An English intellectual John Milton wrote an epic poem "Paradise Lost" in the seventh century. The first version poem was published in 1667. Milton wrote Paradise Lost entirely through dictation with the help of amanuenses and friends. In the course of this book, Satan, who was banished from the Garden of Eden, sneaks back in disguised as a mist. He then transforms into a snake. Satan is jealous of Adam and Eve's innocence and wants to tempt them into sin to get revenge on God. Historically, Milton began writing Paradise Lost three years after the fall of Cromwell's government.
Milton's "Paradise Lost" consists of twelve books with over ten thousand lines of verse. The book doesn't follow any specific rhyme scheme; although it expresses iambic pentameter. In the 1667 version, there were only ten books. It is a blank verse poem. On the other hand, the poem includes, "darkness, light and vertical movement."
Milton scholar John Leonard notes, "John Milton was nearly sixty when he published Paradise Lost in 1667." Having gone blind in 1652, Samuel Simmons registered for publication in his name was Paradise Lost in 1667. In the 1667 version of Paradise Lost, the poem was divided into ten books.
The book begins with Satan's successful attempt to deceive Eve and persuade her to eat the forbidden fruit. God, who is all-seeing and all-knowing, is aware of their transgression. Satan's manipulation of Eve is described as he flatters her and leads her astray: "On his bad Errand, Man should be seduc’t / And flatter’d out of all, believing lies / Against his Maker" (lines 70-72).
After eating the fruit, Adam and Eve become aware of their nakedness and hide from God. When God confronts them, they try to shift the blame onto each other. God, however, sees through their deception and questions them: "How is it now become / So dreadful to thee? that thou art naked, who / Hath told thee? hast thou eaten of the Tree / Whereof I gave thee charge thou shouldst not eat?" (lines 120-123).
God pronounces punishments upon Adam and Eve for their disobedience. Adam tells that he will have to toil and labor for his sustenance: "In the sweat of thy Face shalt thou eate Bread, / Till thou return unto the ground" (lines 235-236). Eve is informed that she will experience pain in childbirth: "Pains onely in Child-bearing were foretold, / And bringing forth, soon recompenc’t with joy, / Fruit of thy Womb" (lines 560-562).
Adam and Eve express remorse for their actions and seek forgiveness from God. They acknowledge their faults and humbly ask for mercy: "What better can we do, then to the place / Repairing where he judg’d us, prostrate fall / Before him reverent, and there confess / Humbly our faults, and pardon beg, with tears / Watering the ground, and with our sighs the Air / Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign / Of sorrow unfeign’d, and humiliation meek" (lines 1085-1092).
At the beginning of book 9, Milton writes about Satan’s attempt to disguise himself as a serpent to tempt Eve. In an interesting moment, Adam expresses his concern about disobeying God but soon he gives in to Eve’s desire and eats the fruit. The book reaches its conclusion when both Adam and Eve open their eyes to a completely different world after eating the fruit of the Forbidden Tree. In a time Adam outs, “Forth reaching to the Fruit, she pluck’d, she eat: Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat--/ Sighing through all her Works gave signs of woe, That all was lost.”
Throughout the poem, Milton narrates the story of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, explains how and why it happens, and places the story within the larger context of Satan’s rebellion and Jesus’ resurrection. In essence, Paradise Lost presents two moral paths that one can take after disobedience. In the poem, the downward spiral of increasing "sin and degradation were represented by Satan", and "the road to redemption was represented by Adam and Eve." The poem delves into the concepts of sin, pride, and the loss of innocence.
To conclude, Milton's "Paradise Lost " is a significant work of English literature that examines profound theological and philosophical concepts while telling a compelling story of the Fall of Man. It introduces the concept of redemption and the idea that God's divine plan will ultimately bring about a greater good despite the Fall. According to English writer, Samuel Johnson wrote extensively on various aspects of the work, providing literary analysis and criticism. His insights have been influential in the study and understanding of this epic poem.
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