paradise lost

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

1667

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

heaven, hell, firmament (chaos), earth

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

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

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

powerful and fearless angels on the side of god

powerful leaders in satan's army

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

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

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

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.

son of satan and sin

blank verse (unrhymed lines, always in iambic pentameter)

writer requests divine help in composing his work

ancient world, shakespeare

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

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

milton uses graceful, elegant personification

milton uses imposing, awe-inspiring exaggeration

giving humanlike qualities to nonhuman objects

no punctuation at end of line - flows to next line

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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