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Title: Paradise
Lost
Author: John Milton
First Published in: 1667
An epic poem in blank
verse by Milton, originally in ten books,
subsequently rearranged in twelve, first printed in 1667.
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 Hellgates, guarded by
Sin and Death, and passes upward through the realm of
Chaos.
Book III. Milton invokes celestial light to illumine the
'everduring 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 I 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 joumeys on towards the Garden of Eden,
where he first sees Adam and Eve 'in naked Majestic', and
overhears their discourse about the forbidden Tree of
Know-ledge. 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, 668 ff.) 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 Passion sway | Thy Judgment', Raphael departs.
Book IX. Milton describes Satan's entry 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 as 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 victor, whereupon he and his
angels are
temporarily transformed into serpents. Adam at first
reproaches Eve,
but then, reconciled 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 within',
they are led
out of the Garden.
Text file provided by:
Project Gutenberg
[214kB Zip file]