Introduction
John Milton has achieved many things and written great pieces of literature over his life span but Paradise Lost is kind of the big kahuna of his work. It rises above all his other works in various aspects. It in fact is one of the most known and recognized piece in the world of English literature. Milton and Shakespeare are recognized as the most known and important figures in the world of English literature. It was published in 1667, and Paradise Lost is the recreation of the Biblical story of the ‘Fall of Man,’ mostly taken from the Book of Genesis, and it’s through the lens of Greco-Roman epics like Decades and centuries after being
published critics are still arguing about the most basic aspects of the work, which is fitting – all of his writing inspired controversy. His books made people rethink and change their perception over different things As we mentioned, Paradise Lost was published in 1667. It’s 10,000 lines long, so it’s an undertaking if you want to read the whole thing. It’s blank-verse,
so it doesn’t rhyme, and it’s broken up into ten books. Actually, later editions of it broke it into 12 to try to mimic The Aeneid, which is the Latin poet Virgil’s major work. Paradise lost was released by john Milton near the end of his life, that concludes that paradise lost was written by Milton when he had no sight to his aid and was also out of political favor. In fact it
is believed that he was wanted by the authorities during that time. He wrote exemplary piece of literature by dictating it to his daughter because he was unable to see.
Paradise Lost follows two strands of narrative. In one strand he talks about Satan who’s the rebellious
angel, also known as Lucifer, who was thrown out of heavens and into Hell. In the epic we can also see the setting of Eden’s garden where he mentions about the familiar resident couple, Adam and Eve, as Satan switches from Greek-tinged anti-hero to antagonist and tricks them into committing the Original Sin. It bears repeating that the plot outline of Paradise Lost is
basically in the Book of Genesis. Milton has used language so skillfully to dramatize the biblical story in a whole new and compelling way. Actually in such a compelling way, in such a long-lasting way, that a lot of our understanding of Genesis is actually influenced by Paradise Lost. So they kind of become synonymous in the way that we think about the creation story.
Themes of Paradise Lost Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas described in a literary work. Milton
chose Biblical theme for his epic, the fall of man from paradise on account of his sins. The following are the main themes:
Theme of Jealousy in Paradise Lost
The theme of jealousy us evident in the whole epic, Satan is jealous over the fact that a
creature weaker than him , made out of soil and not fire gets to enjoy the luxurious life of
heaven when he himself in abandoned and thrown in hell. Jealousy may also be attributed to
Eve who falls in to the hands and schemes of Satan only because of her own free nature and
free will. But she puts the blame on Adam for her fall and fears that Adam will continue to
enjoy the fruit and bliss of heaven and she will be left alone. She is jealous of Adam’s
happiness in Heaven if he is left alone.
Theme of Revenge and Forgiveness
Satan and his partakers wishes to get his revenge. While forgiveness is sought by man alone
for a sin which was committed by them under illusions and false colouring. Satan, a fallen
angle would not seek repentance while man is willing to bow before God for His grace.
Theme of Fate and Free Will
Fate and free will are major and important topics in The Paradise Lost. God reveals to them
that he knows what will happen to Adam and Eve in the upcoming future, but resolutely
denies that there is any such thing as fate. God knows what will happen (that Adam and Eve
will disobey him) just like we know the sun will rise tomorrow and the moon will come out
every night. So it might seem sometimes like Adam and Eve never had a chance, but
according to Milton, that’s just not true. After all, it’s not God’s fault that he can see
everything that will happen as if it has already happened.
Theme of Love
Love is the basic human feeling and the most discussed since creation. Love is something
everyone strives for. Milton has presented love on two levels, and these two levels of love are
human and Godly; this is the type of love Adam has for Eve, which forces him to share the
punishment and consequences with her. He is not happy with Eve for having fallen to Satan
but he still commits the crime by sharing her lot and eats the fruit of forbidden tree. On the
other hand, God is angry with mankind yet he would not abandon them. He would bestow his
grace upon them: ‘Man shall not quite be lost, but saved who will, yet not of will in him, but
grace in me”.
Theme of Pride and its Role in Paradise Lost
Satan is full of pride and considers himself wise and powerful. He rebels under the same
illusion of his might and get destroyed by God in a single moment. Satan, though lost and
hurled into the abyss of hell, still considers himself superior and attributes the superiority of
God to His sceptre without which He would not defeat Satan. God humiliates man but he
does not surrender before God and decides to fight forever.
Theme of Innocence
Paradise lost takes place basically in a time and place when pass away, immoral act, and
lying didn’t exist. In other words it deals with a time when people of this world were very
virtuous. While Milton is a very good painter and paints the picture of decency.
Theme of Lies and Deceit
In Paradise Lost, Satan is a good deceiver. He told lies to Eve, telling her that all the
Forbidden fruits has the power. But actually it doesn’t. Beyond that, he is able to agree a
third of the angels that God is unfair. He deceive people and convince them to leave the
heaven. Explanation: The theme of Paradise Lost is vast universal. It covers and highlights
the fortunes not of a city or an empire but also the whole human race, taking a particular
incident from history that sealed our fate and destiny