Paradise Lost -
John Milton
It took John Milton seven years to write this epic – his masterpiece.
He was a solitary yet dedicated literary
genius in England during the 17thcentury. He was well aware of his
genius even at a young age and had long wanted
to write an epic. Literary epics hitherto didn’t boast of any English epic until
Milton changed that with Paradise Lost.
|
Gustave Dore's dramatic illustrations of the scenes from the epic have a magnificent beauty of its own. |
The story by itself isn’t a new one but is taken from the
Biblical book of Genesis – of the creation of man and his disobedience which
leads him to be exiled from Eden. But these few lines from the Bible are
transformed into a powerful tale of power, loyalty, betrayal, rebellion,
treachery, wickedness and redemption in the hands of the master craftsman
Milton.
Due to unprecedented circumstances in the history of English
politics, the then ruling monarch Charles I is deposed and beheaded (the only
monarch to have had this fate, and hence the current Prince Charles dislike for
his title of Charles I). So, it was that in the year 1649 began a seventeen years
long experiment in a Commonwealth (as opposed to a monarchy). John Milton,
being the dedicated servant he was, answered his call for duties as a citizen,
responding to the need of the hour and takes up the anti-royalist side of the Parliamentarians.
He supports them with his prose writings, as he termed it “the writings of his
left hand”. The poet in him lies dormant for the next seventeen years.
|
The word ‘pandemonium’ was coined by John Milton as the name for the capital of Hell in Paradise Lost. It means ‘all demons’. |
When the “merry monarch” Charles II finally brings back
monarchy to England, Milton finds all his political efforts have turned against
him. All his works were publicly burned and he himself would have been put to
death hadn’t it been for the fact that he had by then become completely blind.
Being blind would have effectively ended any other writer’s
art , but it wouldn’t be so for Milton. In fact it was then, after he lost
everything he had – his shattered dreams for a new and reformed England, the
death of his second wife, his own blindness, his public humiliation - that he
returns to the epic which he had long since wanted to have authored.
Amazingly he published the epic in 10 books in the year 1667. He later revises it to 12 books – a standard
number for epics (Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey
runs to 24 books …..each)John Milton, the blind poet, brings together his immense knowledge and
learning, synthesizing biblical, classical, medieval and modern knowledge to describe the fall of man, the first ever Civil
War – the battle between the angels led by Satan and God, the promise of Christ’s
sacrifice and future redemption of mankind.
It goes without saying that this is not a light read. It pay
rich dividends though to those who labour to understand the nuances of Milton’s
grand style.
Here is a quick overview of the 12 books:
Book I -> shows us the fallen angels in Hell beginning to
recover and Satan’s first speech
|
"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in
Heaven.”(I.263)
|
Book II -> Satan and his followers discuss possible ways
to take revenge. It is decided that Satan will fly to Eden and corrupt the newly
formed creatures.
Book III -> God openly admits his foreknowledge of the
angels’ rebellion and also of Man’s inevitable Fall. Christ, his son, offers
himself as redemption for the future of mankind.
Book IV -> Satan’s arrival in Eden – his soliloquies. Our
first view of Adam and Eve. Satan’s plan for their destruction.
Book V-> Archangel Raphael is sent to counsel and advice Adam
of the pitfalls of disobedience to God
Book VI -> Raphael narrates the war in Heaven carried out
by Satan and his followers for Adam to know and understand the evil that was
banished from Heaven
Book VII -> Raphael also explains how God created Eden
and Man
Book VIII -> Adam tells Raphael what his first
experiences were after he was created.
Book IX -> (Probably, along with Book IV the most famous
of the twelve) the temptation of Eve by Satan in the disguise of a serpent and
the Fall of Man
Book X - > Explains the change that takes place on earth
and Hell as a result of the Fall – and the final degradation of Satan – his eternal
punishment to live as a base, crawling creature, who was once a supreme archangel.
Book XI -> Archangel Michael is sent to inform Adam that
they would have to leave Eden (Paradise) forever and also tells him what the
future of mankind looks like.
Book XII -> Archangel Michael predicts the redemption of
mankind with the coming of the “second Adam” (Christ) and then guides both Eve
and Adam out of the gates of Paradise, which has been lost to them.
Literary epics are highly conventional compositions and will
have certain marked characteristics, so a few features to keep note of if you pick
up this epic:
1)
The hero is a figure of national or even cosmic
importance -> though there are debates
between who the actual hero of the epic could be – Christ , Satan or
Adam – it clearly is of cosmic importance.
2)
Setting of an epic would be one on a grand scale
– in the case of Paradise Lost - the entire universe.
3)
The action involves extraordinary deeds. The
epic battle of the angels, the creation of Pandemonium, the journey of Satan
over Chaos to reach Eden, the fall of the angels, the building of a path
between Hell and Earth by Sin and Death (hideous creatures both)
4)
Gods and other supernatural beings take an
active part in the whole epic (God, Christ, Archangels, Satan and his entire
army, Cherubims, Seraphs, Sin, Death, Spirits, and all of God’s creations)
5)
And most important of all – the elevated and
grand style of poetry. This is probably the highlight of the entire epic for
me.
With lines that have become proverbial and
epic in themselves , there are numerable lines in these books that highlight
the despairing emotions, the conflicted passions and the acceptance of the
inevitable fate.
And noticeably Milton does give a fair
share of some of these masterly lines to none other than the fallen angel
Lucifer a.k.a. Satan. Some critics believe that he did so because he understood
the pain of the fall from grace. Others believe he wanted to represent the wonderful
ability of Satan to use the art of persuasion to his advantage.
It is interesting to note his lines and speeches
he delivers for the power and charm it creates in his audience.
This is perhaps the longest review I have
done so far, and I feel only a slight tip of the iceberg has been unveiled.
But, there you go, that’s an epic for you.
P.S. Did you know? This epic has inspired the series
title for Philip Pullman’s
His Dark
Materials trilogy. Also there is a hilarious but
infinitely diminished ‘Twitterature’ story of
Paradise Lost as well . And I am sure many many more inspirations
have risen from this one epic tale.
P.P.S Milton has used a staggering number
of grand words to create the elevated mood of an epic – I have marked a minimum of ten words at least per book – mellifluous,
perfidious, obsequious, pernicious, transpicuous, sapience, opprobrious……it
goes on and on!