Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost, an epic poem in blank verse by Milton, originally in ten books, subsequently rearranged in twelve, first printed 1667.

Milton formed the intention of writing a great epic poem, as he tells us, as early as 1639. A list of possible subjects, some of them scriptural, some from British history, written in his own hand about 1640–1, still exists, with drafts of the scheme of a poem on ‘Paradise Lost’. The work was not, however, begun in earnest until 1658, and it was finished according to Aubrey, in 1663.

Book I. The poet, invoking the ‘Heav'nly Muse’, states his theme, the Fall of Man through disobedience, and his aim, which is no less than to ‘justifie the wayes of God to men’. He then presents the defeated archangel Satan, with Beelzebub, his second-in-command, and his rebellious angels, lying on the burning lake of hell. Satan awakens his legions, rouses their spirits, and summons a council. The palace of Satan, Pandemonium, is built.

Book II. The council debates whether another battle for the recovery of Heaven be hazarded. Satan undertakes to visit it alone, and passes through Hell-gates, guarded by Sin and Death, and passes upward through the realm of Chaos.

Book III. Milton invokes celestial light to illumine the ‘ever-during dark’ of his own blindness, then describes God, who sees Satan's flight towards our world, and foretells his success and the fall and punishment of man. The Son of God offers himself as a ransom, is accepted, and exalted as the Saviour. Satan alights on the outer convex of our universe, ‘a Limbo large and broad, since call'd | The Paradise of Fools’. He finds the stairs leading up to Heaven, descends to the Sun, disguises himself as ‘a stripling Cherube’, and in this shape is directed to Earth by Uriel, where he alights on Mount Niphates in Armenia.

Book IV. Satan journeys on towards the Garden of Eden, where he first sees Adam and Eve ‘in naked Majestie’, and overhears their discourse about the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. He resolves to tempt them to disobey the prohibition but is discovered by the guardian angels and expelled from the garden by their commander, Gabriel.

Book V. Eve relates to Adam the disquieting dream of temptation which Satan had inspired. Raphael, sent by God, comes to Paradise, warns Adam, and enjoins obedience. Raphael, at Adam's request, relates how Satan, inspired by hatred and envy of the newly anointed Messiah, inspired his legions to revolt.

Book VI. Raphael continues his narrative, telling how Michael and Gabriel were sent to fight against Satan. After indecisive battles the Son of God himself, alone, attacked the hosts of Satan, and, driving them to the verge of Heaven, forced them to leap down through Chaos into the deep.

Book VII. Raphael gives an account of God's decision to send his Son to create another world from the vast abyss. He describes the six days of creation, ending with the creation of man.

Book VIII. Adam inquires concerning the motions of the heavenly bodies, and is answered ‘doubtfully’. (The controversy regarding the Ptolemaic and Copernican systems was at its height when Paradise Lost was written, and Milton was unable to decide between them, as seen in Bk X, 668ff.) Adam relates what he remembers since his own creation and with Raphael talks of the relations between the sexes, then, with a final warning to ‘take heed least Passion sway | Thy Judgment’, Raphael departs.

Book IX. Milton describes Satan's entry into the body of the serpent, in which form he finds Eve, she having insisted, despite Adam's warnings, on pursuing her labours alone. He persuades her to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. Eve relates to Adam what has passed and brings him of the fruit. Adam, recognizing that she is doomed, resolves to perish with her and eats the fruit, and after initial intoxication in their lost innocence, they cover their nakedness and fall to mutual accusation.

Book X. God sends his Son to judge the transgressors and he pronounces his sentence. Sin and Death resolve to come to this world, and make a broad highway thither from Hell. Satan returns to Hell and announces his victory, whereupon he and his angels are temporarily transformed into serpents. Adam at first reproaches Eve, but then, reconciled, they together resolve to seek mercy from the Son of God.

Book XI. The Son of God, seeing their penitence, intercedes. God decrees that they must leave Paradise, and sends down Michael to carry out his command. Eve laments; Adam pleads not to be banished but Michael reassures him that God is omnipresent, then unfolds to him the future, revealing to him the consequences of his original sin in the death of Abel and the future miseries of mankind, ending with the Flood and the new Covenant.

Book XII. Michael relates the subsequent history of the Old Testament, then describes the coming of the Messiah, his incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension, which leads Adam to rejoice over so much good sprung from his own sin. Michael also foretells the corrupt state of the Church until the Second Coming. Resolved on obedience and submission, and assured that they may possess ‘a Paradise within’, they are led out of the Garden.