Paradise Lost 

an Analysis in 7 Literary Elements

Before proceeding with our presentation, let's briefly review the historical context of the Victorian Age and explore the literary landscape through three concise videos. This preliminary exploration will enhance your understanding as you navigate the intricate world of 'Jane Eyre,' making the journey more enriching.

• Literary Trends: Renaissance 1 The Elizabethan Age
• Literary Trends: Renaissance 2 The Jacobean Age
• Literary Trends: Renaissance 3 The Caroline Age
• Literary Trends: Renaissance 4 The Commonwealth

These videos delve into the historical and cultural factors that shaped the literature of the age.

Explanation of the Title and Sources of Inspiration

The title refers to the fact that Satan was originally an angel and lost his place in Paradise.

Paradise Lost is also about the biblical story of the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by the fallen angel, Satan, and their subsequent expulsion from the Garden.

Milton, a Renaissance man, was familiar with classical learning. He was a convinced Puritan and had a thorough knowledge of scripture. He used those two branches of learning in Paradise Lost.

Drawing inspiration from Homer, Virgil and Dante as models, he also developed the idea of a divine plan.

Genre

Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse.

It can be considered a Christian epic: Paradise Lost unfolds the events as the result of the divine plan, in the same way to how Homer and Virgil link human destinies to divine plans emanated from Mount Olympus.

Paradise Lost has been interpreted as an allegory of the political events of Milton's time, Satan' s banishment from heaven being compared with Charles I' s loss of the throne.

Paradise Lost was written "To justify the ways of God to men ". Justify means explain, to make clear in their justness.

Plot and structure

The poem shows two moral paths: the path taken by Satan, whose disobedience leads to further sin, degradation and punishment. This contrasts with the path taken by Adam and Eve, whose disobedience is followed by repentance and the real hope of redemption.

Characters

The main characters in the poem are God, Lucifer (Satan), Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve stand for all humanity.

Both Satan and Adam and Eve challenged God and were defeated. Satan is the first to disobey God and his decision to rebel comes entirely from himself, from his pride and ambition; it is not provoked by others. Adam and eve's disobedience is provoked by Satan's temptation but after the fall from grace they are aware of the sin and seek forgiveness. In book X Adam and Eve, full of remorse, beg for forgiveness. They show they have learnt from their actions and want to make amends.

Despite Milton's religious concerns, the characters in Paradise Lost are not portrayed as religious stereotypes; they are given individuality, especially through their speeches.

Milton gives Satan the rhetorical voice of a great leader who has lost everything except his self-confidence. This quality of Milton's Satan was later admired by the Romantics who saw him as the highest example of the dark solitary hero, broken but not annihilated by the power of a society or a universe so much stronger than him.

Setting

Heaven, Hell, the Garden of Eden

Paradise Lost takes place right around what Christians would say is the beginning of human history. The poem begins after Satan's unsuccessful rebellion and the creation of the universe.
The first two books are set in Hell. Milton spends a good amount of time describing Hell's surroundings.
Heaven is the setting of Books III and VI as well; Milton skillfully shifts between scenes from Hell to Heaven. Hell is dark ("darkness visible" reigns there) while Heaven is bright. Hell is not comfortable, but Heaven is the most peaceful place imaginable. The author strategically juxtaposes these two settings to underline the contrast in their moral, spiritual, and metaphysical dimensions.The Garden of Eden is, for the most part, the setting of the rest of the poem. Paradise is exactly what you would expect. Every single sweet-smelling plant and tasty fruit exists there; all the animals get along; and the weather is always perfect.

Milton does everything he possibly can to emphasize that the Garden of Eden always ends up reminding us that we no longer possess it, that such a place can only be accessed through the imaginative productions of poets like him. When Adam and Eve leave the garden at the end of Book XII, a "flaming brand" or sword blocks the Gates of Paradise, reminding them (and us) of its ultimate inaccessibility.

They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld

Of Paradise, so late their happy seat,

Waved over by that flaming brand; the gate

With dreadful faces thronged, and fiery arms:

Some natural tears they dropt, but wiped them soon;

The world was all before them, where to choose

Their place of rest, and Providence their guide:

They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow,

Through Eden took their solitary way. (Book XII)

Paradise Lost divides the universe into four realms:

- glorious heaven

-dreadful Hell

-confusing chaos

-young earth.

Milton's geography is based on religious message not on science.

The universe has a hierarchy which is to be respected with heaven above, hell below and earth in the middle. This is matched by a social hierarchy based on the proximity to God (Great Chain of Beings): the Sun is closest to God, followed by the archangels and cherubs, then humans, animals and devils (for Angels). Satan refuses to accept this hierarchy hoping to defeat God

Themes

Disobedience and free play a key role in the story. Milton does not portray the couple's decision to eat the fruit as inevitable. Instead, the poem shows the couple while exercising their free will. In Milton's view, Adam and Eve had within themselves the capacity to withstand temptation, but they chose not to.

Narrative Techniques

Point of view: Third Person (Omniscient)

The narrator in Paradise Lost is an omniscient third person. This means that the narrator is not a character in the story (like Satan or Adam or Eve), but rather an external observer that can enter the thoughts of all of the characters in the story. Milton does this on numerous occasions, often telling us what Satan is thinking about, or what Adam is really feeling. Because he is not a character in the story, the narrator can be in several places at once. For example, in Book IX, the narrator tells us what Eve is doing, but then he shifts and tells us what Adam is doing. The narrator knows the whole story, he knows how he wants to present it and feeds his readers information as he sees fit.In many points of the poem, the presence of Milton as the third-person narratore becomes apparent: he refers to his own blindness (beginning of Book III) and to English politics (beginning of Book IX). He often inserts references to his own poem.

The use of blank verse in Paradise Lost is a narrative technique used by John Milton to enrich the narrative and show the epic nature of the poem.

Blank verse is a type of poetry that does not rhyme but has a regular metre, which is typically iambic pentameter. In this poem, John Milton used blank verse to give the text a grand and majestic feel. The ten-syllable lines of iambic pentameter give a natural and rhythmic flow, making the text sound elevated and dignified.

Milton's use of blank verse emphasises the gravity of the subject matter, such as Satan's fall and the events in paradise. A long and intricate work like "Paradise Lost" certainly benefits from the lack of rhyme since it allows for a more flexible and varied expression.

Milton prefaced the 1668 edition with the justification of the verse form and meter for the poem. "The measure is English heroic verse without rhyme, as that of Homer in Greek and of Virgil in Latin."

Heroic verse is the unrhymed pentameter, the meter that Shakespeare used in his plays (Blank verse) and which Milton especially admired in his tragedies. Milton decided against rhyme because he believed it was unsuited to the seriousness of his subject. He pointed out that the classical poets made no use of rhyme.

The wide use of classical and biblical references is an important element of what is known as Milton's "grand style ". 

Another important element is language; Milton used as solemn and rather elevated language instead of plain, simple English. He often used words that derived from Latin and Italian and his syntax is heavily influenced by these two languages.

Other stylistic features contribute to the poem's grandeur: for example epic simile, technique Milton often employs.

Epic similes: Milton used extensive similes, commonly referred to as epic similes, to make vivid comparisons and further develop the imagery in the poem.

Example: "As one who in his journey bates at noon, / Though bent on speed, so here the Arch-Angel paused / Betwixt the world destroyed and world restored." (Book VI): the Arch-Angel Raphael is describing the state of the world and the cosmic events to Adam.

Invocation of the Muse: Milton begins Paradise Lost with an invocation, a prayer for inspiration. This is a traditional approach used in epic poetry to set the tone and seek divine guidance. Milton includes invocations at the beginning of Books I, III, VII, and IX. Each invocation seeks divine inspiration for the epic task.

Example: "Sing, Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret top / Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire / That Shepherd." (Book I)

Allusions: Milton employs several allusions to biblical and classical sources.

Example: "Hail holy Light, offspring of Heaven firstborn, / Or of the Eternal Coeternal beam!", from Book III

• "Hail holy Light": This phrase echoes the idea of light as a symbol of purity and divinity, reminiscent of biblical passages that describe God as light.
• "offspring of Heaven firstborn": This part of the line refers to the concept of the Son of God, who is often described as the firstborn of Heaven, as seen in biblical passages that highlight Jesus Christ's divine nature.
• "Eternal Coeternal beam": The use of "Eternal" and "Coeternal" aligns with the Christian understanding of the Holy Trinity, where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are considered coeternal and share the divine essence.

Soliloquy and monologue: Characters in "Paradise Lost" frequently engage in soliloquies and monologues to reveal their inner thoughts and feelings. This approach adds psychological depth to the tale and shows the motivations of the characters.

Example:"Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." […] Book I, spoken by Satan.

Foreshadowing: Milton uses foreshadowing to create suspense and expectation by hinting at events to come.

Example: from Book IV: "Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell; / And in the lowest deep a lower deep, / Still threatening to devour me, opens wide." These lines foreshadow Satan's internal torment and the inescapable consequences of his rebellion, hinting at the unfolding tragedy that will affect both him and humanity.