Paradise Lost is an epic poem written by John Milton which discloses the well-known biblical story of Adam and Eve. This book was originally written in 1667 in 10 books. There were a lot of authors who created their works based on this masterpiece and they reflected their vision of the characters differently. This poem discloses the theme of the Fall of Man showing Adam and Eve’s temptation as opposed to the protagonist Satan. John Milton managed to combine biblical and classical learning in one poem.
Description of the poem
This poem underlined the problem of humanity fall describing the fact that Eve listened to the snake, the same situation is typical for our modern life. This epic poem was considered to be a real masterpiece of world literature and the background for all others pieces of work. The perception of Satan contradicted the image of God was especially stressed by the author. He was expressed as the powerful and sympathetic embodiment of evil.
The characteristic of the heroes of the Paradise Lost was perceived in different period of time differently. For example, the representatives of the Romantic described Satan as a real hero of his epoch who rebelled against the Heaven tyranny. Some of the well-known poets considered Christ to be dramatized.
Analyzing the characters of Milton presented in his book one can notice that the author stressed the significance of Satan rather than God. Though he is presented as a rebel against God, one can observe covert admiration by the heroism of the protagonist. He showed his power and baseness at the same time to underline all the theological aspects. Satan is considered to be a successful metaphor in Milton’s poem which can be easily compared with the present time disclosing the same life mistakes. Paradise Lost is an epic example of our present world where people cannot penetrate evil.
The poem written by Milton reflects all his trouble of life and the main questions of human suffering. It was connected with the time when the author lived. He expressed Satan as charismatic and unjust. A lot of authors disclosed their views and critics as to this poem. One of the most prominent remarks was expressed by William Blake, who considered that Milton was regarded “of the Devil’s party without knowing it” (Rosen, 2008)
Paradise Lost is an epic poem with modern interpolations containing the mixture of old and new. Comparing this masterpiece with the contemporary situation in the world one can notice the embodiment of the terrorist in Satan who aims his life at the destruction of others. According to Thomas Jefferson, this book is Milton’s search for the New World without sufferings and cruelty, where everyone could find his place and would feel calm and satisfied.
Conclusion
Paradise Lost reflects the soul of the author, his views, and his understanding of life. It is important to stress that nowadays people can enjoy reading this book and feel the atmosphere of that time. The perception of the ancient characters is very individual and cannot be influenced even by the views of great writers. Everyone perceives God and Satan, Adam and Eve in his own way comparing these mythical heroes with real-life and seeing typical similarities with the modern society, making the same life mistakes and facing temptations with every passing moment of our life.
References
Rosen, Jonathan. Return to Paradise. New York, 2008.
Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th. ed., Vol. 1. New York: W. W. 2006.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Oxford University Press, USA, 2005.