John Milton

Paradise Lost: Book I Tim Clifford

John Milton 1608-1674

    Born into bourgeois class  Proclaimed that he would write a “great English Epic”  Self-appointed prophetic bard  Studied independently for six years Strongly supported the Puritan Reformation Wrote with strong independence and on a variety of topics   Church government Divorce  Republicanism Suffered many tragedies  Wife and son died in 1652     Became blind the same year New wife and daughter died in 1656 Went into hiding after the return of Charles II, briefly imprisoned Dismayed by the failure of the Reformation

Heroic Epic

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Characteristics

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Hero of great importance (Satan, Adam)

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Set on a large scale

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Great battles Conventions

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Stated Argument Begins “in the midst of things” Catalogues of principle characters Literary Epic rather than a Traditional Epic

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New composition from Milton rather than from oral tradition Information from http://www.cas.usf.edu/~lucas/3101/epic.pdf

Milton vs. Homer Comparing Paradise Lost and The Odyssey

Milton: Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed, In the beginning how the heav’ns and earth Rose out of Chaos: or if Sion hill Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God: I thence Invoke thy aid to my advent’rous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th’Aonian mount while if pursues Things unstamped yet in prose or rhyme.

(1-16) Homer: Tell me, Muse, about the man of many turns, who many Ways wandered when he had sacked Troy’s holy citadel; He saw the cities of many men, and he knew their thought; On the ocean he suffered many pains within his heart, Striving for his life and his companions’ return.

But he did not save his companions, though he wanted to: They lost their own lives because of their recklessness.

The fools, they devoured the cattle of Hyperion, The Sun, and he took away the day of their return.

Begin the tale somewhere for use also, goddess, daughter of Zeus.

There are many similarities between

Paradise Lost

and the ancient Greek epics, including these invocation of the Muse, and also the cataloging of characters. Both Milton and Homer start “in the midst of things;” Homer after the battle of Troy, Milton after the battle between Satan and God. In his invocation, though, Milton blatantly attempts to surpass the ancient Greek poets.

Passages

Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed, In the beginning how the heav’ns and earth Rose out of Chaos: or if Sion hill Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God; I thence Invoke thy aid to my advent’rous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th’Aonian mount, while it pursues Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.

(6-16) Here at least We shall be free; th’Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n.

(257-263) To bow and sue for grace With suppliant knee, and deify his power Who from the terror of this arm so late Doubted his empire, that were low indeed, That were in ignominy and shame beneath This downfall; since by fate the strength of gods And the empyreal substance cannot fail, Since through experience of this great event In arms not worse, in foresight much advanced, We may with more successful hope resolve To wage by force or guile eternal war Irreconcilable, to our grand foe, Who now triumphs, and in th’excess of joy Sole reigning holds the tyranny of Heav’n.

(111-124)

Milton’s Influence

Art, Literature, and Media influenced or inspired by Paradise Lost1

Illustrations And Other Artwork William Blake: The Downfall of the Rebel Angels

All Artwork form http://www.stedwards.edu

Gustave Dore

Plate 3: "They heard, and were abashed, and up they sprung" (I. 331) Plate 1: "Him the Almighty Power Hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky" (I. 44, 45) Plate 2: "Forthwith upright he rears from off the pool His mighty stature" (I. 221, 222)

Edward Burney John Medina

John Martin

The

Simarillion J.R.R. Tolkien

Tolkien’s

The Simarillion

is the history of the elves in his

Lord of the Rings

trilogy. He opens with his version of Genesis, where Iluvatar creates Middle-Earth through song, and his instruments, the Ainur.

But now Iluvatar sat and hearkened, and for a great while it seemed good to him, for in the music there were no flaws. But as the theme progressed, it came into the heart of Melkor to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of Iluvatar; for he sought therein to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself. To Melkor among the Ainur had been given the greatest gifts of power and knowledge, and he had a share in a all the gifts of his brethren.

(p. 4) Then Iluvatar spoke, and he said: ‘Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor; but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Iluvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.’ (p.6) Melkor certainly parallels Satan, but Milton’s influence can be seen in the way Melkor is shown as the strongest of the Ainur, and he has a hand in the actual creation of Middle-Earth. The quote from page 6 resembles Beelzebub’s speech on Book 1: “But what if he…have left us this our spirit and strength entire…do him mightier service as his thralls by right of war, whate’er his business be here in the heart of Hell to work in fire, or do his errands in the gloomy deeps…” (143-152).

Moby-Dick Herman Melville

Ahab to his men: “Aye, Starbuck; aye, my hearties all round; it was Moby Dick that dismasted me; Moby Dick that brought me to this dead stump I stand on now. Aye, aye,” he shouted with a terrific, loud, animal sob, like that of a heart stricken moose; “Aye, aye! It was that accursed white whale that razeed me; made a poor pegging lubber out of me for ever and a day!” Then tossed both arms, with measureless imprecations he shouted out: “Aye, aye! And I’ll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames before I give him up. And this is what ye have shipped for, men! To chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out. What say ye men, will ye splice hands on it, now? I think ye do look brave.” (p. 139) Satan to Beelzebub: What though the field be lost? All is not lost; the unconquerable will, and study of revenge, immortal hate, and courage never to submit or yield: and what is else not to be overcome? That glory never shall his wrath or might extort form me. To bow and sue for grave with suppliant knee, and deify his power who from the terror of this arm so late doubted his empire, that were low indeed, that were an ignominy and shame beneath this downfall; since by fate the strength of gods and this empyreal substance cannot fail, since through experience of this great event in arms not worse, in foresight much advanced, we may with more successful hope resolve to wage by force or guile eternal war irreconcilable, to our grand foe…” (105-122) Melville portrays Ahab (who many interpret to be a metaphor for Satan), very similar to Milton’s Satan, a powerful and influential speaker who has one goal. Both Satan and Ahab follow their path despite what further damnation will occur to them and their men.

Devil’s Advocate

© Warner Bros. (1997) Satan: “Let me give you a little inside information about God. God likes to watch. He's a prankster. Think about it. He gives man INSTINCTS! He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It's the goof of all time. Look but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste! Taste, don't swallow. Ahaha! And when you're jumpin' from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's laughin‘!... He's a sadist! He's an absentee landlord. Worship THAT? NEVER!” http://www.allpacino.com/john.html

Al Pacino as John Milton (Satan)

Sympathy for the Devil The Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet

Photos from: http://www.mick-jagger.com

Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a man of wealth and taste I've been around for a long, long year Stole many a man's soul and faith And I was 'round when Jesus Christ Had his moment of doubt and pain Made damn sure that Pilate Washed his hands and sealed his fate Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name

http://www.musicsonglyrics.com

Commentary

With the exception of the passage from

The Odyssey

, each text or piece of art in this collage was selected to show the change in public opinion of Satan since Milton’s epic was first published. The passage from

The Odyssey

was included to display how

Paradise Lost

compared to Homer’s poem as an epic. Placing them side-by side shows both how Milton’s poem in an epic because he invokes the Muse, but also attempts to surpass Homer.

The illustrations were included to show Satan’s development into a true epic character. Whether or not the artist’s religious views were changed by Milton or not, they at least saw Satan as a truly complex and powerful character, as is conveyed in their detailed renderings of him.

The Silmarillion

and

Moby-Dick

are included for the same reason. Both Tolkien and Melville create characters, though definitely the villain in their respective stories, that are both powerful and human, with strong characteristics of vengefulness and pride which most readers can relate to.

The quotes from

Devil’s Advocate

and

Sympathy for the Devil

were selected because they effectively show today’s changing views on Satan. For many people it is almost trendy to “sympathize” with Satan, because he works on reasoning rather than faith. Reason certainly dominates today’s culture much more than blind faith.

Genealogical Bibliography

By Appearance

Paradise Lost

Milton, John. “Paradise Lost.”

The Norton Anthology of English Literature.

7 th Milton, John.

Paradise Lost

. Scott Elledge, ed. New York: Norton, 1975 Milton, John.

Paradise Lost.

2 nd ed. London: S. Simmons, 1674 ed. New York: Norton 2000

The Odyssey

Homer.

The Odyssey, a Norton Critical Edition.

Albert Cook, ed. New York: Norton, 1993 Homer.

The Odyssey.

Manuscript. British Library. London.

The Illustrations of Gustave Doré

Klawitter, George. “The Iconography of

Paradise Lost

.

” St. Edwards University. 11 Dec. 2003 http://www.stedwards.edu/hum/klawitter/milton/icon.htm

Lanzara, Joseph.

Paradise Lost: The Novel.

New York: New Arts Library, 1994 Milton, John.

Paradise Lost.

Robert Vaughan, ed. New York: Cassell, 1966

The Silmarillion

Tolkien, J.R.R.

The Silmarillion.

Christopher Tolkien, ed. New York: Ballentine, 1977

Moby-Dick

Melville, Herman.

Moby-Dick.

Parker, Hayford, ed. New York: Norton, 2002 Melville, Herman.

Moby-Dick

. Parker, Hayford, Tanselle, ed. New York: Northwestern, 1988 Melville, Herman.

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale.

Richard Bentley, ed. New York, London: Harper and Bros., 1851

Devil ’s Advocate

“Devil’s Advocate.” 11 Dec. 2003. http://velvet_peach.tripod.com/fpacdevilsadvocate.html

Devil ’s Advocate.

Dir. Taylor Hackford. Perf. Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves. Warner Bros. 1997

Sympathy for the Devil

“Sympathy for the Devil.” Beggars Banquet. The Rolling Stones. Virgin Records, 1968