John Milton Paradise Lost Book I Essential Question

John Milton Paradise Lost: Book I

Essential Question n n What is the relationship of the writer to the tradition? What is the relationship of John Milton to the writing of epic poetry?

The Epic’s Form Epic Poetry is a classic literary form. Homer recorded the first major epic poems—The Iliad and The Odyssey. They have the following requirements… • begin in medias res with an invocation to the muse; • are long, narrative poems (The key is in the length!); • are of epic proportions. Characters are usually immortal or royal. • are vast in setting, covering nations and even the world. • usually involve a hero; • contain gods, demons, monsters, or supernatural creatures who intervene in the tale; • are written in verse, the most common being iambic pentameter, which does not necessarily have to rhyme (blank verse).

Heroic Epic n Characteristics q q q n Hero of great importance (Satan, Adam) Set on a large scale Great battles Conventions Stated Argument q Begins “in the midst of things” q Catalogues of principle characters Literary Epic rather than a Traditional Epic q New composition from Milton rather than from oral tradition q n Information from http: //www. cas. usf. edu/~lucas/3101/epic. pdf

John Milton 1608 -1674 n Born into bourgeois class q q n n Strongly supported the Puritan Reformation Wrote with strong independence and on a variety of topics q q q n Proclaimed that he would write a “great English Epic” n Self-appointed prophetic bard Studied independently for six years Church government Divorce Republicanism Suffered many tragedies q q q Wife and son died in 1652 Became blind the same year New wife and daughter died in 1656 Went into hiding after the return of Charles II, briefly imprisoned Dismayed by the failure of the Reformation

Milton vs. Homer Comparing Paradise Lost and The Milton: Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed, In the beginning how the heav’ns and earth Rose out of Chaos: or if Sion hill Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God: I thence Invoke thy aid to my advent’rous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th’Aonian mount while if pursues Things unstamped yet in prose or rhyme. (1 -16) Odyssey Homer: Tell me, Muse, about the man of many turns, who many Ways wandered when he had sacked Troy’s holy citadel; He saw the cities of many men, and he knew their thought; On the ocean he suffered many pains within his heart, Striving for his life and his companions’ return. But he did not save his companions, though he wanted to: They lost their own lives because of their recklessness. The fools, they devoured the cattle of Hyperion, The Sun, and he took away the day of their return. Begin the tale somewhere for use also, goddess, daughter of Zeus. There are many similarities between Paradise Lost and the ancient Greek epics, including these invocation of the Muse, and also the cataloging of characters. Both Milton and Homer start “in the midst of things; ” Homer after the battle of Troy, Milton after the battle between Satan and God. In his invocation, though, Milton blatantly attempts to surpass the ancient Greek poets.

Passages Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed, In the beginning how the heav’ns and earth Rose out of Chaos: or if Sion hill Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God; I thence Invoke thy aid to my advent’rous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th’Aonian mount, while it pursues Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme. (6 -16) Here at least We shall be free; th’Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n. (257 -263) To bow and sue for grace With suppliant knee, and deify his power Who from the terror of this arm so late Doubted his empire, that were low indeed, That were in ignominy and shame beneath This downfall; since by fate the strength of gods And the empyreal substance cannot fail, Since through experience of this great event In arms not worse, in foresight much advanced, We may with more successful hope resolve To wage by force or guile eternal war Irreconcilable, to our grand foe, Who now triumphs, and in th’excess of joy Sole reigning holds the tyranny of Heav’n. (111 -124)

Milton’s Influence Art, Literature, and Media influenced or inspired by Paradise Lost 1

Illustrations And Other Artwork William Blake: The Downfall of the Rebel Angels All Artwork form http: //www. stedwards. edu

Gustave Dore Plate 3: "They heard, and were abashed, and up they sprung" (I. 331) Plate 1: "Him the Almighty Power Hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky" (I. 44, 45) Plate 2: "Forthwith upright he rears from off the pool His mighty stature" (I. 221, 222)

John Medina Edward Burney

John Martin

The Simarillion -- J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Simarillion is the history of the elves in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. He opens with his version of Genesis, where Iluvatar creates Middle-Earth through song, and his instruments, the Ainur. But now Iluvatar sat and hearkened, and for a great while it seemed good to him, for in the music there were no flaws. But as theme progressed, it came into the heart of Melkor to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with theme of Iluvatar; for he sought therein to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself. To Melkor among the Ainur had been given the greatest gifts of power and knowledge, and he had a share in a all the gifts of his brethren. (p. 4) Then Iluvatar spoke, and he said: ‘Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor; but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Iluvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined. ’ (p. 6) Melkor certainly parallels Satan, but Milton’s influence can be seen in the way Melkor is shown as the strongest of the Ainur, and he has a hand in the actual creation of Middle-Earth. The quote from page 6 resembles Beelzebub’s speech on Book 1: “But what if he…have left us this our spirit and strength entire…do him mightier service as his thralls by right of war, whate’er his business be here in the heart of Hell to work in fire, or do his errands in the gloomy deeps…” (143152).

Moby-Dick Herman Melville Ahab to his men: “Aye, Starbuck; aye, my hearties all round; it was Moby Dick that dismasted me; Moby Dick that brought me to this dead stump I stand on now. Aye, aye, ” he shouted with a terrific, loud, animal sob, like that of a heart-stricken moose; “Aye, aye! It was that accursed white whale that razeed me; made a poor pegging lubber out of me for ever and a day!” Then tossed both arms, with measureless imprecations he shouted out: “Aye, aye! And I’ll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames before I give him up. And this is what ye have shipped for, men! To chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out. What say ye men, will ye splice hands on it, now? I think ye do look brave. ” (p. 139) Satan to Beelzebub: What though the field be lost? All is not lost; the unconquerable will, and study of revenge, immortal hate, and courage never to submit or yield: and what is else not to be overcome? That glory never shall his wrath or might extort form me. To bow and sue for grave with suppliant knee, and deify his power who from the terror of this arm so late doubted his empire, that were low indeed, that were an ignominy and shame beneath this downfall; since by fate the strength of gods and this empyreal substance cannot fail, since through experience of this great event in arms not worse, in foresight much advanced, we may with more successful hope resolve to wage by force or guile eternal war irreconcilable, to our grand foe…” (105 -122) Melville portrays Ahab (who many interpret to be a metaphor for Satan), very similar to Milton’s Satan, a powerful and influential speaker who has one goal. Both Satan and Ahab follow their path despite what further damnation will occur to them and their men.

Devil’s Advocate © Warner Bros. (1997) Satan: “Let me give you a little inside information about God likes to watch. He's a prankster. Think about it. He gives man INSTINCTS! He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It's the goof of all time. Look but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste! Taste, don't swallow. Ahaha! And when you're jumpin' from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's laughin‘!. . . He's a sadist! He's an absentee landlord. Worship THAT? NEVER!” http: //www. allpacino. com/john. html Al Pacino as John Milton (Satan) Keanu Reeves As Advocate

Sympathy for the Devil The Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet Photos from: http: //www. mick-jagger. com Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a man of wealth and taste I've been around for a long, long year Stole many a man's soul and faith And I was 'round when Jesus Christ Had his moment of doubt and pain Made damn sure that Pilate Washed his hands and sealed his fate Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name http: //www. musicsonglyrics. com

Commentary With the exception of the passage from The Odyssey, each text or piece of art in this collage was selected to show the change in public opinion of Satan since Milton’s epic was first published. The passage from The Odyssey was included to display how Paradise Lost compared to Homer’s poem as an epic. Placing them sideby-side shows both how Milton’s poem in an epic because he invokes the Muse, but also attempts to surpass Homer. The illustrations were included to show Satan’s development into a true epic character. Whether or not the artist’s religious views were changed by Milton or not, they at least saw Satan as a truly complex and powerful character, as is conveyed in their detailed renderings of him.

The Silmarillion and Moby-Dick are included for the same reason. Both Tolkien and Melville create characters, though definitely the villain in their respective stories, that are both powerful and human, with strong characteristics of vengefulness and pride which most readers can relate to. The quotes from Devil’s Advocate and Sympathy for the Devil were selected because they effectively show today’s changing views on Satan. For many people it is almost trendy to “sympathize” with Satan, because he works on reasoning rather than faith. Reason certainly dominates today’s culture much more than blind faith.

Settings: . . . . The settings are heaven, hell, the firmament (Chaos), and earth.

Characters: n God the Father, God the Son: q q Two of the three divine persons making up the allpowerful Godhead, the single deity that created and rules all that exists outside of itself. n The third divine person, the Holy Spirit, does not play a role in Paradise Lost, except for the evoking of the muse which may be the Holy Ghost God the Father is portrayed as just but merciful, condemning the defiant and unrepentant rebel angels but permitting redemption of the repentant Adam and Eve. God the Son volunteers to redeem them by becoming human and enduring suffering and death. The Messiah and Jesus Christ

Characters n n Satan (Lucifer, Archfiend): Powerful and prideful angel who, with legions of supporters, leads an unsuccessful rebellion against God and suffers eternal damnation. To gain revenge, he devises a plan to corrupt God's newly created beings, Adam and Eve, through deceit. q Modern readers often admire him for his steely defiance. q He would rather rule in hell, he says, than serve in heaven. q It was not Milton's intent, however, to create an admirable character; rather his intent was to create a character of colossal hatred—loathsome, execrable, incurably remorseless.

Adam and Eve

Characters n n n Adam and Eve: 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. Adam and Eve live on the planet earth in utter happiness in a special garden where spring is the only season and love and godly living prevail. Though they have all that they want and need, cunning Satan tells them they can have knowledge and status beyond their reach if only they eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. q q Eve can become a goddess, he says. Vanity overtakes her. She eats. Adam reluctantly does the same.

Characters n Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, Uriel: Powerful and fearless angels on the side of God. n Beelzebub, Mammon, Belial, Moloch: Powerful leaders in Satan's army. In a great council in hell, each of them speaks his mind on what policy devil-kind should follow after losing paradise. Should they make new war? Should they make peace?

Characters n Ithuriel, Zephron: Angels who expel Satan from the Garden of Eden with the help of a sign from God. Satan returns to the garden later to complete his devious enterprise. n Mulciber: Fallen angel who designs hell's capital city and seat of government, Pandemonium. In ancient Roman mythology, Mulciber is another name for Vulcan (Greek: Hephaestus), god of fire and the forge. As a blacksmith, he kept shop in burning mountains (volcanoes).

Characters n Sin: Daughter of Satan. q n n 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. Death: Son of Satan and Sin Urania ~ Milton's Christian Muse, invoked at various points in the epic to inspire the telling of the story of Paradise Lost.

The Faithful Angels n Abdiel [v, vi] Gabriel [iv, vi. 355] Ithuriel [iv. 788] Michael [vi, xii] Raphael [v, vi. 363, viii] Uriel [iii. 655, iv. 555, vi. 363] Uzziel [iv. 782] Zephon [iv. 788] Zophiel [vi. 535]

The Fallen Angels n Adramelech [vi. 365] Ariel [vi. 371] Arioc [vi. 371] Ashtaroth [i. 437] Asmadai [vi. 365] Azazel [i. 534] Baalim [i. 437] Beelzebub [i, ii] Belial [i. 490, ii, vi. 620] Chemos [i. 406] n Dagon [i. 457] Lucifer Mammon [ii] Moloch [ii] Mulciber [i. 740] Nisroch [vi. 447] Ramiel [vi. 372] Rimmon [i. 466] Satan Thammuz [i. 446]

Milton's Solar System n n . . . . In describing the planets and other celestial bodies, Milton models God’s creation on the Ptolemaic design (also called the geocentric design) rather than the Copernican design (also called the heliocentric design). . Milton was aware of the Copernican theory, but he used the Ptolemaic design—either because he believed it was the more credible theory or because he believed it would better serve his literary purpose. q q In Paradise Lost, Adam inquires about the movements of celestial bodies—in particular, whether earth orbits the sun or vice versa—in his conversation with the archangel Raphael, but Raphael gives no definite answer. Raphael may have been speaking for Milton.

Style and Verse Format n n Milton wrote Paradise Lost in dignified, lofty, melodic English free of any colloquialisms and slang that would have limited the work's timeliness and universality. The format, Milton says in an introductory note, is "English heroic verse without rhyme" —in other words, blank verse, the same verse form used by Shakespeare in his plays. .

Style and Verse Format n n . . . . Milton's strong religious faith infuses the poem with sincerity and moral purpose, but he does not allow his enthusiasm for his subject to overtake control of his writing. Though Milton frequently uses obscure allusions to mythology and history, as well as occasional difficult words and phrases, his language is never deliberately affected or ostentatious.

Style and Verse Format n What is more, it does not preach and does not take the reader on circumlocutory expeditions. q n Like a symphony composer—mighty Beethoven, for example—Milton is always in control, tempering his creative genius with his technical discipline. . . . With a good dictionary and an annotated text, a first-time reader of Milton can easily follow and understand the story while developing an appreciation for the exquisite writing.

Epic Conventions n In Paradise Lost, Milton used the classical epic conventions—literary practices, rules, or devices established by Homer that became commonplace in epic poetry. Some of these practices were also used in other genres of literature.

Among the classical conventions Milton used are the following: n . . . . (1) The invocation of the muse, in which a writer requests divine help in composing his work.

Among the classical conventions Milton used are the following: n . . . . (2) Telling a story with which readers or listeners are already familiar; they know the characters, the plot, and the outcome. q q q Most of the great writers of the ancient world—as well as many great writers in later times, including Shakespeare— frequently told stories already known to the public. Thus, in such stories, there were no unexpected plot twists, no surprise endings. If this sounds strange to you, the modern reader and theatergoer, consider that many of the most popular motion pictures today are about stories already known to the public. n Examples are The Passion of the Christ, Titanic, The Ten Commandments, Troy, Spartacus, Pearl Harbor, and Gettysburg.

Among the classical conventions Milton used are the following: n . . . . (3) Beginning the story in the middle, a literary convention known by its Latin term in media res (in the middle of things). q Such a convention allows a writer to begin his story at an exciting part, then flash back to fill the reader in on details leading up to that exciting part.

Among the classical conventions Milton used are the following: n . . . . (4) Announcing or introducing a list of characters who play a major role in the story. q They may speak at some length about how to resolve a problem (as the followers of Satan do early in Paradise Lost).

Among the classical conventions Milton used are the following: n . . . . (5) Conflict in the celestial realm. q Divine beings fight and scheme against one another in the epics of Homer and Vergil, and they do so in Paradise Lost on a grand scale, with Satan and his forces opposing God and his forces.

Among the classical conventions Milton used are the following: n . . . . (6) Use of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is a literary device in which a character in a story fails to see or understand what is obvious to the audience or readers. q Dramatic irony appears frequently in the plays of the ancient Greeks. For example, in Oedipux Rex, by Sophocles, dramatic irony occurs when Oedipus fails to realize what the audience knows—that he married his own mother. q In Paradise Lost, dramatic irony occurs when Adam and Eve happily go about daily life in the Garden of Eden unaware that they will succumb to the devil's temptation and suffer the loss of Paradise. q Dramatic irony also occurs when Satan and his followers fail to understand that it is impossible ultimately to thwart or circumvent divine will and justice.

Main Theme n In Book 1 of Paradise Lost, Milton reveals the central theme of the work: to justify the ways of God to man. q Justify here means to explain and defend, and ultimately to vindicate, God’s course of action in dealing with Adam and Eve after they succumbed to the temptation of Satan and ate forbidden fruit.

Other Themes: n Inordinate pride: It leads to Satan's downfall and his continuing defiance of God. n Envy: Arising from Satan's pride, it makes him jealous of God the Son, who is the favorite of God the Father. n Revenge: It motivates Satan to corrupt Adam and Eve and thereby subvert God's plans. n Vanity: It leads Eve to believe—under the temptation of Satan—that she can become godlike.

Other Themes n Deceit: Satan appears in many disguises and tells many lies during his mission to trick Adam and Eve. Infidelity: Adam betrays God by siding with Eve and eating the forbidden fruit. n Unbridled pursuit of knowledge: It leads Adam and Eve to seek knowledge beyond their ken, knowledge that will make them godlike.

Other Themes n Volition: Angels and humans alike possess free will, enabling them to make decisions. q Satan freely chooses to rebel against God, and Adam and Eve freely choose to eat forbidden fruit. q The consequences of their actions are their own fault, not God's. Milton uses this theme to help support the central theme, "to justify the ways of God to man. "

Other Themes n Disobedience: All sins are acts of disobedience against God, impairing or cutting off the sinner's relationship with God. q n Adam and Eve and all of the devils disobey God through their sins. Loyalty: Loyalty to God and his ways are necessary for eternal salvation. q Loyalty requires obedience. All of the good angels exhibit loyalty.

Other Themes n n n Repentance: Even though Adam and Eve have disobeyed God, their repentance makes them eligible for eventual salvation. Hope: At the end of Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve enter the imperfect world with hope; they can yet attain eternal salvation. Redemption: 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.

Climax n n The climax, or turning point, of Paradise Lost occurs when Adam and Eve succumb to Satan's temptations and eat the forbidden fruit. This act of disobedience results in their downfall and eviction from Paradise.

Epic Simile n Something in the poem is compared to something quite outside the poem Compares Satan to Titans and Greeks from mythology (196 -208) q Compares his landing to smashing of a hill or volcano which create an explosive force (230 -237) q

Genealogical Bibliography By Appearance Paradise Lost Milton, John. “Paradise Lost. ” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7 th ed. New York: Norton 2000 Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Scott Elledge, ed. New York: Norton, 1975 Milton, John. Paradise Lost. 2 nd ed. London: S. Simmons, 1674 The Odyssey Homer. The Odyssey, a Norton Critical Edition. Albert Cook, ed. New York: Norton, 1993 Homer. The Odyssey. Manuscript. British Library. London. The Illustrations of Gustave Doré Klawitter, George. “The Iconography of Paradise Lost. ” St. Edwards University. 11 Dec. 2003 http: //www. stedwards. edu/hum/klawitter/milton/icon. htm Lanzara, Joseph. Paradise Lost: The Novel. New York: New Arts Library, 1994 Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Robert Vaughan, ed. New York: Cassell, 1966 The Silmarillion Tolkien, J. R. R. The Silmarillion. Christopher Tolkien, ed. New York: Ballentine, 1977 Moby-Dick Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick. Parker, Hayford, ed. New York: Norton, 2002 Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick. Parker, Hayford, Tanselle, ed. New York: Northwestern, 1988 Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. Richard Bentley, ed. New York, London: Harper and Bros. , 1851 Devil’s Advocate “Devil’s Advocate. ” 11 Dec. 2003. http: //velvet_peach. tripod. com/fpacdevilsadvocate. html Devil’s Advocate. Dir. Taylor Hackford. Perf. Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves. Warner Bros. 1997 Sympathy for the Devil “Sympathy for the Devil. ” Beggars Banquet. The Rolling Stones. Virgin Records, 1968