In fact, 'Paradise Lost' has been attributed as one of the greatest epic poems ever composed in English literature; vividly bestowing the highest efforts of poetic genius. ... It is often said that an epic in general, ancient or modern, may be described as a long narrative poem, relating a subject of great momentous importance for mankind; great adventures, fierce combats and bloody battle. ... But there is one thing different from the great Homer and Virgil; Milton's Muse is not an ordinary god or goddess as we find in one epic poem. ... According to the epic traditions, the ...

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• Grade Level: High School

Paradise Lost is an epic poem written by John Milton in the seventeenth century and it is based on the concept of epic conventions such as epic similes, invocation, catalogue or beginning in medias res. The essential theme of epic poetry is usually heroism and this poem is no exception. ... As already mentioned, epic poems usually start in the middle. ... Milton in his poem also uses epic simile and compares the Satan to Titans or Leviathan, which also makes reader think of him as a hero rather than a villain. ... (l. 61-71) To sum up, Milton's Paradise Lost is an extraordinary poem whic...

• Word Count: 659
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Satan is described at length in an epic simile that compares his great size to that of mythical figures. ... Milton employs an epic simile to exaggerate the number of fallen angels and hence the amount of evil. ... Milton builds up to this epic event by constructing the sentence in a highly symmetrical manner. ... The sense of grandeur that comes with the epic poem is being evoked through the elevated style and the comprehensiveness of the council scene. ... When writing this poem Milton sought to coerce people into believing his view on the loss of paradise. ...

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• Grade Level: High School

It's a biblical epic poem. It will be the first time in which an author will mix the epic, which was related to man with religion, which was related to God. ... As an epic poem, we find a hero (God) who represents the right side, and an antihero (Satan) who represents the evil. ... At the end of the poem Satan returns in triumph to Hell. ... This is the first time in which we can feel identify with the characters in an epic poem. ...

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• Grade Level: High School

In the epic poem, Paradise Lost, John Milton depicts Eve as a woman who is solely made for beauty and man. ... John Milton studied under Oliver Cromwell when he began his epic writing career. He was inspired by Cromwell and his way of writing and is best known for the epic poem Paradise Lost.Milton's poetry reflects his passion and beliefs. ... Some say that Milton's Paradise Lost is easily the greatest epic poem in English history despite his faulty depictions of women. ... The author wrote the epic poem with passion using his personal experiences to reflect the characters in Parad...

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• Grade Level: High School

Milton intended Paradise Lost to be an epic poem; this meant the poem had to meet specific requirements. One of these requirements was that there had to be a hero in the poem, following the epic style of Homer and Virgil. ... From Satan's speech we can see some admirable qualities such as ambition, and pride; however, as these qualities are closely examined in the context of book IX it is not difficult to prove that Satan is more closely related to an anti-hero or even a hero gone to malicious extremes rather than the Greco-Roman definition of a hero as used in previous epics. ... The...

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• Grade Level: High School

However, for people who are familiar with epic poetry of such authors as Homer, we can see that this is really a great example of an epic poem, which is no surprise since in his times, Greek poetry was quite famous and influential. The only difference is that Milton's poem is not really intended to be read as the poem of adventures, great kings, etc, but as the religious text. ... Of course in every epic poem, there is a hero, and this one is no different, but who is the real hero in this book? ... Throughout the whole poem, Milton is trying to show us the humanity of Satan, out of all...

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• Grade Level: High School

Throughout the whole poem, a motif of light and dark is presented between God and Satan. ... The overall poem itself is labeled as epic. ... Whether Satan is or is not a hero in this poem is debatable. It would be accustomed to consider God as the hero in the poem, but with the way Milton presented God in the poem it was not accurate to think this all the way. ... Overall, the plot of the poem was the downfall of man and how it happened. ...

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In 1656 John Milton endeavoured to write the first English epic. ... His awe-inspiring poem tells the indescribable story of humanity's first disobedience', the original sin'. However the most intriguing element of the poem is his character representation of Satan. ... John Milton was a very religious man, as evidenced by the subject matter of his epic. ... As has previously been mentioned, the stereotypical perception of Satan as a malicious individual, who is irredeemably wicked, is uncomfortably questioned in Milton's epic. ...

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According to Neil Forsyth, John Milton's Paradise Lost is "an epic poem about the origin of evil" (Forsyth). ... Throughout the poem, Milton presents evil as "real and isolated in a single being, and therefore punishable" (Kaiter, and Sandiuc 452). ... In the poem Paradise Lost, Milton's Satan crosses over to observe God's new world. ... As William Hazlitt remarks, Satan is "the most heroic subject ever chosen in a poem" (Hazlitt 107). ... Kaiter and Sandiuc said it best when they stated, "The question regarding the relationship between Satan...

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Hope vs. Despair In John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, we are given a beautiful interpretation of the story of Genesis. This detailed interpretation of Genesis begins with the fall of Satan and his inner struggle with good and evil. Satan assumes the role as the main character, Adam and Eve ...

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• Grade Level: High School

When Eve is introduced to the storyline of the epic, her character is shallow and extremely undeveloped, meant simply for display. ... She is called "nymphlike- and this is most definitely not the first time that Milton uses allusions to Greek and Roman mythology in the poem- such as calling her a "wood-nymph light,/ Oread or Dryad, or Delia's self - (IX, 386-387). At the time that the epic was written such stories were familiar to the average reader so a description of Eve alluding to these figures would create a very clear image of Eve in the mind of the reader of the time that the epi...

• Word Count: 4036
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The Measure of A Man John Milton's "Paradise Lost" is an attempt to justify the ways of God concerning Creation and the fall of man. Part of Milton's effort at justification is providing the characters of Adam, Eve, and Satan with a measure of humanity and depth not found in the Bible. As a re...

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In Books 1 and 2 of John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, the action focuses firmly on the fallen angels and, specifically, Satan. We see his fall from Heaven after the vicious rebellion in which he led a third of Heaven against God, we see him writhing in the burning lake for nine days, and then ...

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After reading, Paradise Lost, an epic poem about Adam, hell, and original sin, the creature states, "Like Adam I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his existence was far different from mine in every other respect. ...

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The sub-title of the collection of poems verifies this, "Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul." (William Blake: The Complete Poems, 1977:104). A poem in this collection called "The Clod and the Pebble" shows differing emotions when discussing love. ... Blake emphasises the importance of contraries at the beginning of the poem, "Without contraries is no progression. ... The reader catches a glimpse of the "social uses of pity" (Moskal, 1994: 28) in the poem "The Human Abstract" in The Songs, "Pity ...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School