John Milton Paradise Lost

JohnMiltonand“ParadiseLost”Presentedby罗雯张红艳李欣然JohnMiltonMinibioofJohnMiltonBornDec.9,1609Master’sDegreefromCambridge:1632AnofficialservingunderOliverCromwellEuropeantour,metsomeofEurope’sgreatestminds:1638–Galileo;CardinalBarberini(Pope’snephew);GiovanniBatista;GiovanniDiodatiCompletelyblindby1652BecameaPuritanandwasananti-royalistDuringtheRestoration,Miltonunderattackforhisbeliefs,andhadtosuppresspoliticalwritingsDied1674,justshyofhis65thbirthdayParadiseLostBasicInformationAnepicinblankverseFirstedition1667intenbooksSecondedition1674intwelvebooksBasics:thestoryofGenesis-theFallofMan:thetemptationofAdamandEvebythefallenangelSatanandtheirexpulsionfromtheGardenofEdenFoundationalstories:–theBible(variousversionsandtranslations,includingKingJamesVersion,aswellascommentariesbySt.Augustine,JohnCalvin,andothertheologians)–Ovid’sMetamorphoses–Homer’sIliadandOdyssey–Virgil’sAeneidEpicPoetryAsaClassicLiteraryFormHomerrecordedfirstmajorepicpoems:TheIliadandTheOdysseyVirgiltellsstoryofRome’sfoundinginTheAeneidDantedescribesHeaven,Hell,andPurgatoryingreatdetailinTheDivineComedyJohnMiltongivesaccountofAdamandEve’sexpulsionfromtheGardenofEdeninParadiseLostVerseStyleBlankverse:versewritteninunrhymediambicpentameterJohnMiltondidnotthinkthathispoemhadtorhyme,sinceClassicalpoetry(e.g.TheIliad)didnot.YouwillnoticewhenreadingthatperfectI.P.doesnotalwaysoccurinParadiseLost“WhenIbeheldthePoetblind,yetbold,inslenderBookhisvastDesignunfoldMessiahCrown'd,GodsReconcil'dDecree,RebellingAngels,theForbiddenTree,Heav'n,Hell,Earth,Chaos,All;theArgument;”-Noticehowthereare10syllablesineachline-Toreadcorrectly,emphasizeeverysecondsyllableAnalysisWantedtosurpasspreviousepicsAttemptstoaddressthereasonforsinandsufferingintheworld:Godisnotresponsible;AdamandEve“broughtdeathintotheworld,andallourwoe.”AssertsthatGodgaveusfreewill,andweareresponsibleforourchoosingofevilShowsthestrugglebetweengoodandevil(goodnessisnotgoodnesswithoutastruggletoovercomeevil)Virtueisnotvirtueunlessitiswoninthe“dustandheat”oftheconflictwithevil.ThoughAdamandEve“lose,”theygaintherighttoprovethemselves.TheCharactersSixmajorcharactersSatan,theleaderofthefallenangels(nowknownasdevils)claimingself-creation.Beelzebub,Satan'sclosestfriend/allyGod,GodtheFather,creatoroftheEden,heaven,hellandeachofthemaincharacter.TheSon,GodtheSon;alsoknownastheMessiah,ChristsinglehandedlydefeatingSatanandhisfollowersAdam,Thefirstman,livinginParadiseEve,Hiswife,supposedtobeunderhiscontrolRaphael,anangelsentbyGodtowarnAdamaboutSatan'sinfiltrationofEdenandhistryingtocurseAdamandEveMichael,escortAdamandEveoutofParadise,visionsofthefutureSatanBettertoreigninHellthenserveinHeav'n!TheleaderoftheangelswhowerecastfromHeavenforeternityHisbigentrancetothepoemarelines84-191.Heisthefocusofthesectionwe’llread.BeelzebubSatan’sbestfriend(“LordoftheFlies,”PrinceofDemons)HeistalkingtoSatanaboutareturntoHeavenformorefightingDisappearsafterBookIGodTheFatherCalledtheFatherbecauseofHolyTrinity:TheFather,theSon,theHolySpiritRulerofHeavenandCreatorofEarthItwashewhocastSatanout