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“Paradise Lost” is a piece of literature worthy to be preserved for its elevated treatment of the Biblical story of the creation of the world. Written by John Milton in 1667, the epic poem describes the fall of Man, along with the creation of the sinister Devil, in a huge philosophical scope. It was Milton’s attempt to write a modern epic that would compete and triumph over other epic poems such as “The Odyssey,” written by Homer. Drawing from themes from mythology and allusions to current events at that time, Milton paints a conscious interpretation of Heaven, Hell, and Earth where Paradise and a new enemy are created.

            So the story goes the major character, which is the Devil, starts off as an angel. Favored by God, Lucifer was still not proud with what he had; he wanted to be like God. Consumed by his pride, he and his followers fought in a battle against the army of God, led by the archangel Michael. Defeated, he and his minions were cast out of heaven to the nether world that would be known as Hell. Lucifer, who was now called Satan, wanted revenge for his defeat.  After hearing about the creation about the World, he ventures to it where he plans on tempting Adam and Eve, the first humans created by God. After many attempts to save the couple, God and his angels were too late to save the husband and wife from eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They were forced out of the Garden of Eden with little hope. However, they were given a vision of what is to come for mankind in the future, which foreshadows the birth of Christ and the sequel to the poem, “Paradise Revisited.”

            At the time the poem was written, James I ruled England and a new translation of the Bible in English has been written, so most writers were writing spiritual pieces. Most of the subjects consisted of an interpretation of the world we live in and how the universe works. Authors like Donne compared it to a large volume of chapters, staging phases in the life of mankind. Milton’s vision of the afterlife shows a cosmic world that “address matters of time, space, and causality,” while retaining some of the religious overtones present. He just merely took the traditional story that most of us are familiar with and transformed it into a treatise that dove deeper into the themes of sin, good, evil, and divinity.

            It is unknown how this poem was received when it first came out. But I think it can be safe to say that people were impressed by it when it was first released. English writer Samuel Johnston praised the work, but his main objection was that "none ever wished it [would be] longer than it is." Today it is considered one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written. William Blake considers Milton “a true Poet and of the Devil's party without knowing it,” explaining why he wrote in blank verse. People such as C.S. Lewis dismissed this, sticking the Scriptural aspect in which the poem was mostly based on.

            My reflection on the work is little since I read not much of it and have not given much thought to it. My biggest issue is the blank verse prose in which the poem is written with words that were uncommon at that time and long structured sentences. But in many ways, “the convoluted syntax and unfamiliar language give[s] the poem its distinctive cadences, its majestic rhythm, and its ceremonial atmosphere.” Aside from that, I like how Milton wanted to expand the story of the Fall of Men by giving some themes based on the divinity of humankind and the world even if darkness falls upon them. But other than that, I often get tired reading or watching stories that take a simple perfect story and stretches it out. I am with Samuel Johnson when he said it was too long.

            Originally when he wrote the poem, Milton was going to use the prototype used for the poem “The Iliad” to serve as an allegory for the English Civil War, however he decided to scrape the plans. But even then, this ancient poem, along with the old poem, contained similarities in the motives of the main protagonists of the stories. In “The Iliad,” Achilles was a great warrior in the Trojan wars, but after Agamemnon dishonored him, he refused to fight. So his good friend, Patroclus, lead the Greek army against the Trojan army. After a heated battle, Hector, the leader of the Trojans, killed Patroclus. After catching the news of this event, Achilles was enraged and went a bloodthirsty rampage, murdering many men in battle. This also seems to parallel the events that would lead to Lucifer becoming the Prince of Darkness. He gets full of pride and attempts to have more, but gets defeated and is full of wrath. Both of the poems dive into the anger of the protagonists and the consequences that occurred to them and other people. Their downfalls caused destruction and left an impact on the fictional aspect of history.

            What future generations should be aware of in this poem is how it dives deeper into the themes of sin, salvation, life, death, good, and evil. A lot is discussed in the events depicted that would lead to the fall of Man. Even if it was not needed, it is still a fascinating interpretation of the world back then. It would continue to influence people in taking other short stories and expanding them with new life. Examples would include “The Ten Commandments” in which Cecil B. DeMille took the story of Moses and the Exodus and elongated it to show life in Egypt and events leading up to Moses finding his purpose in this world. This piece of literature is still captivating readers with its vision of the universe, and it would still continue to capture people whether they are religious or avid readers.
<p align="center">Bibliography</p>
Henthorne, Susan. "Paradise Lost." <em>Masterplots, Fourth Edition</em> (2010): 1-4.
<blockquote><em>MagillOnLiterature Plus</em>. EBSCO. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.</blockquote>
Hill, G, Lynch, Jack, ed., <em>Samuel Johnson: The Lives of the English Poets, 3 vols.</em> 1905.
<blockquote>Oxford: Clarendon. Print.</blockquote>
Blake, William. <em>Th</em><em>e Marriage of Heaven and Hell</em>. 1709. Print.

“Iliad.” <em>Wikipedia.</em> 14 October 2011. Web. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. <em></em>
<blockquote>13 October 2011. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad</a>)</blockquote>
“Achielles.” <em>Wikipedia.</em> 15 October 2011. Web. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. <em></em>
<blockquote>13 October 2011. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achielles)</blockquote>
Fiero, Gloria. The Humanistic Tradition, Volume Two, Sixth Edition.
<blockquote>New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print</blockquote>