paradise lost

epic poem

tells a story about momentous events while incorporating grand themes that are timeless and universal

date completed

1667

sources

homer's iliad and odyssey, vergil's aeneid, greco-roman mythology

settings

heaven, hell, firmament (chaos), earth

god the father, god the son

2/3 divine persons of the all-powerful godhead (single deity that created and rules all that exists outside of itself). no holy spirit in paradise lost

satan (lucifer, archfiend)

powerful and prideful angel who, with legions of supporters, leads an unsuccessful rebellion against god and suffers eternal damnation

adam and eve

the first human beings, created by god to fill the void that resulted when god cast satan and his supporters out of the celestial realm

gabriel, raphael, michael, uriel

powerful and fearless angels on the side of god

beelzebub, mammon, belial, moloch

powerful leaders in satan's army

ithuriel, zephron

angels who expel satan from the garden of eden with the help of a sign from god

abdiel

rebellious angel who repented and rejoined god's army of angels

mulciber

fallen angel who designs hell's capital city and seat of government, pandemonium

sin

daughter of satan. she was born from his head in the manner of athena, greek goddess of wisdom and war, who sprang from the forehead of zeus, king of the gods.

death

son of satan and sin

style and verse format

blank verse (unrhymed lines, always in iambic pentameter)

invocation of muse

writer requests divine help in composing his work

incorporating familiar stories

ancient world, shakespeare

how the story starts

in media res (in the middle of things) - satan and fallen angels discuss in hell

dramatic irony

adam and eve happily go about daily life in the garden unaware that they will succumb to the devil's temptation. satan fails to understand that it is impossible ultimately to thwart or circumvent divine will and justice

imagery

milton uses graceful, elegant personification

hyperbole

milton uses imposing, awe-inspiring exaggeration

personification

giving humanlike qualities to nonhuman objects

enjambment

no punctuation at end of line - flows to next line

main theme

to justify (explain and defend) the ways of god to man, and ultimately vindicate god's course of action in dealing with adam and eve after succumbing to temptation of satan and forbidden fruit

theme - inordinate pride

satan's pride leads to his downfall, continuing defiance of god

theme - envy

from his pride, satan becomes jealous of god the son, the new favorite of god the father

theme - revenge

satan is motivated to corrupt adam and eve and thereby subvert god's plans

theme - vanity

eve is led to believe - under the temptation of satan - that she can become godlike

theme - deceit

satan appears in many disguises and tells many lies during his mission to trick adam and eve

theme - infidelity

adam betrays god by siding with eve and eating the forbidden fruit

theme - unbridled pursuit of knowledge

adam and eve are led to seek knowledge beyond their ken - knowledge that will make them godlike

theme - volition

angels and humans alike possess free will, enabling them to make real decisions. satan freely chooses to rebel against god, adam and eve freely to eat the forbidden fruit. the consequences of their actions are their own fault, not god's. - PURPOSE - justify the ways of god to man

theme - disobedience

all sins are acts of disobedience against god, impairing or cutting off the sinner's relationship with god. adam and eve and all devils disobey god through sins

theme - repentance

even though adam and eve disobeyed god, their repentance makes them eligible for eventual salvation

theme - hope

at the end of paradise lost, adam and eve enter the imperfect world with hope that they can yet attain eternal salvation

theme - redemption

through the suffering and death of the son of god, sinful man can reconcile himself with god if he is sincerely sorry for his sins