John Milton's "Paradise Lost"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that John Milton's "Paradise Lost" retells the biblical story of Satan's departure from heaven and Adam and Eve's subsequent fall from the grace in the Garden of Eden. The paper also relates that Milton's rendition of this biblical story is innovative in its interesting observations of the relationship between Adam and Eve and in its liberal addition of visions and dreams, which seem to plague the central characters. The paper concludes that Milton's view of God is quite generous as, in this poem, God vows to show clemency to the sinners despite their transgressions.

From the Paper:

"If mankind had followed God's orders, it could have lived in paradise forever. However, because of their succumbing to temptation, depravity, and deception, they now have lost grace, but will be forgiven because of God's abundant mercy.
"This unique vision is God's unfortunate realization that human beings were innately flawed. He says himself that because of their free will and ability to think for themselves, they are able to stray from God's perfect plans. This logic makes sense however, since God is the only infallible being."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Luxon, Thomas H., ed. The Milton Reading Room, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton, March, 2002.
• Paradise Lost: Study Guide. 1999. New Arts Library. 31 Aug. 2007 <http://www.paradiselost.org/novel.html>.

More papers on John Milton's "Paradise Lost":

• Analytical Essay # 145516 : "Eve and Satan in John Milton's "Paradise Lost"
• Book Review # 110174 : "John Milton on Free-Will"
• Analytical Essay # 28216 : "Paradise Lost"
• Poem Review # 139295 : "Cultural Impact of "Paradise Lost"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: