The Bible has become an inspiration for many geniuses. Rethinking her stories devoted to many works. One of the most famous of them is Milton's poem "Lost Paradise." Let us learn more about this poem and its author, as well as consider its brief content and problems.
Who is John Milton, and what is he known for
This name belongs to the famous British poet and politician of the XVII century.
This man was born in the family of a London notary John Milton Sr. in 1608. He was quite successful in the profession, so he had the means to give his child an excellent education at Cambridge University.
Parenting money was enough to keep unemployed Milton. Therefore, after receiving a diploma, the poet idly spent almost 6 years at the parent's estate, entertaining himself by reading books and doing self-education. Milton subsequently considered this period of life the happiest.
In 1637, John Milton went on a trip to Europe for a year. At that time he lived mainly in Italy and France, where he was lucky enough to meet many outstanding minds of that time.
In 1638, the writer returned to his homeland and began to live in London. Although his father still kept him, Milton finally found something to do - he became a home teacher. At first, John taught his nephews, and later gave private lessons to children from other wealthy families.
Active political and literary activities
Milton’s times are far from the quietest period in the history of Great Britain. The nearness of the policy of Charles I led to the beginning of the Episcopal Wars, which grew into the English Revolution of the XVII century.
These events did not leave Milton indifferent. As an ardent anti-royalist, he composed sparkling pamphlets in which he criticized the monarchy and defended civil rights and freedoms, and also opposed censorship.
After the execution of the king and the establishment of a parliamentary system of government, John managed to get the position of government secretary for Latin correspondence.
Over the years of his work in this position, John the Younger composed dozens of pamphlets, and also made acquaintance with many great British writers of that time.
At this time, he married three times, but could not find happiness in family life. Biographers believe that one of the reasons for this was financial difficulties. Indeed, almost all of Milton’s life was kept by his father, but he died in 1647, and the writer had to provide for himself, his wives and children. The poet, who had not bothered himself with such concerns before, was now forced to bake not only about his intellectual needs, but also to look for various ways to earn money.
In 1652, the writer lost his sight and, until his death in 1674, lived in pitch darkness. In this state, he could no longer hold a post in parliament, and with the restoration of the monarchy (albeit partial), Milton was deprived of benefits. This period of his life he considered the worst. But from the point of view of his heritage, this stage is the most productive. After all, already being blind, John the Younger wrote his greatest work - the poem "Paradise Lost".
John Milton put all his knowledge, observations into this book and created a truly masterpiece, on which not only his contemporaries, but also descendants, such as, for example, George Byron, were equal.
Poem Paradise Lost ("Paradise Lost")
What was so special about this work? In addition to beautiful poetry, the use of colorful metaphors and comparisons, the author was able to refresh the biblical story of the fall of Adam and Eve.
In "Paradise Lost", John Milton turned a story boring over several centuries about the creation of man and his expulsion from paradise into an exciting action. There was everything here: Adam’s love story, philosophical reflection on life, faith and his destiny, and a description of the war of angels with demons.
By today's standards, Paradise Lost does not seem to be anything extraordinary. But immediately after the publication in 1667, Milton’s readers of Paradise Lost received the most enthusiastic reviews. Tired of the monotonous imitation of Homer and Dante, they were simply in love with the new poem.
Soon Paradise Lost began to be translated into other languages and published outside of England.
Sequel of Paradise Lost - Paradise Returned
The success of Paradise Lost helped Milton improve his financial situation and restore his former glory. On this wave, the poet writes a sequel and in 1671 publishes Paradise Regained ("Paradise Returned").
This book was artistically inferior to Paradise Lost. It was not only 3 times shorter, but also represented a moralizing treatise, so for many it was frankly boring.
Background of writing Paradise Lost
The idea of creating an epic poem about the Fall first came to John Milton at the time of the revolutionary events in 1639. In those years he made the first sketches and outlined a circle of topics that could become the plot basis.
However, work in parliament, marriage and other worries prevented the author from implementing his plan.
Only having lost sight and hope, Milton decided to take up a pen. Of course, in a figurative sense, since he could not write on his own, and he dictated the texts of the poem to his daughters and close friends.
In this regard, some biographers sometimes question Milton's authorship, putting forward the theory that one of the poet's daughters could compose such a bold work. And her father only edited her essay and gave his name as more recognizable. Also, perhaps, there was a collaboration with one of the unknown young talents.
In favor of these theories is the fact that for 60 years of his life the writer for some reason was not interested in the genre of the epic poem, but was more known as the author of treatises and poems.
However, we still can’t find out the truth anyway, so we can only admire the “Lost Paradise” and the genius of its creator, whoever he really is.
Structure
John Milton's book “Paradise Lost” is written in white verse and consists of 12 parts. Initially, there were only 10.
In later editions (starting from 1647) its plot was finalized and redistributed into 12 chapters.
In this form, the book has survived to this day.
main characters
Before considering a summary of Milton’s Paradise Lost, it’s worth knowing about the characters in the work.
It should be clarified that, although the author did not seek to go beyond the church canon, he humanized his heroes, making them look like contemporaries of the poet.
One of Milton’s most discussed heroes of Paradise Lost is Satan. Contrary to the biblical original, this character is endowed with human qualities. Moreover, he is incredibly powerful, smart and conceited. Desiring power and self-affirmation, Satan rebels against God. Despite the defeat, he does not give up and decides to take revenge on the sly, having seduced Adam and Eve. However, revenge does not bring him full satisfaction.
It is believed that the prototype of Milton's Satan the rebel was the "Prometheus" Aeschylus. Also, some literary scholars believe that in the character of the Lord of Hell, the poet collected the main features of his revolutionary friends, who at one time overthrew Karl, but could not hold on to power. And the described relationship between Satan and his demons is a veiled description of the working days of Parliament.
The image of the Lord in Paradise Lost is the embodiment of faith in the Almighty God the Father. He sees the plans of the Devil, but admits them, realizing that in the final they will all bring benefits. Some researchers correlate this character with the embodiment of the ideal ruler and believe that creating such a character, Milton did "curtsy" of the restored monarchy.
Adam and Eve are heroes who are something between the absolute Good and rebellious Evil. In Paradise Lost, they are not limp toys, but possess the right to choose. Moreover, unlike the Bible, these heroes are not only forbidden to eat the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge, but they also warn about the machinations of Satan. Because of this, their fall looks like a conscious decision. Moreover, the main culprit is the author depicts exactly Eve. This heroine is shown as weaker physically and intellectually. But at the same time, she turns out to be more cunning and manages to manipulate Adam.
At the same time, her husband is too idealized. He is not only smart and noble, but also inquisitive. Despite free will, Adam is very obedient and not inclined to rebel. The rebel in their marriage is just Eve. Only with the acquisition of knowledge (after the fall) do these heroes taste true bliss, however, after that they will receive bitter repentance.
The image of the Son of God is quite interesting in the poem. He is depicted not only as a noble one who voluntarily sacrificed himself for the salvation of mankind, but also as an excellent leader, a brave commander (who helped the angels defeat the demons). It is believed that in this hero Milton depicted the features of an ideal ruler.
In addition to these characters, the angels Raphael and Michael play an active role in the book. They are the mentors of the human couple. Their images are a little boring, because they are cloyingly perfect and do not cause much sympathy or admiration.
Milton's Paradise Lost Summary
At the beginning of the poem, action takes place in hell. Here, the fallen demons complain to Satan. In order to somehow distract them from sad thoughts, the Ruler of Hell arranges a review of the troops. Moreover, although he himself is proud of his power, he does not know what to do next.
At the council of hellish elders, various options are considered: to engage in the arrangement of the Underworld or again to revolt against Heaven.
Satan chooses another tactic. Upon learning of the creation of the New World and man, he decides to seduce people and thus take revenge on the Creator.
With the help of cunning, the Devil enters paradise. Here he is pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this place. However, soon the angels discover it and expel him.
Realizing that the purpose of the Unclean is to seduce people, the Lord sends Raphael to warn Adam and Eve. The archangel tells Adam the story of the war with demons and the creation of the world by the Son of God. He also encourages a person to keep the commandments of the Lord.
Satan, meanwhile, sends a temptation to Eve. Impressed, a woman tells her husband about it.
Subsequently, the Devil enters paradise in the form of fog and inhabits the snake. Cleverly manipulating a woman, he manages to convince her to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve likes the taste of the forbidden fruit so much that she persuades her and her husband to taste it. Adam, although he understands that he is doing wrong, loves his wife too much, does not want to part with her, and agrees.
Having tasted the fruit, people experience carnal desires and satisfy them. However, when passion cools, they find enlightenment and repentance.
The Lord learned about Satan's plan long before it entered heaven. But when Christ volunteered to become a ransom sacrifice, He looked to the future and realized that the ending would be prosperous. For this reason, God allowed the wretch to fulfill his plan.
After the fall, He orders the angels to lead the sinners out of paradise. Seeing their repentance, the archangel Michael shows Adam the future until the coming of Christ to Earth and the destruction of Satan and his demons. People are leaving paradise, but their hearts are full of hope.
Poem analysis
Having examined the summary of Milton's Paradise Lost, it is worth analyzing the work.
Despite strict adherence to the biblical canon, the poet was able in his book to describe the life and problems that concern modern society.
Most literary scholars agree that in describing the relationships between the inhabitants of hell, the author depicted the reasons that led to the fall of his party of anti-royalists and the restoration of the monarchy in England.
However, there are those who believe that having portrayed the life of demons in hell, the poet ridiculed the main problems of power in Britain today. He veiledly showed how, instead of equipping the country, the government conducts demonstration shows, organizes wars with other states, and wallows in intrigue.
At the same time, paradise is depicted as Utopia, ruled by a wise and caring ruler and his faithful angels.
Among the other problems that Milton showed are family relationships. The author managed to survive two of his three wives. Moreover, the first of them (Mary Powell, 20 years younger than the writer) ran away from her husband to relatives a month after the wedding. Over time, John managed to return Mary home, but their relationship did not work out.
With other wives, the poet married already being blind, so he needed them more as carers and nannies for children from their first marriage.
It was based on a not very successful, but rich experience in family life, that the author described the marriage of the first people. In his interpretation, Adam is an ideal father and spouse. He loves his wife immensely, and for the sake of saving future children, he is ready to commit suicide.
Eve (in Milton's understanding) is the main root of all the troubles of the family. In general, she is shown as a good heroine, but too lascivious. It's hard to look at it without a smile. After all, the writer first got married at 34, then at 48 and 55. Moreover, both last wives were 30 years younger than him. It is not surprising that the writer considered his spouses to be excessively lascivious, although in this case these were only the natural desires of young women.
When analyzing John Milton's “Paradise Lost”, one cannot but mention the issue of world order. The poet was one of the most educated people of his era and, of course, was interested in the structure of the universe. At that time there was heated debate about which of the systems corresponds to reality: Copernicus (heliocentric) or Ptolemy (where the Earth was in the center of the universe). Since the answer has not yet been found, Milton in Paradise Lost leaves the question open, although it concerns it.
Milton's Return of Paradise Summary
After reviewing the summary of Milton's Paradise Lost and analyzing it, you should find out what the continuation of the poem - Paradise Regained is dedicated to.
This book consists of only 4 chapters. They colorfully describe the history of the temptation of Christ by Satan and His victory.
Unlike the first book, this one was more like a religious treatise, which Milton often wrote in his youth. By the way, it was her impressive dissimilarity to the courage and lightness of “Paradise Lost” that generated rumors that someone else was the author of Paradise Lost.
Selected Quotes from Paradise Lost
One of the reasons for the stunning popularity of the poem was not only its diverse plot and rich images, but also a beautiful syllable.
The following are Milton’s most famous quotes from Paradise Lost:
- "And even in hell, But it’s worthwhile to rule, for it is better to reign in hell than to be a slave in heaven ..." By the way, this phrase is a free interpretation of the famous quotation of Julius Caesar: “It is better to be the first in the village than the second in the city (Rome).
- "Everywhere in Hell I will be. Hell - I myself."
- "Maybe we will draw new strength in the hope, if not, despair will inspire us."
- "Whether in suffering, in struggle, is woe to the weak"
- "Oh, human disgrace! Consent reigns among the demons of the damned, but man, a possessing creature of consciousness, is causing discord with his own kind."
- "So why wish for something that we cannot achieve by force, but we won’t take it ourselves as a handout?"
- "But everywhere I see the same source of all human evils - women!"