John Milton's Paradise Lost is broken up into three parts:
- Books 1-4 focus on Satan
- Books 5-8 focus on Christ
- Books 9-12 focus on Adam and Eve.
Milton believes in Monism (one God), so Satan and Jesus are sons of God. The epic poem begins with the (1) Fall of Satan from Heaven: he is an anti-savior who wants to reap converts to Hell using his daughter Sin and son Death. The epic then moves on to the (2) creation of the world. Next, (3) Man (Adam) is instructed to beware of sin by the angel Raphael. Then, (4) Adam and Eve sin in the Garden. This is the focus of the poem: the fall and eventual redemption of mankind. Jesus assumes the form of man to bridge the gap between man and God after the fall. Finally, (5) Adam and Eve are foretold their future by the angel Michael. They are led out of Paradise, but they are hopeful. Overall, Milton champions the absolute freedom of man and individual to choice: "to the pure, all things are pure; to the impure, all things are impure."
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