which was attached to the great cathedral of the same name. St. Paul's was a prestigious English public school — what would be called a "private school" in the U.S. Milton spent eight years as a "Pigeon at Paules," as the students were known, and came out a rather advanced scholar. He had studied the Trivium of Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic and had probably been exposed to the Quadrivium of Mathematics, Geometry, Astronomy, and Music. He...
Words: 3823 - Pages: 16
...Heroism of Paradise Lost Heroism can be described in many different ways. People have certain meanings as to what makes a hero, a hero. Some would like to say it’s about putting others before yourself and others would describe it as completing good deeds for their cities. Paradise Lost written by John Milton is an epic that tells the story of Adam and Eve and how they put the human race’s futures at stake for sin and death. Milton displays a good sense, which I support as well, of what a hero truly is. The story takes place in the Garden of Eden, but is referenced as “Paradise.” The battle between Satan and God created the mess that “caused all our woe” (Norton 1943). God asked Adam and Eve for one favor, which was the action of obedience towards God. They each were told not to eat the fruit from a tree. Satan created temptation for Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Adam, as a sacrifice to Eve, also ate from the Tree afterwards to prove his loyalty to Eve’s love. Now due to their actions the whole world and future human beings of the earth were living in sin for the rest of their lives. However, there was one hero who pardoned all man-kind from their sin and consequences of death. The most heroic character in this epic poem is the Son of God, who sacrificed himself to save God’s creation from death. The definition of heroism in this case represents someone who cares enough about the people that were created, to die for them and show them unconditional...
Words: 875 - Pages: 4
...Resisting Satan in Paradise Lost Satan, in Paradise Lost, is a very complex character. He constantly evolves throughout the poem. Over the years, critics have been questioning whether Milton wanted Satan to be appealing to readers. If this was his goal, he achieved it because most of the times one reads Paradise Lost it is hard not to sympathize with Satan’s character. The discussion over Satan has divided critics into “Satanists” and “Anti-Satanists”. John Carey says that “Satanists critics generally emphasize Satan’s courage; anti-Satanists his selfishness and folly” (133). He also says that this division diminishes the actual character. Satan is built upon ambivalence, which is “depth”. It cannot be said that Satan is a flat character. He goes through many phases along the poem. This essay will focus on Satan and how he evolves from the first time he appears in Book I to one passage from Book IX in which the Fall of Humankind takes place. His evolution will be analyzed through his actions and speech. In Book IX, Satan returns to Paradise but he feels tormented when he sees the beauties of the garden God created for Adam and Eve, but this does not stop him from achieve his purpose: tempt man and woman to obtain his revenge. Satan, in this book, is fully corrupted by his anger and thirst for revenge. In Book I, Satan is described as a titan of “monstrous size” that, watched from the right angle, could be mistaken for a mountain. Satan is not only great in size but also is...
Words: 1571 - Pages: 7
...John Milton (1608-74) Biographical notes Born into a strict Protestant family in London, Milton received an excellent education which he completed at Cambridge University. After Cambridge he dismissed a career in the Church, shocked by the corruption he saw there, and decided to concentrate on writing and studying the classics. In 1638 he travelled to France and Italy to further enhance his education and culture but returned to England after just over a year when he heard of the outbreak of the Civil War. Milton was a passionate Puritan and saw in Oliver Cromwell, leader of the Parliamentarians, not only a figure intent on suppressing Catholicism once and for all, but also one who would challenge the monarchy's belief in its divine right to rule. He was so supportive of Cromwell's cause that he gladly took office for him as Secretary for Foreign Tongues for the Commonwealth after the Parliamentarian victory. Following the Restoration, however, having been publicly on the side of the Parliamentarians during the war, he was in danger of prosecution. He was in fact imprisoned for a short period but was eventually granted a full pardon. By this time his eyesight had already begun to fail him and by 1652 he became completely blind and could continue writing only with the help of secretaries. This makes the completion of his greatest works, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, in these later years, even more extraordinary. In his final years he was cared for by his daughters...
Words: 953 - Pages: 4
...manipulation, breaking promises, and lying are acceptable political actions because “since men are a contemptible lot, and would not keep their promises to you, you too need not keep yours to them.” This idea of betrayal for the greater good, however effective, has been vilified and shunned in modern politics. Breaking treaties, manipulation, and leading through force are the trademarks of a dictator and should be avoided if one wants to compete in the modern political scene. 2. ------------------------------------------------- John Milton's Paradise Lost is a Protestant epic. Dante's Divine Comedy was a Catholic epic. How do you think the faiths and periods of the two poets shape the differences between their works? Provide examples from these works to support your response. John Milton was well-known for his Protestant views on politics and religion. In Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost”, he took a stand on his positions on religion. Milton despised the corruption he saw in the Catholic Church, attacking it both in his poetry and in prose. I think because of Milton’s highly...
Words: 779 - Pages: 4
...Paradise Lost by John Milton: Discuss the relationship between Adam and Eve, as portrayed in Book 9 of Paradise Lost. How does Milton’s portrayal compare to or differ from how Adam and Eve are typically portrayed, described, or understood? Thoughts of Eve conjure images of a meek woman who is submissive and created to serve her husband. Adam is thought of as a strong, beautiful man created in the likeness of God. He is the ruler of land and sea and leader of all mankind. Their relationship is thought of as idyllic and unified, even throughout and after their fall. However, Milton casts a different light on their relationship and personal traits in Book 9 of Paradise Lost. Adam’s submissive helpmate becomes an independent, contrary, challenging woman in Book 9 where he becomes a mild, somewhat weak pushover. Adam appears to be the voice of reason. He is seen as the one enamored with his wife and protective of her well-being. Eve though challenges his trust and gets frustrated with his attempt to keep her close. It’s like she feels smothered by his presence and feels that a little separation from each other would be beneficial to their relationship. The birth of women’s manipulative power over men begins right there in the Garden (speculation of course). She tells him, “Frail is our happiness, if this be so, / And Eden were no Eden thus exposed” (2098). Adam becomes a pushover when Eve wears him down with her constant rebuttals and grants her wish, but warns her that she knows...
Words: 767 - Pages: 4
...Milton’s epic poem ‘Paradise Lost’ and Jonson’s comedy play ‘Volpone’ both explore the nature of innocence – moreover, its fragility. Through their examination of justice, societal conventions, and their relationship with their audiences both writers challenge conceptions of innocence held at their time of writing. Arguably, relationships between the notion of innocence and audiences have changed over time, yet it is that which makes both works timeless pieces of longstanding fascination. The theme of justice – and subsequently the definition of ‘innocence’ – is a field explored by both Milton and Jonson. In ‘Paradise Lost’, Milton presents governance in the divine justice of God. The authority of God is asserted in his casting Satan out of Heaven – leaving him “full of anguish” and intent on “man’s destruction”, as a means to challenge the supremacy of God. Adam and Eve are presented as “innocent” at the start of Book Nine, yet to eat from the Tree of Knowledge and to fall from grace. Milton conveys the pair’s purity through the use of natural imagery: “the humid flowers” and the “sweetest scent and airs”. However, Milton also foreshadows the Fall by contrasting the natural innocence of the pre-lapsarian couple with ideas of modern religion – “sacred light”, “incense”, “earth’s great alter”. Suggesting that Adam and Eve were predestined to lose their “innocent” nature, Milton asserts his own ideas of religion: contrary to 17th century Christian orthodoxy, Milton believed that the...
Words: 1216 - Pages: 5
...In Paradise Lost, poet John Milton focuses on telling the story of the fall of mankind to his readers, specifically the temptation of Adam and Eve by the devil at the beginning of creation. By caving into sin and disobeying God’s commands by eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Eve lose the beautiful paradise in which they live and become aware of the presence of sin in their lives. Adam and Eve’s disobedience becomes even worse when one realizes that their mistake will not only affect their future, but also the future of all human beings who have yet to be born. However, by portraying God as both just and merciful, Milton conveys to his readers the belief that despite all of their shortcomings, there is still hope for Adam...
Words: 416 - Pages: 2
...Paradise Lost By John Milton The Book note Table of Contents Introduction Cast of Characters Plot Summary An Analysis of Major Characters Satan Adam Eve Chapter Summary and Analysis Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book 5 and 6 Book 7 Book 8 and 9 Book 10 Book 11 and 12 Symbols and Themes Quotes The Quiz Introduction John Milton was born in London on December 9, 1608. He was the son of a successful Protestant merchant, and was provided with an excellent education that included the opportunity to travel widely throughout Europe. He was fluent in a number of classical as well as modern languages, including Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic, Spanish, Italian, French and Dutch. In 1625, he began his attendance at Cambridge University with the intention of becoming a clergyman in the Church of England, but was disillusioned by what he considered the arrogance and ignorance of his fellow students. He decided that his true calling was to serve God and his country as an author and poet. Inspired by Roman poets of antiquity, and particularly Virgil, Milton aspired to create a great epic poem in the English language. He considered two other distinctly British topics for his epic—the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and the military exploits of the general Oliver Cromwell—before settling on the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and their fall from God’s grace through disobedience. Milton was politically active throughout his life, and was outspoken...
Words: 15072 - Pages: 61
...Homer, Virgil and Milton Homer, Virgil and Milton’s use of allusion in their literature is apparent and most likely educational. They all have clear and recurring parallels between their works. Particularly complex are the allusions to Achilles, which appear in the portrayals of both Aeneas and Turnus. W. S. Anderson, in his influential article1 on Vergil's use of the Iliad, has argued that although Achilles is initially invoked as a model for both Aeneas and Turnus in Aeneid, as the poem progresses Vergil establishes Aeneas as the true heir to Achilles, while Turnus becomes a new Hector or Paris. Book 9 opens with Iris urging Turnus to take advantage of Aeneas' absence by attacking the Trojan camp, a clear reference to Iliad where Iris rouses Achilles to drive the Trojans from the Greek camp. Anderson has argues that “Vergil uses this allusion to support Turnus' own false notion that he is a new Achilles,” a delusion which is gradually dispelled in Book 10 after the reappearance of the real successor to Achilles, Aeneas. The resemblance of the attack of the Latins on the Trojan camp to the attack of Hector and his companions on the Greek camp in Iliad Book 8 and 12 seems to support such a view, placing Turnus in the role of Hector and not Achilles. Later, however, the issue is complicated further as in his slow retreat before the Trojans Turnus is reminiscent of Ajax in Iliad. Finally, just at the end of his retreat, Turnus turns and just jumps into the river, like Achilles'...
Words: 877 - Pages: 4
