John Milton: biography and in-depth study of "Paradise Lost"

In questo appunto di Letteratura Inglese si ha una panoramica generale sulla vita di Milton e un’analisi di diversi aspetti del suo capolavoro “Paradise Lost”.

John Milton: life and literary works

John Milton was born in 1608 in London into a highly educated family; so, he had a great culture. His first works were "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso". Then Milton went to the continent, in particular to Italy, and he stayed there for almost two years. In these years he met Galileo and other Italians. Then he had to come back to England, where the civil war was being waged; he was on the side of Puritans. He wrote "Aeropagitica", a book in which he advocated freedom of press and speech. He became a foreign secretary in the new Commonwealth, and became the official defender of Cromwell’s republic. In this period, he wrote a lot of pamphlets supporting the republic. When the monarchy was restored, Milton lost his job and was imprisoned; thanks to a friend, he was spared. He lost his political importance and he also became blind by 1652. Depending on others, he managed to produce his greatest works, which belong to the third period of his creative life (the first was the one based on Italian culture, and the second was the political period). In particular, he dictated to his three daughters an epic poem called “Paradise Lost”, first published in 1667. This masterpiece was followed by another epic poem called “Paradise Regained”, which is about Christ’s temptation in the desert, and by “Samson Agonistes”, the tale of a blind hero who avenges himself by pulling down a temple on the heads of his enemies. Milton died in 1674, a few months after publishing the second edition of "Paradise Lost".
Per ulteriori approfondimenti sulla vita di Milton vedi anche qui

John Milton: "Paradise Lost"

Milton's masterpiece is "Paradise Lost", a great epic poem focused on original sin and the loss of Eden and written between 1655 and 1665. The work consists of twelve books. Two characteristics of Milton's writing are worth noting: he dealt with biblical themes, because he was Puritan, and he used a classical style, which reminds us of Greek tragedy. This twelve-book epic poem is full of classical and biblical references; it also features classic imagery typical of the Renaissance and the ideology of the Commonwealth, sophisticated metres and an elevated language. Milton, the greatest writer of his age, devoted his entire work to the cause of Puritans. "Paradise Lost" deals with a biblical matter, the loss of Paradise by eating the forbidden fruit. This poem follows the style of classical epic poems such as Virgil's "Aeneid" or Homer's "Ilyad". In addition, Milton drew inspiration from "Gerusalemme Liberata", by Tasso. In "Paradise Lost" we can find many elements drawn from epic, such as the invocation to the Muse, the elevated subject matter and the description of the war which provokes the fall of the Angels; Satan himself is seen as an hero. There are also supernatural elements and magic shown by Satan; moreover, the tone is elevated and the meter used is blank verse (verses which don’t rime with each other).

"Paradise Lost": Satan’s description

Satan is a very interesting character. At the beginning of the poem, he is portrayed as an epic hero, the embodiment of beauty fallen from grace, which fascinated Romantic authors. Then, he transforms into a serpent to corrupt Adam and Eve and take revenge on God; so, he becomes an evil creature, he is no longer the hero of the first part. Milton was fascinated by this character. Milton may be compared to Dante, as both described hell, but in different ways: Dante's hell is organized, whereas Milton's hell is characterized by a state of chaos. They were both caught up in their religious ideas; speaking of politics, Dante talked about the society of his time, whereas Milton talked mainly of the original sin. Finally, Dante used a simple language, which could be understood by everybody, whereas Milton used an elevated tone.

"Paradise Lost": Hierarchy

In "Paradise Lost", the universe has a hierarchical structure with God at the top; God embodies love, justice, grace and intelligence. Below we find archangels, angels, men and animals. God is perfection, whereas animals are wild, dominated by instincts. Men are closest to animals; they are too curios, and that’s the reason why Eve can be tempted. They are endowed with free will, they have the possibility to choose and they become sinners, but they have to pay for their rebellion. They are responsible for the corruption of mankind.
We can see how Milton investigates the universal themes of justice, liberty, free will, knowledge and ignorance as well as obedience.
As a matter of fact, disobedience can be the result of the exercise of human power, but also a choice if it refers to God not forcing man to follow his commandments (otherwise, man would not be free but a slave).
Per ulteriori approfondimenti su "Paradise Lost" vedi anche qua