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Essay / Paradise Lost - John Milton's Complicated Masterpiece love of beautyThe great style of MiltonEffect of the time on the poemParadise Lost is a great literary work of Milton. It's an epic. It is written in a grandiose style. Milton had been planning to write it for years. During the years of political change, he searched for a suitable subject and even considered for a time the idea of writing about an authoritarian legend. But ultimately he chose a broad subject to write about the fall of Adam and Eve and, through them, the fall of the human race. Paradise Lost is a rich mixture of knowledge. The Bible, the Talmud and the Church Fathers contributed to the story of Paradise Lost. The structure and tragic tone of the poem resemble those of Homer and Virgil. But Milton's individuality is reflected in this poetry. The poet uses his knowledge and creates a masterpiece. He creates a universe that is at once past, present and future. He creates a world that is timeless and placeless. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The poem opens with an invocation to the Heavenly Muse (without using classical Greek mythology). The poet asks for help from the Heavenly Muse and describes the subject of the poem: man's first disobedience to God by eating the forbidden fruit and consequently the fall of man. He seeks support from Muse of Mount Sinai. He calls on Muse and tells him that he is going to write a poem on a very noble subject compared to the ancient poets. He prays for the illumination of his vision. Its purpose is to justify the ways of God to men. Milton's story begins by asking why Adam and Eve, our parents, fell from heaven and who reduced them to their rebellion. They lived happily in paradise with only one restriction. Join our Facebook group: Library of English Literature and Linguistics by Arshad Mehmood. The infernal serpent was the cause of their downfall. In his envy and vengeance, he seduced the mother of humanity, Eve. Because of his pride and ambition to exalt himself above God, Satan waged an ungodly war in heaven. As a result, God expelled him from heaven. Other rebellious angels also fell into the deepest pits of hell where they suffered eternal punishment. Even though he was immortal, Satan suffered. He was confused and stunned by the falling sky. He now lay stretched out on a fiery lake. Milton gives us a picture of hell partly through our own eyes and partly through the eyes of Satan. The place is completely hopeless. It is full of visions of sorrow and despair. Fallen angels face torment. In this state are the fallen angels, three times further from the light of heaven than the earth is from the extreme poles of the universe. Satan speaks to his closest associate Beelzebub. He tells him that he feels great contempt for the creator of the sky. He will never seek forgiveness and will fight against God. Milton reminds us that his speech is only a noisy effort to awaken the fallen angels but in reality he is in the depths of despair. Beelzebub responds to Satan with apprehension. He says that to be weak is to be unhappy. He says that the glory of the fallen angels diminishes and their happiness is consumed. They are in total destruction. Literature and Linguistics by Arshad MehmoodSatan responds quickly to remove Beelzebub's fear. He says that doing anything good is now out of the question for them. Doing evil should only be a pleasure andthis would annul the will of God. Satan then draws Beelzebub's attention to the fact that the cosmic hail has stopped. They must not miss the opportunity to discuss how to emerge from this terrible calamity. Milton then describes the immense dimensions of Satan. He compares Satan to Titans like Briareos and giants like Typhon. Satan is also compared to the sea beast Leviathan. God lets Satan follow his “dark designs.” So that he can bring damnation to him and that he can see that evil always leads to infinite shame. The dry land is described as earthquake and volcanic eruption imagery. But in moving from one lake to another, Satan only exchanges liquid fire for solid fire. Beelzebub also follows Satan in his exit. Then, Satan gives his famous first speech. He is in shock but accepts the conditions of hell. Finding himself in utter misery, he says that "the mind is its own place, in itself can make a heaven out of hell and a hell out of heaven." This is a powerful statement. This speech of Satan is the most important part of the epic. Satan motivates the fallen angel with his pep talk. He says, “It is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.” Beelzebub supports Satan and the rebellious angels regain their power. In the following lines Satan's shield and spear are described, as well as the great multitude of fallen angels. Satan's shield is compared to the size of a moon when viewed through a telescope. And the fallen angels are like fallen autumn leaves on the banks of a river. Then Satan addresses the fallen angels for the second time. He calls them princes, warriors, potentates, flowers of heaven and stimulates them. He gives them an ultimatum to rise or fall forever. The partisans jump up and down like men asleep on duty. They are awake and they are in a floating multitude. They rise like locusts. The leaders of the different regiments now come forward. They are powerful angels who once had princely dignities in heaven. Milton then gives us a catalog of fallen angels. Among them are the false gods from whom Old Testament Jehovah protects his chosen people. The first is Moloch, the destructive sun god. Then Chemos, Baalim, Ashtarohah, Thammuz, Dagon etc. These false gods and their destructive effect on humanity are elucidated in detail. After this, the depressed state of the fallen angels is described. They are in poor condition. Their gazes are dejected and moist. But there is a touch of joy in them. A new plan of action is hatched and Satan somehow manages to cheer them up. Then Satan and the fallen angels gather in an army. The flags are raised and they show their shields. The music is played and there is an impressive range of forces. They come together and organize themselves. Then Satan addresses the angel again. He tries to speak to the angels. His first three attempts are stopped by tears of frustration and despair but he finally regains courage and delivers his speech. This third speech is also filled with zeal and enthusiasm. He is determined to continue the war against God and his creatures. The fallen angels respond by waving swords, smashing shields, and shouting in anger at God. Then, a band of angels rushes at Mammon's command to the nearby hill and digs for gold. They build a magnificent building and name it "Pandemonium". Then, in the following lines, more details about Mammon are given. In the end, all of the fallen angels, except the leaders, reduce their size to flies. Paradise Lost is written in grand style. It is written in blank verse. It has an overall structure without rhyme. The poem is composed of iambic pentameter. Each verse has five syllableslong. Milton uses epic similes. The use of alliteration also produces a musical effect. His comparisons go well beyond the confines of comparison and are expanded to paint a complete picture. Many simple and Homeric similes are used. The nature of Milton's blank verse in "Paradise Lost" is unrhymed meter of five accents and ten syllables. It stiffened and strengthened the texture of the grubs. He introduced a variety of blank worms so that they were never monotonous. The epic contains verse-like paragraphs overflowing with ideas. Milton acquired perfect mastery of blank verse without diminishing dignity and grandeur. Sin and Punishment The main theme of the epic is sin and its punishment. The fallen angels as well as Satan burn in the miseries of hell because of their sin. They showed themselves proud before God. They disobeyed their creator and were punished to stay in a fiery hell forever. They are stunned and plunged into deep despair. They suffer because of their own suffering and by following the cursed Satan. Thus, sin and its results in the form of divine wrath and punishment are shown in paradise lost. Power and Majesty The second theme of Paradise Lost is power and majesty. There is a display of power throughout the poem. We see that the power of Muse is called upon at the beginning of the poem. Then there is the power of Almighty God and we see its effects on the rebellious angels. After this, Satan's power and will are greater than those of the other angels. After that, different rebel angels and their descriptions along with their evil power and the destruction they brought to the world are presented. So, all these parts of the poem give the poem an overall theme of power and superiority. The Fall of Humanity The overall theme of the epic is the fall of humanity. How humanity is being led astray by evil spirits and drawn into sin because of Satan's dark motives. The poem is about how humanity strays from the path of its creator God and enters the net set by Satan and his companions. The mission of the fallen angels is to drag humanity with them to hell. They are envious of man's ascension and want revenge on them, so they use every possible means to lead them away from the path designed by God. Speaker's Setting and Symbolism The speaker is himself the poet. Upon opening, he invokes the Heavenly Muse and asks for help. He says he is raising his voice on a very important subject. Then the setting is hell and the poet describes the fallen angels in hell after being abandoned by God and thrown into the miseries of hell. This is the setting for the rest of the poem. Imagery is used to give us a picture of the conditions in hell. All the fallen angels are scattered to different sides and are awakened by Satan's speech. Satan gives three speeches and starts a revolt in hell. He forms an army against God. This army is then organized and we obtain a complete picture of hell. Vast images, similes and metaphors are used to give a clear picture of hell.Critical AnalysisLiterary Position and ScholarshipShakespeare and Milton are two English poets who are above the rest of the poets of their age. Shakespeare was a playwright and poet of universal humanity. And Milton was an epic poet and a poet of Puritan England. This epic is therefore unique and gives us a glimpse of Milton's Nobel style. As we progress we are very impressed with Milton's erudition and Paradise Lost is a masterpiece. He knew the knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome. It combines this knowledge.
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