Paradise Lost - John Milton (1667)

John Milton (16081674) a Puritan rebel Took up pen against the king - sympathy for the arch-rebel Satan? Paradise Lost in the context of the English Civil War (1642-1648) Felix culpa happy sin man potentially greater because of the fall and redemption free will makes man greater for his individual struggles loss and regaining of Paradise Purpose justify the ways of God to men Motives: religious Language: Latin or English? - Compromise: invented new language Of Man's first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste Brought death into the World, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, Sing, Heavenly Muse, that, on the secret top [Holy Spirit] Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed [Moses] In the beginning how the heavens and earth Rose out of Chaos: or, if Sion hill Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God, I thence Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th' Aonian mount, while it pursues [Home of Muses] Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme. The Invocation of the Muse Holy Spirit voice or power of God Milton wants to surpass Homer and Virgil wants to glorify God what in me is dark / Illumine Reinvents classical convention from a Christian perspective Nine muses of classical epics on Helicon; his Muse soars above them Iliad and Aeneid great classical epics of Greece and Rome; Paradise Lost the first English epic Epic long and poetically well-constructed, Subject: significant and original, Form: strict and serious, Aims: noble and heroic Homer & Virgil the journey of heroic men, like Achilles or Milton most original story known to man tragic journey of all menresult of mankinds

(ll.1-16)

Aeneas great wars between men Satan

disobedience Most epic battle: God v. Satan, good v. evil

Prologue: no mention of Satan focus but not the subject of the poem!!! In medias res fallen angels defeated and banished from Heaven Defeated - establishing a new course for himself and followers Satan the Hero? the hero or protagonist is a person who struggles to accomplish something Books I-III - about the antagonist Book IV - meet Adam and Eve - know what they are up against Satan is the most active force in the story Epic Similes (ll. 192-210) depict how big and powerful Satan is Satan on the burning lake: o Titans v. Jove in Greek mythology o Leviathan, or whale, so huge that sailors mistake it for an island and fix their anchor to it Unsettling: how big is Satan??? First description - the biggest retained some of his former glory (cf. Beelzebub changed) most of the devils shrink in size to enter Pandemonium - the important ones sit far within / And in their own dimensions like themselves (I.792793). Satan steadily diminishes in size and stature as the epic progresses Satan the Military Hero council of devils - a council of war earlier epics - military heroes and their exploits critique of a literary culture that glorifies war and warriors The Virtues of a Great Warrior Satan like Achilles or Odysseus o courageous, o undaunted, o refusing to yield in the face of impossible odds, and o able to stir his followers to follow him in brave and violent exploits Rallying His Troops Are you resting Or in this abject posture have ye sworn o To adore the conqueror? (ll.322-323) Like General inspects his troops Emotional thrice he essayed, and thrice, in spite of scorn, / Tears such as angels weep burst forth: at last / Words interwove with sighs found out their way. (ll.619-621) Satans Speech (ll.621-662) Only Almighty is more powerful Delusional their combined forces may repossess their native seat? (634) No physical match for God, but work by fraud or guile (655) Reveals Gods plans for mankind and how they will thwart them Satan - appealing in early chapters - sympathise with and admire the rebel

Milton forces us to question why we admire martial prowess and pride in literary characters Ultimately he attempts to show that the Christian virtues of obedience, humility, and forbearance are more important Satans Power illusory His power to act derives only from God, and his struggle against God has already been lost God grants Satan and the other devils the power to act for God's purposes, not theirs So stretched out huge in length the Arch-Fiend lay Chained on the burning lake, nor ever thence Had risn or heaved his head, but that the will And high permission of all-ruling Heaven Left him at large to his own dark designs, That with reiterated crimes he might Heap upon himself damnation, while he sought Evil to others, and enraged might see How all his malice served but to bring forth Infinite goodness, grace and mercy shown On man by him seduced, but on himself Treble confusion, wrath and vengeance poured. (ll.209-220) Catalogue of Devils epic pattern of listing heroes list of villains an intentional parody: Homer catalogues Greek ships and heroes in Book II of the Iliad gods in pagan religions originally among the fallen angels E.g. Isis, Osiris, Baal, and others most important devils: Beelzebub and Belial Irony: while these devils seem heroic and noteworthy in certain ways, they just lost the war in Heaven Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven (l. 263) Believed he was just as powerful as God Jealous of the Son o But his doom Reserved him to more wrath; for now the thought Both of lost happiness and lasting pain Torments him : round he throws his baleful eyes, That witnessed huge affliction and dismay, Mixed with obdurate pride and steadfast hate. (ll. 53-58

Satans remorse is overpowered by his pride Yet not for those, / Nor what the potent Victor in his rage / Can else inflict, do I repent, or change, (ll. 94-96) To do aught good never will be our task, / But ever to do ill our sole delight, / As being the contrary to his high will / Whom we resist. If then his providence /Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, / Our labour must be to pervert that end, /And out of good still to find means of evil; (ll. 159-165) Hell How big is Hell, the burning lake, the hill, Pandemonium, etc.? What is Hell?

The mind is its own place, and in itself / Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. (ll. 254255)

Fiery liquid lake Fiery solid ground Gemstones and minerals Geographic features: a plain and hill Hell has potential for beauty? Hell has more than one essence in Book 1. Pandemonium the capital of Hell all demons Mammon and the hellish architect, Mulciber, - attitudes of small-town mayors unintentional humour: a sense of civic pride in devils: Hell is bad, but with a few improvements we can make it lots better, even attractive others might want to relocate Satan & Civil War Charles I God, a tyrant Oliver Cromwell rebel Satan o Lord Protector of the Republic o Competent military hero but die-hard Puritan o Son succeeds him incompetent leads to Restoration of King Charles II (1660)