Paradise Lost

As we know, epic poems are characterized by a formal, elevated style, and Milton’s Paradise Lost contains perhaps one of the most elevated stylistic writing of all the epic poems. I found it interesting to note that the organization of Milton’s epic poem was in 12 books, similarly to Virgil’s The Aeneid, and I believe that Milton must have copied this organization, a tradition begun by Homer’s epics, to create his own. In class we learned that epics were more than simply narratives, they are also a reflection and celebration of the particular culture that wrote it. Thus, Milton’s narrative of the Fall of Man and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden is not a mere retelling of the biblical story, it is also Milton’s vision of the entirety of humanity; philosophy, theology, and other essential features that reflect our universe.

I am particularly interested in the depiction of Satan, as many readers are. Despite his fallen position and slow metamorphosis into more demonic forms throughout the poem, Lucifer is a charismatic figure and a very complicated character. His enigmatic person is reflected in his addresses to the other demons:

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 else is not to be overcome? (I. 106-109)


And in subsequent moments, we see that the demons respond well to his speeches:

He spake, and, to confirm his words, out flew
Millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs
Of mighty cherubim, the sudden blaze
Far round illumined Hell. Highly they raged
Against the Highest, and fierce with grasped arms,
Clashed on their sounds shield the din of war.
Hurling defiance tward the vault of Heaven (I. 663-669)

The ingenious of Milton’s decision to depict Satan as both the antagonist and the anti-hero in this way, instead of merely the antagonist, serves to create a conflict in the reader that furthers Milton’s moral imperatives. As Satan seduces the demons, we become seduced by Satan as readers, and begin to sympathize with him. This is Milton’s way of warning us of the dangers of temptation, and using his poem to create it in this way is quite clever.