Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It
was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual
lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, redivided into twelve books (in the manner
of the division of Virgil's Aeneid) with minor revisions throughout and a note on the
versification; the majority of the poem was written while Milton was blind, and was
transcribed for him.[1]
The poem concerns the Judeo-Christian story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and
Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose,
stated in Book I, is to "justify the ways of God to men"[2] and elucidate the conflict between
God's eternal foresight and free will.
Milton incorporates Paganism, classical Greek references, and Christianity within the poem. It
deals with diverse topics from marriage, politics (Milton was politically active during the time
of the English Civil War), and monarchy, and grapples with many difficult theological issues,
including fate, predestination, the Trinity, and the introduction of sin and death into the world,
as well as angels, fallen angels, Satan, and the war in heaven. Milton draws on his knowledge
of languages, and diverse sources primarily Genesis, much of the New Testament, the
deuterocanonical Book of Enoch, and other parts of the Old Testament. Milton's epic is
generally considered one of the greatest literary works in the English language.

[edit] Synopsis
The story was revised into twelve books after initial publication, following the model of the
Aeneid of Virgil. The book lengths varythe longest being Book IX, with 1,189 lines and the
shortest, Book VII, having 640. In the second edition, each book was preceded by a summary
titled "The Argument". The poem follows the epic tradition of starting in medias res (Latin for
in the midst of things), the background story being told in Books V-VI.
Milton's story contains two arcs: one of Satan (Lucifer) and another of Adam and Eve. The
story of Satan follows the epic convention of large-scale warfare. It begins after Satan and the
other rebel angels have been defeated and cast by God into Hell, or as it is also called in the
poem, Tartarus. In Pandmonium, Satan employs his rhetorical skill to organize his
followers; he is aided by his lieutenants Mammon and Beelzebub. Belial and Moloch are also
present. At the end of the debate, Satan volunteers himself to poison the newly created Earth.
He braves the dangers of the Abyss alone in a manner reminiscent of Odysseus or Aeneas.
The story of Adam and Eve's temptation and fall is a fundamentally different, new kind of
epic: a domestic one. Adam and Eve are presented for the first time in Christian literature as
having a full relationship while still without sin. They have passions and distinct personalities.
Satan successfully tempts Eve by preying on her vanity and tricking her with rhetoric, and

Adam, seeing Eve has sinned, knowingly commits the same sin. He declares to Eve that since
she was made from his flesh, they are bound to one another so that if she dies, he must also
die. In this manner Milton portrays Adam as a heroic figure, but also as a deeper sinner than
Eve, as he is smarter than Eve and knows that what he is doing is wrong.
After eating the fruit, Adam and Eve have lustful sex, and at first, Adam is convinced that Eve
was right in thinking that eating the fruit would be beneficial. However, they soon fall asleep,
having terrible nightmares, and after they awake, they experience guilt and shame for the first
time. Realizing that they have committed a terrible act against God, they engage in mutual
recrimination.
However, Eve's pleas to Adam reconcile them somewhat. Her encouragement enables Adam
and Eve both to approach God, to "bow and sue for grace with suppliant knee," and to receive
grace from God. Adam goes on a vision journey with an angel where he witnesses the errors
of man and the Great Flood, and is saddened by the sin that they have released through
consumption of the fruit. However, he is also shown hopethe possibility of redemption
through a vision of Jesus Christ. They are then cast out of Eden and the archangel Michael
says that Adam may find "A paradise within thee, happier far." They now have a more distant
relationship with God, who is omnipresent but invisible (unlike the previous, tangible, Father
in the Garden of Eden).
The contents of the 12 books are:
Book I: In a long, twisting opening sentence mirroring the epic poetry of the Ancient Greeks,
the poet invokes the "Heavenly Muse" and states his theme, the Fall of Man, and his aim, to
"justify the ways of God to men."[2] Satan, Beelzebub, and the other rebel angels are described
as lying on a lake of fire, from which Satan rises up to claim Hell as his own domain and
delivers a rousing speech to his followers ("Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.").[3]
The logic of Satan (Satanic Logic) is introduced by: "The mind is its own place, and in itself/
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven."[4]
Book II: Satan and the rebel angels debate whether to wage another war on Heaven, and
Beelzebub tells them of a new world being built which is to be the home of Man. Satan
decides to visit this new world, passes through the Gates of Hell, past the sentries Sin and
Death, and journeys through the realm of Chaos. Here, Satan is described as having given
birth to Sin with a burst of flame from his forehead, before he began open warfare with God
as Athena was born from the head of Zeus.
Book III: God observes Satan's journey and foretells how Satan will bring about Man's Fall.
God emphasises, that the Fall will come about as a result of Man's own free will, and excuses
himself of responsibility. The Son of God offers himself as a ransom for Man's disobedience,
an offer which God accepts, ordaining the Son's future incarnation and punishment. Satan
arrives at the rim of the universe, disguises himself as an angel, and is directed to Earth by
Uriel, Guardian of the Sun.
Book IV: Satan journeys to the Garden of Eden, where he observes Adam and Eve discussing
the forbidden Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan, observing their innocence and
beauty hesitates in his task, but concludes that "reason just,/ Honour and empire"[5] compel
him to do this deed which he "should abhor." Satan tries to tempt Eve while she sleeps, but is
discovered by the angels. The angel Gabriel expels Satan from the Garden.
Book V: Eve awakes and relates her dream to Adam. God sends Raphael to warn and
encourage Adam: they talk of free will and predestination; Raphael tells Adam the story of
how Satan inspired his angels to revolt against God.

Book VI: Raphael goes on to describe further the war in Heaven and explains how the Son of
God drove Satan and his minions down to Hell.
Book VII: Raphael explains to Adam that God then decided to create another world (the
Earth); he again warns Adam not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, for "in the day
thou eat'st, thou diest;/ Death is the penalty imposed, beware,/ And govern well thy appetite,
lest Sin/ Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death".
Book VIII: Adam tells the story of his creation from his own perspective, providing a
counterpoint to Raphael's instruction in Book VI. Adam asks Raphael for knowledge
concerning the stars and the angelic nature; Raphael warns "heaven is for thee too high/ To
know what passes there; be lowly wise", and advises modesty and patience.
Book IX: Satan returns to Eden and enters into the body of a sleeping serpent. The serpent
tempts Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. She eats and takes some fruit for Adam.
Adam, realising Eve has been tricked, decides he would rather die with Eve than live without
her; he eats of the fruit. At first the two become intoxicated by the fruit; they become lustful,
engaging in sexual intercourse; afterwards, in their loss of innocence Adam and Eve cover
their nakedness and fall into despair: "They sat them down to weep, nor only tears/ Rained at
their eyes, but high winds worse within/ Began to rise, high passions, anger, hate,/ Mistrust,
suspicion, discord, and shook greatly/ Their inward state of mind."
Book X: God sends his Son to Eden to deliver judgment on Adam and Eve. Satan returns in
triumph to Hell.
Book XI: The Son of God pleads with his Father on behalf of Adam and Eve. God decrees the
couple must be expelled from the Garden, and the angel Michael descends to deliver God's
judgment. Michael begins to unfold the future history of the world to Adam.
Book XII: Michael tells Adam of the eventual coming of the Messiah, before leading Adam
and Eve from the Garden. They have lost the physical Paradise, but now have the opportunity
to enjoy a "Paradise within ... happier farr." The poem ends: "The World was all before them/
where to choose Their place of rest/ and Providence Their guide: They hand in hand with
wandering steps and slow/ Through Eden took, Their solitaire way."[6] Milton has connected
the condition of Adam and Eve with the condition of the reader of the epic.

[edit] Characters
Satan: Satan is the first major character introduced in the poem. A beautiful youth, he is a
tragic figure best described by his well known words "Better to reign in Hell than serve in
Heaven". He is introduced to Hell after a failed rebellion to wrestle control of Heaven from
God. Satan's desire to rebel against his creator stems from his unwillingness to accept that all
beings don't deserve freedom, declaring the angels "self-begot, self-raised",[7] thereby
eliminating Gods authority over them as their creator.
Satan is portrayed as charismatic, and persuasive. Satan's persuasive powers are first evident
when he makes arguments to his angel-followers as to why they should try to overthrow God.
He argues that they ought to have equal rights to God and that Heaven is an unfair monarchy,
stating, "Who can in reason then or right assume/ Monarchy over such as live by right/ His
equals, if in power and splendor less / In freedom equal? or can introduce/ Law and edict on
us, who without law/ Err not, much less for this to be our Lord,/ And look for adoration to th'
abuse/ Of those imperial titles which assert/ Our being ordained to govern, not to serve?."[8]
Satan's persuasive powers are also evident during the scene in which he assumes the body of a
snake in order to convince Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. First, he
wins Eve's trust by giving her endless compliments. And when she is perplexed (and

impressed) by a "serpent" that is able to talk, Satan tells her that he gained the ability to talk
by eating from the Tree of Knowledge and argues that if she were to also eat from the Tree,
she would become god-like. He convinces her that the fruit will not kill her and that God will
not be upset with her if she eats from the tree. Like his argument to his followers, Satan also
argues against God's omnipotence, stating "Why then was [eating from the Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil] forbid? Why but to awe,/ Why but to keep ye low and ignorant,
/ [God's] worshippers; he knows that in the day/ Ye eat thereof, your eyes that seem so clear,/
Yet are but dim, shall perfectly be then/ Opened and cleared, and ye shall be as gods./ So ye
shall die perhaps, by putting off/ Human, to put on gods."[9]
Satan is narcissistic to the point of solipsism. His ego is both his greatest strength as it
motivates him to succeed but also his greatest weakness. He is continually outdone by his
own overconfidence. Satan's pathological vanity is shown by the fact that he is actually
aroused by his own image. Upon observing that Sin resembles a female version of himelf, he
feels sexual attraction to her (before finding out that she is his daughter). Milton's Satan feels
guilt and doubt before he tricks Eve, knowing the results of his actions will curse innocents.
Similarly, Satan has feelings of guilt when he first enters Paradise. But his feelings always
turn to re-affirmation once he reflects on his own exile from Heaven.
The role of Satan as a driving force in the poem has been the subject of much scholarly
debate. Positions range from views of William Blake who stated Milton "wrote in fetters
when [he] wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell, [because] he was
a true Poet and of the Devil's party without knowing it"[10] to critic William H. Marshall's
interpretation of the poem as a Christian morality tale.[11]
Adam: Adam is the first human in Eden created by God. He is more intelligent than Eve and
is also stronger, not only physically but morally. From the questions he asks the angel
Raphael, it is clear that Adam has a deep, intellectual curiosity about his existence, God,
Heaven, and the nature of the world. This is a kind of curiosity that Eve does not have.
As in the Bible, Eve is subservient to Adam, but in Milton's version of the story, Adam is
rather easily manipulated by Eve's charms and good looks. Adam, in Milton's version of the
character, is worshipful of Eve, partially because of her great beauty, and at times, is
subservient to her wishes. His fall will result from this excessive and almost submissive love
to his wife, namely his "uxoriousness". Hence, the power dynamic between Adam and Eve is
more complicated than the one that is established in the Bible.
Adam also feels a noble sense of responsibility towards Eve (since she was, after all, created
from his rib), and he fears for her safety, especially after hearing from the angel Raphael of
Satan's infiltration of Paradise.
As opposed to the Biblical Adam, this version of Adam is given a glimpse of the future of
mankind (this includes a synopsis of stories from The Old and New Testaments), by the angel
Michael, before he has to leave Paradise.
Eve: Eve is the second human created, taken from one of Adam's ribs and shaped into a
female form of Adam. In a positive sense (depending on your point of view), she is the model
of a good subject and wife. She consents to Adam leading her away from her reflection when
they first meet, trusting Adams authority in their relationship until she is influenced by Satan.

She is extremely beautiful, and her beauty not only obsesses Adam but also herself. After she
is born, she gazes at her reflection in a pool of water, transfixed by her image. Even after
Adam calls out to her, she returns to her image. It is not until God tells her to go to Adam that
she consents to being led from the pool. Like Satan, she is falling prey to the sin of Pride.
Eve first comes into contact with satanic influence in her dreams. After this incident she starts
to develop the independent streak that perplexes Adam, particularly when she insists on going
off by herself to work in the garden, even though Adam warns her against it.
Once she is alone, Satan tempts her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He
approaches her in the body of a snake and manipulates her by appealing to her pride and
vanity.
Likewise, she soon gets Adam to eat from the tree as well, though he does this because he
doesn't want to lose Eve. This creates a complexity that is not in the Biblical version of the
story. In this version, Adam reasons that Eve will probably die soon from eating the fruit, so
he eats the fruit because he would rather die with her than live alone.
Later, when they don't die and Adam realizes that their actions in the garden have cursed all of
mankind, he is harsh on Eve, blaming her for their transgression. At this point, Eve gets on her
knees and begs Adam for forgiveness. And since Adam still loves Eve, he forgives her,
sharing some of the blame with her.
The Son of God: The Son of God in Paradise Lost is Jesus Christ, though he is never named
explicitly, since he has not yet entered human form. The Son is very heroic and powerful,
singlehandedly defeating Satan and his followers when they violently rebel against God and
driving them into Hell. Also, after the Father explains to him how Adam and Eve shall fall,
and how the rest of humanity will be doomed to follow them in their cursed footsteps, the Son
selflessly and heroically proclaims that he will take the punishment for humanity. The Son
endows hope to the poem, because although Satan conquers humanity by successfully
tempting Adam and Eve, the victory is temporary because the Son will save the human race.
[12]

God the Father: God the Father is the creator of Eden, Heaven, Hell, and of each of the main
characters. While depicted as pompous, irrascible, selfish and obnoxious, He is an allpowerful and all-knowing being who cannot be overthrown by even the one-third of the
angels Satan incites against him. The poem portrays Gods process of creation in the way that
Milton believed it was done, that God created Heaven, Earth, Hell, and all the creatures that
inhabit these separate planes from part of Himself, not out of nothing.[13] Thus, according to
Milton, the ultimate authority of God derives from his being the "author" of creation. Satan
tries to justify his rebellion by denying this aspect of God and claiming self-creation, but he
admits to himself this is not the case, and that God "deserved no such return/ From me, whom
He created what I was."[14][15]
Raphael: Raphael is an angel who is sent by God to warn Adam about Satan's infiltration of
Eden and to warn him that Satan is going to try to curse Adam and Eve. Raphael initially
meets with both Adam and Eve but has a private discussion about Satan with Adam only.
During this discussion, Raphael tells Adam the story of Satan's rebellion and subsequent exile
into Hell. After this, because of Adam's curiosity, Raphael also explains to Adam how God
created the Earth and the universe.

Michael: After Adam and Eve disobey God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, God
sends the angel Michael to visit Adam and Eve. His duty is to escort Adam and Eve out of
Paradise. But before this happens, Michael shows Adam visions of the future which cover an
outline of the Bible, from the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis, up through the story of Jesus
in the New Testament. This vision is meant to show Adam what happens to mankind and to
show Adam how Jesus will redeem humanity and eventually drive out Satan, Sin, and Death
from the Earth.
Amenadiel: An aggressive, authoritarian and vindictive angel with slavish adherence to God's
law and a fanatical hatred and jealousy of Lucifer. Amenadiel leads the charge against
Lucifer's rebel horde and opens the battle by clouting Lucifer on the helmet with his sword.

[edit] Composition
Milton began writing the epic in 1658 at the age of fifty, during the last years of the English
Republic. Infighting among different military and political factions that doomed the Republic
may show up in the Council of Hell scenes in Book II. Although he probably finished the
work by 1664, Milton did not publish until 1667, because of the Great Plague and the Great
Fire.
Milton composed the entire work while completely blind. It is presumed he had glaucoma,
necessitating the use of paid amanuenses and his daughters. The poet claimed that a divine
spirit inspired him during the night, leaving him with verses that he would recite in the
morning.[dubious discuss]

[edit] Context
The work is influenced by the Bible, Milton's own Puritan upbringing and religious
perspective (including elements of Arminianism, Phineas Fletcher, Edmund Spenser, the
Roman poets Virgil and Ovid, Greek poets Theocritus and Homer, Italian poet Dante
Alighieri, and the traditions of epic poetry). It may also have been influenced by Lucifer, a
play by Joost van den Vondel.
Later in life, Milton wrote the much shorter sequel to Paradise Lost entitled Paradise
Regained, charting the temptation of Christ by Satan, and the return of the possibility of
paradise. The reputation of the sequel never equaled its antecedent.

[edit] Themes
[edit] Marriage

Milton first presents Adam and Eve in Book IV with impartiality. The relationship between
Adam and Eve is one of "mutual dependence, not a relation of domination or hierarchy."
While the author does place Adam above Eve in regard to his intellectual knowledge, and in
turn his relation to God, he also grants Eve the benefit of knowledge through experience.
Hermine Van Nuis clarifies that although there is a sense of stringency associated with the
specified roles of the male and the female, each unreservedly accepts the designated role
because it is viewed as an asset.[16] Instead of believing that these roles are forced upon them,
each uses the obligatory requirement as a strength in their relationship with each other. These
minor discrepancies reveal the authors view on the importance of mutuality between a
husband and a wife.
When examining the relationship between Adam and Eve, critics tend to accept an either
Adam-or Evecentered view in terms of hierarchy and importance to God. David Mikics
argues, by contrast, these positions "overstate the independence of the characters' stances, and
therefore miss the way in which Adam and Eve are entwined with each other".[17] Milton's true
vision reflects one where the husband and wife (in this instance, Adam and Eve) depend on
each other and only through each others differences are able to thrive.[17] While most readers
believe that Adam and Eve fail because of their fall from paradise, Milton would argue that
the resulting strengthening of their love for one another is true victory.
Although Milton does not directly mention divorce, critics posit theories on Milton's view of
divorce based on inferences found within the poem. Other works by Milton suggest he viewed
marriage as an entity separate from the church. Discussing Paradise Lost, Biberman
entertains the idea that "marriage is a contract made by both the man and the woman".[18]
Based on this inference, Milton would believe that both man and woman would have equal
access to divorce, as they do to marriage.
Feminist critics of Paradise Lost suggest that Eve is forbidden the knowledge of her own
identity. Moments after her creation, before Eve is led to Adam, she becomes enraptured by
an image reflected in the water (her own, unbeknownst to Eve).[19] God urges Eve to look
away from her own image, her beauty, which is also the object of Adams desire. Adam
delights in both her beauty and submissive charms, yet Eve may never be permitted to gaze
upon her individual form. Critic Julia M. Walker argues that because Eve neither recognizes
nor names herself ... she can know herself only in relation to Adam.[20] Eves sense of self
becomes important in its absence ... [she] is never allowed to know what she is supposed to
see.[21] Eve therefore knows not what she is, only what she is not: male. Starting in Book IV,
Eve learns that Adam, the male form, is superior and How beauty is excelled by manly
grace/ And wisdom which alone is truly fair.[22] Led by his gentle hand, she yields, a woman
without individual purpose, destined to fall by free will.

[edit] Idolatry
Milton's 17th century contemporaries by and large criticized Miltons ideas and considered
him as a radical, mostly because of his well-known Protestant views on politics and religion.
One of Milton's greatest and most controversial arguments centers on his concept of what is
idolatrous; this topic is deeply embedded in Paradise Lost.
Milton's first criticism of idolatry focuses on the practice of constructing temples and other
buildings to serve as places of worship. In Book XI of Paradise Lost, Adam tries to atone for
his sins by offering to build altars to worship God. In response, the angel Michael explains

Adam does not need to build physical objects to experience the presence of God.[23] Joseph
Lyle points to this example, explaining "When Milton objects to architecture, it is not a
quality inherent in buildings themselves he finds offensive, but rather their tendency to act as
convenient loci to which idolatry, over time, will inevitably adhere."[24] Even if the idea is pure
in nature, Milton still believes that it will unavoidably lead to idolatry simply because of the
nature of humans. Instead of placing their thoughts and beliefs into God, as they should,
humans tend to turn to erected objects and falsely invest their faith. While Adam attempts to
build an altar to God, critics note Eve is similarly guilty of idolatry, but in a different manner.
Harding believes Eve's narcissism and obsession with herself constitutes idolatry.[25]
Specifically, Harding claims that "... under the serpents influence, Eves idolatry and selfdeification foreshadow the errors into which her 'Sons' will stray."[25] Much like Adam, Eve
falsely places her faith into herself, the Tree of Knowledge, and to some extent, the Serpent,
all of which do not compare to the ideal nature of God.
Furthermore, Milton makes his views on idolatry more explicit with the creation of
Pandemonium and the exemplary allusion to Solomons temple. In the beginning of Paradise
Lost, as well as throughout the poem, there are several references to the rise and eventual fall
of Solomon's temple. Critics elucidate that "Solomons temple provides an explicit
demonstration of how an artifact moves from its genesis in devotional practice to an
idolatrous end."[26] This example, out of the many presented, conveys Miltons views on the
dangers of idolatry distinctly. Even if one builds a structure in the name of God, even the best
of intentions can become immoral. In addition, critics have drawn parallels between both
Pandemonium and Saint Peter's Basilica,[citation needed] and the Pantheon. The majority of these
similarities revolve around a structural likeness, but as Lyle explains, they play a greater role.
By linking Saint Peters Basilica and the Pantheon to Pandemoniuman ideally false
structure, the two famous buildings take on a false meaning.[27] This comparison best
represents Milton's Protestant views, as it rejects both the purely Catholic perspective and the
Pagan perspective.
In addition to rejecting Catholicism, Milton revolted against the idea of a monarch ruling by
divine right. He saw the practice as idolatrous. Barbara Lewalski concludes that the theme of
idolatry in Paradise Lost "is an exaggerated version of the idolatry Milton had long associated
with the Stuart ideology of divine kingship".[28] In the opinion of Milton, any object, human or
non-human, that receives special attention befitting of God, is considered idolatrous.