Essays on Paradise Lost

Milton's Satan is perhaps one of the most hotly discussed literary characters, as generations of critics over the last three hundred years have kept the battle over the issue of the primacy of Satan in Paradise Lost not only alive but also enduringly animated. It appears as if every generation has found its own reading and interpretation of this highly complex character created by Milton. The critical pendulum swings from one extreme to another: While some hail Satan as the hero of the epic, some find him a lowly creature worse than a worm (Vijayasree, 68). Milton presents Satan ...

Satan's name dates back to the Jewish root “Satan”, which means "to resist "," to be an enemy". In "Paradise Lost" Milton often names Satan “The Enemy” or “Archenemy”. Thus, Satan seizes human consciousness as the enemy of God, so that believers, watching him struggling with God, perceive the grandeur of the latter. Milton’s Satan is not just an Archangel, but the most outstanding military leader, who enjoyed complete trust of God. G. Butler pushes to the idea that Milton’s Satan was influences a lot by “Comedy” and it should be agreed with: Milton received classical education and “ ...

At the beginning of the Paradise Lost we are introduced to Satan, who has found himself on the surface of a boiling hot lava after falling from Heaven. He has fallen from Heaven because he no longer wanted to be subservient to God. As an alternative he wishes for there to be more equality between God and the Angels. Throughout Paradise Lost Satan, continues to be obsessed with equality. This is something that is inferred throughout much of Paradise Lost. This paper will examine Satan’s need for equality. Satan’s desire for equality is seen from the very ...

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In the poem “Paradise Lost”, John Milton addresses a number of issues. One of the major themes of the poem is obedience and temptation. The author provides us with an appealing idea of freedom related to Christianity. In fact, the entire work focuses on Christianity. When talking about Eve and Adam, Milton mostly focuses on the idea of freedom. From stanzas 1-55 in Book III, Milton talks about freedom in this regard. On the other hand, freedom is also discussed for reflecting the image of God, His Greatness, the Son, simplicity, truth, intelligence, and physical light. ...

In the poem “Paradise Lost” John Milton addresses a number of issues. One of the major themes of the poem is obedience and temptation. The author provides us with an interesting idea of freedom in terms of Christianity. The whole book is focused on the notion of Christianity. Milton mostly focuses on the idea of freedom when we face Eve and Adam. From stanzas 1-55 in Book III, Milton mentions the thought of freedom while speaking about this nature. On the other hand, freedom is mentioned to portray God himself, the primary conceived Son, the godlikeness of God, the ...

Frankenstein is one of the most successful stories that Mary Shelley wrote, and it has remained to become a legend to her writing and literary works. While this story was published in 1816, the inception of its story line began way before this date, and its eventual writing was a manifestation of life espionages that Mary endured. In fact, this story was written as a lamentation to the life’s discourse that Mary had experienced, especially after people she so much loved faced the cruelty in the hands of gruesome death. Therefore, the life discourse that Mary had experienced ...

Gertrude’s relevance in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is threefold: she is the mother of the hero, the widow of the Ghost, and the wife of Claudius, the current King of Denmark. Still, her hasty and even incestuous marriage portrays her character in a negative way despite the fact that she played no role in the killing of Hamlet’s father, the previous king of Denmark who also happens to be the Ghost of the tale. Carolyn Heilbrun’s The Character of Hamlet’s Mother argues against the view of the woman as “shallow” simply because of her lustful ...

Even though the main story in “Paradise Lost” can be conceived to tragic, somewhat, it is a story of how Adam and Eve regain paradise. Book IX of the poem comes forth as the climax of the story in the poem and if at all Milton’s intention was to construct the poem as a tragedy, then the poem would have culminated at this point. However, Book X is introduced so as to give a resolution for the disobedience of Adam and Eve towards God. The regaining of paradise by Adam and Eve is manifested in the manner in ...

Questions

John Bunyan’s "The Pilgrim’s Progress" is a work of Puritanism. Puritanism is a religious movement of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries meant for purification of English church or the Church of England from all the elements of Catholic belief. The group that wanted to purify the church during the Puritanism became famous as the Puritans (McKay, Hill, and Buckler). The Puritans has common ideology.

However, Puritanism is different from the Church of England, and the religious variation between the Church of England and Puritanism became obvious during the reign of Elizabeth. The beliefs of Puritans had played a significant ...

Mammon’s Speech Discussion

Book II of Paradise Lost features the counsel of fallen angels all summoned by Satan to agree on the further action to be taken. As Satan’s ultimate goal is to wipe Heaven out, he would not stop the war half way through, as the sweet moment of grasping limitless power seems to be just a few steps away. Therefore, he needs to persuade other devils to unite their efforts and attack Heaven with no hesitation, as this is the one and only chance for them to defeat God. To get the most of support from each devil, Satan pretends ...

Introduction

The Paradise Lost is the epic poem written by the blind English poet John Milton. For many years, this piece of poetry had sparked countless of debates amongst literary scholars particularly concerning the character of Satan. One important aspect of studying Milton’s work is to analyze his clever ways of manipulating characters to challenge the notion of good and bad heroism. In his work, Milton’s Satan was an evil character; however, he also portrayed the devil to a heroic figure instead of God or Adam. In order to analyze the character of Satan, one must begin with a definition ...

CC SK LU Thesis Statement- This paper presents Milton’s trip to Italy and his book Paradise Lost. The paper will highlight Milton’s evocations of Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, the fall and expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Finally, the paper will highlight the similarities between Milton’s re-creation and the art pieces, which represent Adam and Eve and the events. Finally, the paper will indicate the images, which were close to Milton’s imagination. The scenario presented by the idea of paradise lost highlights Milton's attempt to understand the story. ...

Thesis statement- The story of paradise lost is Milton's attempt to understand the storyof man's creation, his fall, and eventually his expulsion from Eden in light of his understanding of religion, heroism, and love. In his writing, Milton seeks to conform to the writing standards set by the centuries of poetic traditions. He chose to use the epic genre used by writers such as Dante and Ariosto who were prolific writers of the Renaissance and Medieval eras. In so doing, Milton’s Paradise Lost has the various aspects that constituted the traditional epic themes of war, origin (especially ...

Mary Shelley’s literary treatise ‘Frankenstein’ originally published in the year 1818 falls in the genre of horror fiction. Shelley gives an account of the ethical issues present in technological developments and researches. She discusses the relation of a monster and its creator Victor Frankenstein, who possesses a deep passion for science and research. Out of his burning desire, Frankenstein creates a monster, which acts inhumane and destroys the lives of the human beings it encounters unable to withstand the unacceptability in the society. As a result of his creation, Frankenstein loses all his near and dear, and decides to end his life ...

Yes, Milton’s Paradise Lost is an epic poem. First criterion of an epic poem is related to its magnitude, it should be long spreading over hundreds of verses, and Paradise lost, certainly, fulfills that requirement. Following the norms of epic poetry, Milton describes his Paradise Lost in the style of a narration. Secondly, an epic poem usually revolves around the life events of a hero, and some critics contend that Milton projects Satin as the protagonist of his poem. Another characteristic of an epic poem is that it begins in the midst of an ongoing story, and later, the reader ...

Satan is viewed as a monstrous creature, a dark lord crippled by evil whims and a malicious being that is unable to comprehend love. The crafty sentient being is the arch enemy of the creator and remains as such to not only Christians but also Muslims and Jews. Satan is hated by the Almighty God, God’s mortal creatures as well as his angelic beings. Those who acknowledge the existence of the devil argue that he is the ultimate deceiver and the uncanny serpent that is responsible for the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Satan possesses demonic powers that ...

Northern Lights is a fantasy novel written by Phillip Pullman. The novel also referred to as “The Golden Compass” in the North American market belongs to the young-adult fantasy genre. The novel is set in a parallel universe. The plot revolves around the protagonist’s, Lyra Belacqua journey to the Arctic to look for her uncle, Lord Asriel who has been imprisoned and her friend Roger Paslow. The beginning of the novel makes reference to a line from the famous poem by John Milton, “Paradise Lost”. The line from the poem is “He took the golden compasses, prepared in god’s eternal ...

Milton in his widely read work “Paradise Lost” develops his character Satan differently than many of the traditional portrayals of him in the Bible. Whereas the Bible portrays him as the essence of evil, Milton creates a character that has a human side to his persona. He has hopes, dreams, aspirations and weaknesses that he deals with on a level that are relatable from a human perspective. In the bible, Satan’s lot is clearly cast, he is the enemy of God, the enemy of humanity, and is pure evil. In the New Testament, Jesus says about Satan, “He that committeth sin ...

Literature refers to the creative works of art that include drama, poetry, nonfiction, and fiction works. Literature is a tool that is used to describe the language, tradition, and the culture of different societies. This is because; literature deals with the cultural, and the historical artifact of the society. Through literature, the young members of the society learn about the culture of the society, and the economic activities that a certain society involves. The intended meaning in literary works is discovered by studying the works of an author and analyzing the work according to how the message is said. Interpretation of ...

Revolution is often; if not always, bloody, and there cannot be a revolution without rebels. These rebels become the hero of their society. If the early American heroes such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and many others had not resisted the power of the British Crown, the American Revolution would have never come to past. These freedom fighters, in search of liberty and freedom, rebelled against a powerful government, though they were the underdog, they won. Not every rebel is a revolutionist, however, anyone who defies authority or convention is a rebel. In the article titled “The Hero in Spite of Himself”, Rosette ...

It was finally completed in 12 books in 1674, but Paradise Lost is no Magnus opus. It is merely a poem. Written by John Milton, it is often called an epic and there is merit to that classification. There has been more than an ample scholarly discussion of Milton’s purposes and/or themes, especially on the role of Satan and the lack of God in his work; but the poet’s true aim that he stated forthwith was to justify the ways of God to men. So while academics dispute that that presence (the presence of God) is lacking in ...

Introduction

South Beach, Miami is an iconic symbol of waterfront luxurious holidaying, surfing and sunbathing. South Beach is the most popular beach destination in USA and one of the most popular beach destinations in the whole world. South Beach was not always a hot spot like it is today. In its early days it was a marshy land full of mangrove trees with no easy access from land because of Biscayne bay between South Beach and mainland Miami. However, some of the early forefathers while developing this island for agriculture realized that the island had the potential to become a tourist hotspot. This ...

Paradise Lost is a long standing work that has been credited with illustrating the many aspects of the human condition. This essay will explore Milton’s work in order to develop a better understanding of the layers of philosophy that have been responsible for generations of debate. This review will begin with an analysis of the how I believe the human condition has been reflected in this work and then move to illustrate the irony that is inherent in the reading. In the end, this literature review will demonstrate the full range of the reflected human condition as well as the ...

The eight pieces of writing we are analyzing for this assignment have many common themes. Love, war, loyalty, death, and peace are all themes I noticed in the readings. This essay will focus on the theme of peace in the selected readings. Peace is thought of by some as the opposite of war, but it can also be an inner peace, the absence of conflict, or a feeling of calm or contentment. As I read each piece, I was struck with the thought that each story had at least one death in it, and from each death came some sort ...

The thesis of this paper is to search for evidence in book I of John Milton’s Paradise Lost that proves that Milton made Satan a more attractive and sympathetic character, and to answer whether we can consider the Devil as a fallen hero, as Milton apparently depicts him. If we are to consider the possibility that Satan is hero in Milton’s Paradise Lost, then we must also consider his own politics too. According to William Hazlitt, Satan is “the most heroic subject ever chosen in a poem” (Hazlitt 107) of course he is referring to Milton’s poem. Milton starts ...

One of the things, among others, that the poets John Donne (1572–1631) and John Milton (1608–1674) have in common is their poetic style. John Donne and John Milton developed a poetic style in which they reasonably and often paradoxically approached philosophical and spiritual subjects. Although John Donne and John Milton have written fairly distinct poems, but their constructions of devotion and godly poetics tend to be quite similar. Although most of their poetic works are centered on their personal relationship with spirituality, but the sexual realism in their poetries cannot be ignored or overlooked. They use rhythms in ...

Literature Review

Part 1

In the film, the replicant models are only given four-year life spans because they are genetically engineered to be better than humans - stronger, more efficient, better reaction times. By the time they reach four years old, though, they have begun developing their own memories and emotional reactions. Because they are already adult sized and supposedly better than humans in important ways, there is a fear that the emotional immaturity they express may cause greater harm or that they will come to replace humans. This can be seen by comparing the two-year-old model Leon with the four-year-old model ...