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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