Paradise Lost

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Paradise Lost – One of the Most Distinguished English Epic Poems of All Time

The Protestant faith had already gained significant momentum in Europe at the time when John Milton dictated this remarkably long and intricate poem from memory for his daughter to transcribe. Today, the historic, cultural and literary value of Paradise Lost is quite remarkable, and it is seen as one of the most powerful and renowned English epic poems in existence.

The poem starts like many epic poems before its time, with Milton beginning to tell the story of Satan, Adam and Eve, then building up on the background story in gradual steps. One of the unique elements of the story lines is Milton’s detailed portrayal of Satan, his betrayal and the great battle between angels and demons that took place for the entirety of Heaven.

Another – parallel – story line is that of Adam and Eve. Milton adds to the events in Genesis by showing how Adam willingly accepted the choice of eating from the forbidden fruit, when he could have left Eve to fall into sin by herself. In a way, Adam is depicted as a complex character here, with different perspectives showing him both as a heroic figure and as committing a much more serious sin than Eve.

The visions of the future that Adam is given by the Archangel Michael reflect both on the fall and potential for redemption of humanity, a dual representation of life that Milton emphasized on, presenting the choice that each of us have to make not only as citizens of humanity, but as individual souls.

This epic, eventful and extremely complex poem is geared to push the boundaries of the accepted religious thought in that time period and represented an attempt by Milton to justify and explain the acts of God for regular individuals. The work still remains one of the best written and most expansive epic tales of that era.
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