Paradise Lost by John Milton - Research Paper Example

?“Paradise Lost in Context” One of the poems written by John Milton, which is considered as an epic, is the Paradise Lost Paradise Paradise Lostrelies mainly on the Book of Genesis. Genesis chapters one to three are the beginning, the creation, and the fall of man. With the given focal point of the poem, the paper aims to explore part of the sameness and difference of Paradise Lost from Genesis chapters one to three. Also, to identify the part of the poem that is with no relevance to Genesis chapters one to three. The paper presented is divided into four parts. The first part is the status of England during the 17th century. The second part is a brief biography and the early works of John Milton. The third part consists of an overview and a plot summary of Paradise Lost. The fourth part is a brief comparison of Paradise Lost from Genesis chapters one to three, and a brief analysis on a part of the poem that was not relevant to the chapters of Genesis. The last part is a conclusion on Paradise Lost and understanding of its purpose. England in the 17th Century England and Wales in the 17th century slowly grew in population along with its economy. There was also an expansion in the production of glass, bricks, and iron; trade and industry was given more importance by merchants. The society was then composed of the nobility, the gentry, the yeomen, and the mass, which is composed of the skilled workers and tenants. Moreover, English colonies were slowly founded in North America, and in the year 1609, England was able to establish a permanent colony in Jamestown, Virginia in North America (Lambert). In the aspect of literature, English literature was largely shaped by the Puritan Revolt and the English Revolution. The 17th century was considered as a state of agitation in the aspect of politics, culture, religion, national dealings, and science, and it was primarily reflected in literature. Moreover, aside from religion, philosophers were able to gather new resources from mathematics and science, which brought them independence. This century produced many literary artists from England, and one of them is John Milton (“Books, Literature”). John Milton: His Life and Early Works John Milton was born in London on December 9, 1608. He was second among the siblings of John and Sara. They resided near St. Paul’s Cathedral in Bread Street. His father was employed as a legal secretary who prepared and notarized legal documents. Included in his father’s duties was the handling of real estate affairs and loans. Aside from being a legal secretary, his father was involved in music and composed songs for the church. He was home schooled and was able to study classical languages due to the financial capacity of Milton’s parents. In 1620, when Milton was twelve years old, he was able to get in and study at St. Paul’s School. At the age of seventeen, Milton was enrolled in Christ’s College, Cambridge; however, a year after his admittance, he was suspended due to his argumentative behavior (Jokinen). His early works while studying included an ode titled On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity, which he wrote in 1629. Another written works of him, with no specific dates, are the L’Allegro and the Il Penseroso (“John Milton”). During his twenties, Milton was also able to write Comus and Lycidas. These five long poems became Milton’s means in shaping his literary prowess. His artistry has always been influenced by politics, philosophy, and his faith (“Paradise Lost: Author”). Milton was allowed to return to Christ’s College in Cambridge where he finished his Master’s degree. During the course of 1632 to 1637, Milton privately studied in Windsor where his father had grown up. After his studies, Milton decided to travel for a year to France and Italy. His travel is reflected on his epic piece Paradise Lost. In 1640, Milton went back home to England and begun teaching his nephews (“Paradise Lost: Author”). In 1642, he got married to Mary Powell, and they had four children. However, his married life was unsuccessful, and due to this, he was provoked to send out pamphlets, which stated that Englishmen must be given the liberty to divorce their wives. Also, during this time, he was able to write and publish Areopagitica. This piece was his statement liberty from the press (Jokinen). Moreover, while being alienated and in the process of divorce, he was able to write The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce in 1644. He then got married in 1656 to Catherine Woodcock, who later died after giving birth to his fourth child. After the death of his second wife, Milton got married again in the year 1663 to Elizabeth Minshull (Merriman). Paradise Lost Paradise Lost is considered as the greatest English epic written by John Milton. The poem showed his religious views and standing, wherein the Catholic Church is implicitly compared to hungry wolves around the pen of the sheep because during this time, he had lost his confidence to the Catholic Church. The comparison is similarly depicted by Satan looking from the outside of Paradise in Paradise Lost. On the other hand, his views on religion became independent from the Catholic Church and Protestantism. However, the epic poem portrays a lot of Protestant views. These views include the unity of the New and Old Testaments, how important is Christ’s love for the humankind, and how unworthy humankind is for this love. Paradise Lost then became his own view on Christianity, which in recent time can be considered as true to all (“Paradise Lost: Author”). On another view, Paradise Lost also contains his views on women. He assumes that there is no equality in men and women and that woman must be submissive to men. This may be explicit in his poem, but Milton disclaimed that he is not a woman-hater. Men’s hatred to women in the poem was only brought to the existence during the fall of Adam and Eve. The poem depicts the important relationship of Adam and Eve, or man and woman wherein, two people must be united and help each other to become successful as one (“Paradise Lost: Author”). Plot Summary The poem started by the Holy Spirit singing about the creation of the world. It reiterates a justification of the fall of the mortals and the occurrence of sin and death (Musings). The story then moves to hell where Satan and others have fallen due to their rebellion against God. They were not pleased with their situation that caused them to decide to revenge against God by sabotaging man and the new earth. Alongside with the planning for their revenge was their construction of the Pandemonium, which is considered, in the poem, as the center of Hell. After a long discussion, they all agreed to send Satan to the task (“Paradise Lost Notes”). Satan traveled to earth, passing through the gates of Hell where he had a brief encounter with Sin and Death. God sees Satan travelling and has already foreseen the sinning of man. Because of this, God’s Son volunteered to sacrifice Himself in order to save humankind. On the other hand, Satan continued his travel to the sun where he tricked Archangel Uriel to bring him to Paradise. While inside the Paradise, Satan was able to see and hear Adam reminding Eve not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. However, the angels already had known Satan’s presence, and Satan was caught as a toad while whispering on the ears of Eve (“Paradise Lost: Author”). God asked Archangel Raphael to advise Adam and Eve regarding Satan due to this event. Raphael went and told the story of Satan to Adam and Eve, along with the reason why he was put to Hell. Nevertheless, Satan did not give up on his plan and went to Paradise again disguised as a mist. He studied the animals in Paradise and decided to occupy a serpent’s body. He went on and found Eve alone and persuaded her to eat from the Tree of Life. He said that the fruit will allow her to become a goddess and will make Adam even perfect. When Adam knew what Eve has done, he did not concede at first, but later followed Eve with the fate that she has chosen (“Paradise Lost Notes”). The effects of the fruit on them were lust, hostility, and shame. However, God did not kill them; instead, His Son went to Earth and punished them. The first punishment was given to the serpent, from then on the serpent was not able to walk uprightly again. Eve, as a woman, was punished to undergo the excruciating pain of childbirth. Also, Adam was punished to work hard to support Eve and their children. In the meantime, Satan arrived in Hell believing that he already defeated God. However, to Satan’s surprise, everyone was turned into snakes and was made to try reaching a fruit of an imaginary tree. While Satan and others were being punished, Sin and Death were already traveling to earth (Musings). Meanwhile, due to the punishment they have gotten, Adam became angry with Eve because of her disobedience and had planned of leaving her. Nevertheless, Eve begged Adam to stay, and they both decided to revenge Satan by obeying God and praying to Him. God had heard them pray and sent Archangel Michael to send them both outside Paradise. Before they left, Michael allowed Eve to sleep, and he talked to Adam. He then revealed to Adam the visions that will occur in the future generations. There are happiness and death, which saddened Adam. After the visions, Eve was already awake and reiterated that she had a very educational dream with Michael. They were then led by Michael outside Paradise (Musings). Exploration Comparison of Paradise Lost with Genesis Chapters One to Three In Paradise Lost, Eve thought of Adam as superior to her and as her creator. She had to follow the lead of Adam, and Adam in return, was mindful of Eve’s submission to him. Also, in the context of Paradise Lost, Eve is seen as the one who brought Adam into sinning, and that she was the reason why they had become far and sinful to God (Gregg). However, in Genesis, Eve was approached by Satan because Satan wanted to break Adam and Eve’s relationship and to conquer the other half. Also, Adam and Eve were together during the cunning serpent and Eve’s conversation. He did not say anything about it or against the conversation of Eve and the serpent. It was of his will to follow Eve and eat from the Tree of Knowledge wherein, Eve abided with the serpent’s temptation; Adam conceded with Eve, and both of them had forgotten to follow God (Krell). Eve was the one who was made sinful in Paradise Lost (Gregg), but in Genesis, it was man’s doubt, temptation and disobedience that brought them to sin (Krell). Satan, in Paradise Lost, was deceitful and used the power of dreams in tricking the mind of Eve. He was also very eager in wanting to take revenge on the fall that he and the others had gotten as punishment due to their rebellion (“Paradise Lost: Author”). However, in Genesis, Satan only talked twice and that was all Satan needed to create to confusion to Eve, which brought humankind into the pitfall of sinfulness. The similarities of Paradise Lost and Genesis are the lust of humans for the flesh and for the eyes, and the desire for knowledge which brought them pride (Krell). A Brief Analysis on a Scene that was not based on Genesis After the introduction of the muse, the next scene in Paradise Lost was not depicted in Genesis chapters one to three. The scene was in hell where Satan and the other fallen angels were sent due to their rebellion. In a reader’s point of view, hell was firstly introduced to depict the worldly gods and goddesses. This was Milton’s manner of introducing the idols that the world has worshipped and believed to be their creators. Instead of conforming to the gods and goddesses of the Greeks, he defied their beliefs and used his Christianity to strengthen his views and his epic poem. This became the greatest edge of Milton when compared to the poems of the Greeks and the Latin. His poem was far beyond the earthly battle of human existence. Paradise Lost was a battle, which will forever be fought generation to generation; the battle of good against evil (Musings). Conclusion John Milton may be considered as a non-conformist literary artist during his time. He had viewed things not worldly as the other literary artists but also had philosophical basis on his works. In a Christian perspective, John Milton’s Paradise Lost is considered as a different view on encouraging Christian and non-believers to understand and be better as what they are right now. Moreover, the epic is a portrayal of the war of goodness against evil, and mankind’s obedience to God and shutting out sinfulness. Works Cited “Books, Literature and Authors from the 17th Century.” Books & Collectibles. J A Brebner, n.d. Web. 23 July 2012. . Gregg, Carl. “Paradise Lost or Outgrown? Genesis 3, Original Blessings, and Original Responsibility.” patheos. Chad Chatfield. 29 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 July 2012. . “John Milton: Early Life and Works.” Infoplease. Pearson Technology Centre, 2007. Web. 23 July 2012. . Jokinen Anniina. “Life of John Milton.” Luminarium. Network Solutions, LLC, 21 June 2006. Web. 23 July 2012. . Krell, Keith. "’Paradise Lost’ (Genesis 3:1-7).” Bible.org. Register.com, Inc., n.d. Web. 24 July 2012. . Lambert, Tim. “Life in the 17th Century England.” A World History Encyclopedia. Melbourne IT, Ltd., 2012. Web. 23 July 2012. . Merriman, C. D. “John Milton (1608-1674).” The Literature Network. Jalic Inc., 2008. Web. 23 July 2012. . Musings, Ebon. “Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained by John Milton.” EbonMusings. Doamins By Proxy, LLC. n.d. Web. 26 July 2012. . “Paradise Lost: Author Biography.” enotes. Enotes.com, Inc., 2012. Web. 23 July 2012. . “Paradise Lost Notes & Analysis.” Bookrags. BookRags, n.d. Web. 24 July 2012. . Read More