John Milton s Paradise Lost - 1047 Words

John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost explores themes of divine power to justify the ways of God. His portrayal of Satan as the protagonist rather than the villain allows reader’s to see that God doesn’t control people’s actions, and that instead we all have free will even though He does have the power to manipulate it. By including Satan’s side to the story as well as his fall, Milton is able to inform readers about the reason for the happy fall as well as include themes of pride, deceit, and communication. The idea of the happy fall successfully justifies the idea that people have obtained free will from Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God, and that God did plan the fall, but for humanity’s own benefit and to stop Satan. The retelling of The Fall in the epic poem allowed Milton to portray to reader’s that God’s actions were made to benefit all of humankind. Milton’s portrayal of Satan as the protagonist of the epic poem shows readers that God does not have control over their own actions, that people have free will. Satan explained to the fallen that â€Å"[God] Put forth at full, but still his strength concealed, which tempted our attempt, and wrought our fall† (Book 1, Lines 641-642). By stating this he is blaming God for their fall from Heaven, and then he shares his plans on how to have revenge on Him. Satan tells the fallen â€Å"our better part remains to work in close design, by fraud or guile† (Book 1, Lines 645-646). In this portion of his speech, he informs them that theirShow MoreRelatedJohn Milton s Paradise Lost985 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Milton’s Paradise Lost is a paradox of morality and character definitions. After reading multiple articles, the largest concerning topic was the hero status of an inherently evil character. The issue lies within defining what a hero is and is not in terms of e pic poetry. John Milton’s refusal to clarify a hero shows this paradox he has created is a something that he meant to achieve. According to Mary Nyquist in The Father s Word/Satan s Wrath, â€Å"The text seems here not just to invite, butRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost1636 Words   |  7 Pagessense to the readers, but would also influence how the readers understood those topics. John Milton’s, Paradise Lost, is a series of twelve Books that tell the story of creation and the world’s first sin, and he relates that to the political distress that was occurring in the seventeenth century and his political agenda in trying to advocate a Parliamentary system versus a monarchy. Throughout his novel, Milton focuses a great deal of time creating a backstory for Satan, who is the protagonist. AdamRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost1738 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Milton sought to a very ambitious thing with his greatest work, Paradise Lost. He boldly asserted himself to the epic tradition, the most difficult genre. Further, the goal of his writing was perhaps the hardest topic a human being can engage with, the problem of evil. At the risk of being cliche, the old adage, â€Å"If you lose your faith over anything less than the problem of evil, you are simply not thinking.† seems fitting. Milton seems at least, whatever his faults, to understand the weightRead MoreAnalysis Of John Milton s Paradise Lost1442 Words   |  6 Pages(Name) (Instructor) (Course) (Date) Heroism in John Milton’s Paradise Lost There are many definitions of a hero, and establishing the hero in John Milton’s Paradise Lost has been object to scholarly debate. One definition of a hero is that by Aristotle, who defined a hero as a person who is divine and superhuman. However, other definitions encompass the aspect of virtue in heroism. Despite all the definitions for a hero, it remains factual that a hero would be someone that the readers would delightRead MoreAnalysis Of John Milton s Paradise Lost 1071 Words   |  5 Pages Writing AP Exam Essays Advanced Placement English Literature Composition Name Juan Linares Major Work Data Page Paradise Lost Writer/Nationality John Milton/ UK 1608-1674 Theme/Meanings of the work as a whole Disobedience plays a key role in the unfolding of Milton’s poem. Satan disobeys God because God gave him free will, and causes Eve to disobey Adam, to disobey God. Justification of God. Death must happen to the world but because of the Son, DeathRead MoreAnalysis Of John Milton s Paradise Lost 1852 Words   |  8 Pagesnot merely summarize the plot. (2010 AP Literature and Composition) Disobedience and Exile an Analysis of Satan from Milton’s Paradise Lost John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, has been the subject of criticism and interpretation through many years; these interpretations concur in that Adam and Eve are the sufferers of the poem, and it is their blight to lose Paradise because of their disobedience; however, their exile is merely a plight brought by Satan, and it is he who suffers exile beforeRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost 1328 Words   |  6 PagesRobert Mezian Professor Mylander English 589 14 November 2016 Paradise Lost Essay In his epic poem titled Paradise Lost, John Milton describes his work as a process to justify â€Å"the ways of God to men†. In terms of the personal and individual, Milton’s main concern was between a man’s relationship and God. With this, comes the very idea of free will itself. One can define free will as the ability and freedom to choose between different possible courses of action. Not only is free will portrayed inRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost1528 Words   |  7 Pagesfree world. God judges no one and forgives all for his or her sins. God is an honest being. The last statement might not be the case in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The fall of Adam and Eve is truly a tragic tale. Some suggest that their fall could have been prevented. However, after close examination, one can believe that it might not be that simple in Paradise Lost. God displays some questionable actions in the process that eventually leads to the fall. While not the popular opinion to some, God isRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost921 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Milton’s Paradise Lost continues the epic tradition developed by the ancient Greek and Roman poets. Composed in exact imitation of its predecessors, the work depicts all characteristics of a traditional epic poem—including the epic hero, a powerful embodiment of societal values. Milton presents his hero in a most unpredictable form: Satan. Despite the unorthodox oddity, the former archangel exhibits the conventions of an epic hero. Milton’s forced perception of Satan as the hero of the poemRead MoreJohn Milton s Paradise Lost1686 Words   |  7 Pagesand bled into the writing it produced. John Milton’s Paradise Lost is no exception to this, as it explores human sexuality and gender roles. It has been argued that when Adam and Eve are described as â€Å"Two of far nobler shape erect and tall,/ Godlike erect† (4.288-289) there is no distinction between the two , and that they are being portrayed, even by Satan, as equal. This is the reader’s first introduction to Eve who, based on these two lines from Paradise Lost, is Adam’s equivalent in power and in