Paradise Lost by John Milton
Magnificent in its scale and scope, this monumental poem by the blind poet John Milton was the first epic conceived in the English language. It describes an omniscient, all powerful...
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Magnificent in its scale and scope, this monumental poem by the
blind poet John Milton was the first epic conceived in the English
language. It describes an omniscient, all powerful God, the Fall of
Man, the Temptation in the Garden of Eden, the disgraced angel who
later becomes known as Satan, the Angelic Wars fought by Archangels
Michael and Raphael and the Son of God who is the real hero of this
saga. The poet John Milton was more than sixty years old when he
embarked on this immense work of literary creation. His father was
a wealthy merchant who had embraced Protestantism despite
opposition from his Catholic family. Milton grew up in a privileged
environment, having been schooled at home by private tutors and
traveling extensively throughout Italy. It was here that he first
read Virgil and Homer and decided to create his own epic in
English. Tumultuous historical events intervened, like the English
Civil War and the establishment of Puritan Rule. Milton was deeply
embroiled in politics and the new parliament. When the monarchy was
restored, Milton found himself on the wrong side and he retreated
into hiding where he began working on his dream of creating an epic
to match the best in Latin and Greek. He completed it after five
years of tremendous effort, since he was already totally blind when
he began working. The entire work, consisting of nearly ten
thousand individual lines of blank verse was dictated by Milton
from memory, to a series of scribes. Paradise Lost consists of
twelve smaller volumes divided into Books. Each one is devoted to a
particular Biblical episode. It begins with a prologue that
describes the subject of the epic, much like an introduction. The
action shifts to the rebellion of Lucifer and from then on, to
familiar episodes like the temptation of Adam and Eve and their
disobedience to God's laws. Satan and his unholy legions are
described in great detail as are their rebellion and malevolence.
Adam and Eve, God and the Son of God are portrayed in brilliant,
unforgettable lines and the conflict between the forces of good and
evil is represented on a cosmic scale. For lovers of poetry and
literature, Paradise Lost represents a seminal work of supreme
importance in English literature. Present-day readers will
certainly find it fascinating to decode the multitude of classical
references, Biblical lore, social and cultural themes that adorn
this great work.
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