"Lost heaven. John milton - paradise lost

"Lost heaven"- an epic poem by John Milton, first published in 1667 in ten books. In the 1674 edition, there were 12 books. The poem describes in blank verse the story of the first man, Adam.

Paradise Lost summary

The poet, having called the divine Muse, formulates his theme: the fall of man due to his disobedience, and his goal: to show the ways of the Lord to man. He then introduces the defeated archangel Satan with Beelzebub, his assistant, and his rebellious angels lying in a burning lake in hell.

Satan calls his legions to him, lifts their spirits and gathers counsel. Satan's palace, Pandemonium, is built.

The council discusses whether to risk re-starting the battle to gain Heaven. Satan decides to go there alone, passes through the gates of hell. accompanied by Sin and Death, and ascends through the realm of Chaos.

Milton calls on divine light to illuminate the everlasting darkness of his days and restore his sight, then describes God, who sees that Satan is heading into our world, and predicts the success of his enterprise, the fall and the subsequent punishment of man. The Son of God offers himself up into redemption and is declared Savior. Meanwhile, Satan approaches the border of the Universe, finds the steps leading to Heaven, descends to the Sun, turns into the young cherubim Uriel, and in this form goes to Earth.

Satan travels to the Gardens of Eden, where he first sees Adam and Eve “naturally and beautifully naked” and overhears their conversation about the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. He decides to make them break the ban, but the guardian angels led by Gabriel discover him and drive him out of the garden.

Eve tells Adam about her restless temptation dream, inspired by Satan. Raphael, sent by God, appears in paradise, warns Adam and calls him to obedience. Raphael, at the request of Adam, told him how Satan, full of hatred for the newly anointed Messiah, had raised his legions to revolt.

Raphael continues his story by telling how Michael and Gabriel were sent to fight Satan. After their failure, the Son of God himself attacked the troops of Satan and, pushing them back to the edge of Heaven, threw them through Chaos into the abyss

Raphael informs about God's decision to poison his Son in order to create another world out of boundless primordial Chaos. He describes six days of creation, ending with the creation of man.

Book VIII.

Adam is interested in the movement of celestial bodies and does not receive a clear answer (the discussion regarding the systems of Copernicus and Ptotema was in full swing at the time of writing Paradise Lost, and Milton could not choose any of them.). Adam says that he remembers from the time of his creation, talking with Raphael about the relationship between the sexes; after a while, with the last warning, Raphael leaves.

Milton describes how Satan enters the body of a serpent and finds Eve who does not heed Adam's warnings. Satan convinces her to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Eve tells Adam about what happened. Adam, learning that she is doomed, decides to die with her and also eats the fruit. Realizing that they have lost their innocence, Adam and Eve cover their nakedness. Mutual accusations begin.

God sends the Son to judge sinners, and He announces a swap sentence. Sin and Death decided to come to this world, making a wide road from hell. Satan returned to hell and proclaimed his victory, after which he and his minions temporarily turned into a serpent. Adam first rebukes Eve. but later, having reconciled, they together decide to seek mercy from the Son of God.

The Son of God, seeing their repentance, intercedes for them. God decides that they must leave Paradise and sends Michael to do His bidding. Eve cries out for mercy. Adam asks not to drive them out, but Michael assures him. that God is omnipresent, then gives him a picture of the future, speaking of the consequences of original sin.

Michael tells the story further Old Testament, then describes the coming of the Messiah, his death, resurrection and ascension, and Adam is no longer so inconsolable. Michael also predicts the dissolution of the Church before the Second Coming. Adam and Eve, resigned to their fate and convinced that they can have “heaven in their souls,” are taken out of the garden.

The Bible has inspired many geniuses. Many works are devoted to rethinking her plots. One of the most famous of these is Milton's poem "Paradise Lost". Let's find out more about this poem and its author, and also consider it summary and problems.

Who is John Milton and what is he known for

This name belongs to the famous British poet and politician of the 17th century.

This man was born into the family of a London notary, John Milton Sr. in 1608. He was quite successful in the profession, so he had sufficient funds to give his child an excellent education at the University of Cambridge.

The parents' money was enough to support the unemployed Milton. Therefore, after receiving his diploma, the poet idly spent almost 6 years at his parent's estate, entertaining himself with reading books and self-education. Milton later considered this period of his life the happiest.

In 1637, John Milton went to travel to Europe for a year. At this time, he lived mainly in Italy and France, where he was fortunate enough to meet many of the outstanding minds of that time.

In 1638 the writer returned to his homeland and began to live in London. Although he was still supported by his father, Milton finally found something to do - he became a home teacher. At first, John taught his nephews, and later gave private lessons to children from other wealthy families.

Active political and literary activity

Milton's time is far from the quietest period in British history. The closeness of the policy of Charles I led to the outbreak of the Episcopal Wars, which grew into the English Revolution of the 17th century.

These events did not leave Milton indifferent. As an ardent anti-Royalist, he wrote effervescent pamphlets in which he criticized the monarchy and defended civil rights and freedoms, and also opposed censorship.

After the execution of the king and the establishment of a parliamentary system of government, John managed to secure the position of government secretary for Latin correspondence.

Over the years in this position, John Jr. wrote dozens of pamphlets, and also made acquaintance with many of the great British writers of the time.

At this time, he married three times, but was never able to find happiness in family life... Biographers believe that financial difficulties were one of the reasons for this. After all, almost all his life Milton was supported by his father, but in 1647 he died, and the writer had to provide for himself, his wives and children. The poet, who had not previously bothered with such worries, was now forced to worry not only about his intellectual needs, but also to seek different ways earnings.

In 1652 the writer lost his sight and until his death in 1674 lived in pitch darkness. In this state, he could no longer hold office in parliament, and with the restoration of the monarchy (albeit partial), Milton was deprived of benefits. He considered this period of his life the worst. But from the point of view of his legacy, this stage is the most productive. After all, already being blind, John Jr. wrote his greatest work - the poem "Paradise Lost".

John Milton put all his knowledge and observations into this book and created a truly masterpiece, which was equal not only to his contemporaries, but also to descendants, such as

Poem Paradise Lost

What was special about this work? In addition to beautiful poetry, the use of colorful metaphors and comparisons, the author was able to refresh biblical story about the fall of Adam and Eve.

In Paradise Lost, John Milton turned the centuries-old story of the creation of man and his expulsion from paradise into a gripping action game. Everything was here: the love story of Adam, and philosophical reflections on life, faith and his destiny, and a description of the war of angels with demons.

By today's standards, Paradise Lost doesn't seem to be anything special. But immediately after its publication in 1667, the readers of Milton's "Paradise Lost" evoked the most enthusiastic reviews. Tired of monotonous imitations of Homer and Dante, they were simply in love with the new poem.

Soon, Paradise Lost began to be translated into other languages ​​and published outside of England.

Sequel to Paradise Lost - Paradise Returned

The success of Paradise Lost helped Milton improve his financial situation and regain its former glory. On this wave, the poet writes a sequel and in 1671 publishes Paradise Regained.

This book in artistic plan was inferior to Paradise Lost. It was not only 3 times shorter, but it was also a moralizing treatise, so for many it was frankly boring.

Background to writing Paradise Lost

The idea of ​​a creation about the Fall first appeared in John Milton during the revolutionary events in 1639. In those years, he made the first sketches and outlined a range of topics that could become a plot basis.

However, work in parliament, marriage and other concerns prevented the author from implementing his plans.

Only after losing his sight and hope, Milton decided to take up the pen. Of course, in a figurative sense, since he could not write on his own, and dictated the texts of the poem to his daughters and close friends.

In this regard, some biographers sometimes question Milton's authorship, putting forward theories that one of the poet's daughters could have composed such a bold work. And her father only edited her composition and gave his name as more recognizable. It is also possible that there was a joint work with one of the unknown young talents.

In favor of these theories is evidenced by the fact that over the course of 60 years of his life, the writer for some reason was not interested in the genre of the epic poem, but was better known as the author of treatises and poems.

However, we still will not be able to find out the truth, so we can only admire "Paradise Lost" and the genius of its creator, whoever he really is.

Structure

John Milton's book "Paradise Lost" is written in blank verse and consists of 12 parts. Initially, there were only 10 of them.

In later editions (starting in 1647), its plot was finalized and redistributed into 12 chapters.

In this form, the book has survived to this day.

main characters

Before considering a summary of Milton's Paradise Lost, it is worth learning about the characters in the work.

One of the most talked about heroes of Milton's Paradise Lost is Satan. Contrary to the biblical original, this character is endowed with human qualities. At the same time, he is incredibly powerful, smart and vain. Desiring power and self-affirmation, Satan rebelles against God. Despite the defeat, he does not give up and decides to take revenge on the sly, seducing Adam and Eve. However, revenge does not bring him full satisfaction.

It is believed that the prototype of Milton's Satan-rebel was "Prometheus" Aeschylus. Also, some literary scholars believe that in the character of the Lord of Hell, the poet collected the main features of his revolutionary friends, who at one time overthrew Karl, but could not retain power. And the described relationship between Satan and his demons is a veiled description of the working days of Parliament.

The image of the Lord in Paradise Lost is the embodiment of faith in Almighty God the Father. He sees the designs of the Devil, but admits them, realizing that in the end they will all bring good. Some researchers correlate this character with the embodiment of an ideal ruler and believe that by creating such a character, Milton was doing a "curtsey" to the restored monarchy.

Adam and Eve are heroes who are something between absolute Good and rebellious Evil. In Paradise Lost, they are not weak-willed toys, but have the right to choose. Moreover, unlike the Bible, these heroes are not only forbidden to eat the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge, but are warned about the intrigues of Satan. Because of this, their fall looks like a conscious decision. Moreover, the author portrays Eve as the main culprit. This heroine is shown to be weaker physically and intellectually. But at the same time, she turns out to be more cunning and manages to manipulate Adam.

At the same time, her husband is too idealized. He is not only smart and noble, but also curious. Despite his free will, Adam is very obedient and not inclined to rebel. Eve is the rebel in their marriage. Only with the acquisition of knowledge (after the Fall) do these heroes taste true bliss, however, after that they will experience bitter repentance.

The image of the Son of God is quite interesting in the poem. He is depicted not only as a noble, voluntarily sacrificing himself for the salvation of mankind, but also as an excellent leader, a brave commander (who helped the angels to defeat the demons). It is believed that in this hero Milton portrayed the features of an ideal ruler.

In addition to the listed characters, the angels Raphael and Michael play an active role in the book. They are the mentors of the human couple. Their looks are a bit boring as they are lusciously perfect and don't evoke much sympathy or admiration.

At the beginning of the poem, the action takes place in hell. Here the fallen demons voice their complaints to Satan. In order to somehow distract them from sad thoughts, the Ruler of Hell arranges a review of the troops. At the same time, although he is proud of his power, he does not know what to do next.

On the council of hellish elders are considered different variants: engage in the arrangement of the Underworld, or again raise a rebellion against Heaven.

Satan chooses a different tactic. Having learned about the creation of the New World and man, he decides to seduce people and thus take revenge on the Creator.

With the help of cunning, the Devil enters heaven. Here he is pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this place. However, the angels soon discover him and drive him away.

Realizing that the purpose of the Unclean One is to seduce people, the Lord sends Raphael to warn Adam and Eve. The Archangel tells Adam the story of the war with demons and the creation of the world by the Son of God. He also encourages a person to keep the commandments of the Lord.

Meanwhile, Satan sends a seduction dream to Eve. Impressed, the woman tells her husband about him.

In the future, the Devil enters heaven in the form of a fog and possesses a snake. Deftly manipulating the woman, he manages to convince her to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve likes the taste of the forbidden fruit so much that she persuades her and her husband to taste it. Adam, although he understands that he is doing wrong, loves his wife too much, does not want to be separated from her and agrees.

After eating the fruit, people experience carnal desires and satisfy them. However, when the passion cools down, they find insight and repentance.

The Lord knew about Satan's plan long before he entered heaven. But when Christ volunteered to become the atoning sacrifice, He looked to the future and realized that the ending would be successful. For this reason, God allowed the rascal to carry out his plan.

After the Fall, He commands the angels to bring those who sinned out of Paradise. Seeing their repentance, the Archangel Michael shows Adam the future until the coming of Christ to Earth and the destruction of Satan and his demons. People are leaving paradise, but their hearts are full of hope.

Analysis of the poem

Having considered the summary of Milton's Paradise Lost, it is worth analyzing the work.

Despite strict adherence to the biblical canon, the poet was able to describe in his book the life and problems of contemporary society.

Most literary scholars agree that in describing the relationship between the inhabitants of hell, the author depicted the reasons that led to the fall of his anti-royalist party and the restoration of the monarchy in England.

However, there are those who believe that by depicting the life of demons in hell, the poet ridiculed the basic problems of power in contemporary Britain. He veiledly showed how the government, instead of arranging the country, conducts demonstration reviews, arranges wars with other states and is mired in intrigues.

At the same time, paradise is depicted as Utopia, ruled by a wise and caring ruler and his faithful angels.

Other problems that Milton showed include family relationships. The author managed to outlive two of his three wives. Moreover, the first of them (Mary Powell, 20 years younger than the writer) fled from her husband to relatives a month after the wedding. Over time, John managed to return Mary home, but their relationship did not improve.

The poet married other wives when he was already blind, so he needed them more as nurses and nannies for children from his first marriage.

It was based on the not very successful, but rich experience of family life that the author described the marriage of the first people. In his interpretation, Adam is an ideal father and spouse. He loves his wife immensely, and is ready to commit suicide to save future children.

Eve (in Milton's understanding) is the main root of all family troubles. In general, she is shown as a good heroine, but too lustful. It's hard to look at something like that without a smile. After all, for the first time the writer got married at 34, then at 48 and 55 years old. Moreover, both of the last wives were 30 years younger than him. It is not surprising that the writer considered his spouses unnecessarily lustful, although in this case it was only the natural desires of young women.

Analyzing the "Paradise Lost" by John Milton, one cannot fail to mention the issue of the world order. The poet was one of the most educated people of his era and, of course, was interested in the structure of the universe. At that time, there was a heated debate about which of the systems corresponds to reality: Copernicus (heliocentric) or Ptolemy (where the Earth was in the center of the universe). Since the answer has not yet been found, Milton in Paradise Lost leaves the question open, although it concerns him.

Summary of "Paradise Returned" by Milton

After reviewing the summary of Milton's "Paradise Lost" and analyzing it, you should find out what the continuation of the poem is about - Paradise Regained.

This book consists of 4 chapters in total. They colorfully describe the story of the temptation of Christ by Satan and His victory.

Unlike the first book, this one was more like a religious treatise that Milton often wrote in his youth. By the way, it was her impressive dissimilarity to the boldness and lightness of Paradise Lost that gave rise to rumors that someone else was the author of Paradise Lost.

Selected quotes from Paradise Lost

One of the reasons for such an overwhelming popularity of the poem was not only its diverse plot and rich images, but also its beautiful syllable.

Below are the most famous quotes from Paradise Lost by Milton:

• "And even though in hell, But it is still worth reigning, for it is better to reign in hell than to be a slave in heaven ...". By the way, this phrase is a free interpretation of the famous quote by Julius Caesar: “It is better to be the first in the village than the second in the city (Rome).
• "Everywhere in Hell I will. Hell - I myself."
• "Maybe we will gain new strength in hope, if not, despair will inspire us."
• "Whether in suffering or in struggle, woe to the weak"
• "Oh, human disgrace! Harmony reigns among the damned demons, but a man, a creature possessing consciousness, makes strife with his own kind."
• "So why desire something that we cannot achieve by force, but as a handout, we ourselves will not take it?"
• "But everywhere I see the same source of all human evil - women!"

Milton John

Lost heaven

John Milton

Lost heaven

BOOK ONE

Book One first summarizes the theme of the work: listening to Man, as a result of which he lost Paradise - his abode; then the reason for the fall is indicated: the Serpent, or rather, Satan in the guise of the Serpent, who rebelled against God, involved in rebellion countless legions of Angels, but was, by God's command, cast down from Heaven along with all the hordes of rebels into the Underworld. Having mentioned these events, the poem immediately moves to the main action, introducing Satan and his Angels in Hell. There follows a description of Hell, which is not at all located in the center of the Earth (heaven and Earth, presumably, have not yet been created, and therefore, curse does not yet gravitate over them), but in the area of ​​pitch darkness, more precisely - Chaos. Satan with his Angels lies in a boiling lake, humiliated, defeated, but soon, waking up from the shock, calls on a companion, the first after him in rank and dignity. They talk about their unhappy situation. Satan awakens all legions that were still in a daze and unconsciousness. Innumerable, they rise, line up in battle formations; their main leaders bear the names of idols later known in Canaan and neighboring countries. Satan addresses his companions, consoles them with the hope of conquering Heaven and informs about a new world and a new kind of creatures, which, as the ancient prophecies and traditions of the Heavenly Kingdom say, must be created; Angels, according to the opinion of many ancient Fathers, were created long before the appearance of visible beings. In order to reflect on this prophecy and determine further actions, Satan commands a general council to be assembled. Companions agree with him. From the abyss of darkness, Pandemonium emerges - the palace of Satan. The infernal nobles sit there and confer.

About the first rehearsal, about the Forbidden, pernicious fruit that death brought And all our troubles in this world, People deprived of Eden, for the time being, When we Greatest Man Raised, Blessed Paradise returned to us, Sing, High Muse! Descend from the heights of the Mysterious Sinai il Horeb, Where the shepherd was inspired by you, Who initially taught his people the Rise of Heaven and Earth From Chaos; when the hill of Zion and the Key of Siloam are dearer to you, the Verbs of God region, - I call You from there to help; my song Dared to fly over Helikon, Aspiring to lofty objects, Untouched neither in prose, nor in verse.

But first you, O Holy Spirit! - you prefer pure hearts to temples, Instruct me with your omniscience! You, like a dove, soared from time immemorial Above the abyss, fruitful it; Fill my darkness with light, lift up All that is perishable in me, so that I can find Decisive reasons And prove the goodness of Providence, justifying the Creator's paths before creation. Open first, - for Hell and Paradise are Equally available to Your gaze, What prompted the first couple, In a happy canopy, among the blessed tabernacles, So sought after by the grace of Heaven, Who gave the Universe to her in power, Deny the Creator, His only prohibition to break? - Hellish Serpent! Yes, it was he, envying and revenge, the Foremother seduced us with flattery; The insidious Enemy, cast down from the heights by His own pride, together with the army of Rebel Angels, whom he Leaded, with whose help the Throne of the Most High wanted to shake And equalize with the Lord, disturbing the Heavenly squads; but the fight was in vain. Almighty God An angry headlong cast down the obstinate, Enveloped in flames, into bottomless darkness, To torment in adamant chains And eternal, punishing fire, For their armed, audacious rebellion. Nine times the time has elapsed, That serves mortals as a measure of day and night, While in writhing, with his horde, The Enemy rushed about on fiery waves, Broken, though immortal. Fate doomed Him to a most bitter execution: to grief About irrevocable happiness and to the thought of eternal torment. He now circled around with Sullen pupils; Lurking in them and hatred and fear, And pride, and immeasurable longing ... Instantly, that only the Angels were given, He looked around the desert country, Prison, where, as in a furnace, fire blazed, But did not shine and was more likely to be darkness, flickering only then, In order to reveal to the eyes the pitch darkness, The vale of sorrow, the kingdom of grief, the land, Where there is no peace and quiet, where Hope, close to all, is ordered a way, Where endless torment and fierce heat of Bubbling, inexhaustible streams of flowing sulfur. This is what the Eternal Judge has prepared for the Rebels, in the midst of perfect darkness And three times farther from the rays of Heaven and the Lord than the most distant pole is from the center of the Universe. How incomparable with the former height, Where did the fall take them away from! He sees his accomplices In the sultry surf, in a burning whirlwind of sparks, And next to a peer who was second in rank and villainy, and later Was in Palestine we honor as Beelzebub. The haughty Archenemy called to him, henceforth called Satan, And the terrible soundless dissolution With such bold words:

“- Are you before me? celestial spheres! If it is you, by a common union, by one plan, Hope, trials in battles And connected with me by defeat, Look into what abyss from above We have collapsed! Its mighty thunder Hitherto was unknown to anyone. Cruel weapon! But may the Almighty Winner raise Anything against me! - I won’t bend And I won’t repent, let my brilliance fade ... Yet in me the resolve has not dried up In the consciousness of my trampled Dignity, and proud anger boils, Who told me to raise violent regiments to battle with Him, Those who despised His arbitrariness, We have chosen me as a leader. We tried unsuccessfully to shake His throne And lost the battle. What of that? Not everything is lost: the fuse of Indomitable will has been preserved, along with immeasurable hatred, a thirst for revenge And courage - not to yield forever. Isn't this a victory? After all, we have left that which He cannot take away Neither by fury nor by force The unfading glory! If I were the Adversary, whose kingdom shook From fear of this hand, I would pray on my knees for mercy, I would be disgraced, I would be ashamed

Would be covered and shame would have been bitter than overthrow. By the will of fate Imperishable is our empyrean composition And the power of God; Having gone through the Crucible of battles, we have not weakened, But we have become tempered and now more faithfully We have the right to hope for victory: In the coming battle, using cunning, Stretching our strength, to depose the Tyrant, Who today, celebrating triumph, Rejoices in Heaven autocraticly! "

So the fallen Angel, overcoming sorrow, Boasted aloud, melting despair. His brother bravely answered him:

"- O Prince! The head of the porphyry-bearing forces, the Leader of the Seraphim armies of war, Threatening the throne of the Eternal King with Acts that inspire fear, In order to test His greatness in the Supreme: whether it is preserved by chance, force or fate. I see everything and bitterly crushed by the terrible defeat of our troops. We are expelled from the heights, defeated, Overthrown, as far as it is possible to defeat the god-like Sons of Heaven; but the spirit, but our mind is not broken, and the power will return again, Though our glory and past rapture Suffering has swallowed up forever. Could He, with the Weakest strength - overcome ours!) Left us the spirit and power? So that We would torture more strongly, satisfying His fierce revenge? Or, like slaves, Toiled hard, according to the laws of war, the Acolytes in Hell, in the scorching fire, Messengers in the bottomless, gloomy What is the use of our eternal existence And our strength, eternally unchanging, If we are destined to torment forever? "

The poet reflects on the reason for the disobedience of the first couple of people who violated the only prohibition of the Creator of all things and were expelled from Eden. Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, the poet names the originator of the fall of Adam and Eve: this is Satan, who appeared to them in the form of the Serpent.
Long before the creation of the earth and people by God, Satan, in his exorbitant pride, rebelled against the King of Kings, drew part of the Angels into rebellion, but together with them he was cast down from Heaven into the Underworld, into the area of ​​pitch darkness and Chaos. Defeated but immortal, Satan does not accept defeat and does not repent. He prefers to be the lord of Hell rather than a servant of Heaven. Calling on Beelzebub, his closest ally, he convinces him to continue the fight against the Eternal King and to do only Evil in spite of His sovereign will. Satan tells his minions that the Almighty will soon create new world and will populate it with creatures that he will love on an equal basis with the Angels. If you act with cunning, then you can take over this newly created world. Pandemonium gathers for general advice the leaders of the army of Satan.
The opinions of the leaders are divided: some are in favor of war, others

- against. Finally, they agree with the proposal of Satan to check the truth of the ancient tradition, which speaks of the creation of a new world by God and the creation of Man. According to legend, the time for the creation of this new world has already come. As soon as the way to Heaven is closed to Satan and his angels, one should try to seize the newly created world, expel or entice its inhabitants to their side and thus take revenge on the Creator. Satan embarks on a perilous journey. He overcomes the abyss between Hell and Heaven, and Chaos, its ancient ruler, shows him the way to the newly created world.
God, seated on his highest throne, from where He sees the past, present and future, sees Satan, who flies to the newly created world. Turning to His Only Begotten Son, the Lord predetermines the fall of Man, endowed with free will and the right to choose between good and evil. The Almighty Creator is ready to have mercy on Man, but first he must be punished for the fact that, having violated His prohibition, he dared to compare with God. From now on, man and his descendants will be doomed to death, from which they can be delivered only by those who sacrifice themselves for their redemption. To save the world. The Son of God expresses his willingness to sacrifice himself, and God the Father accepts it. He commands the Son to incarnate in mortal flesh. The angels of heaven bow their heads before the Son and give thanks to Him and the Father.
Meanwhile, Satan reaches the surface of the outermost sphere of the universe and wanders through the gloomy desert. He passes the Limb, the Heavenly Gate, and descends into the Sun. Taking the form of a young Cherubim, he deduces from the Ruler of the Sun, Archangel Uriel, the whereabouts of Man. Uriel points him to one of the countless balls that move in their orbits, and Satan descends to Earth, to Mount Nifat.
Passing the paradise fence, Satan in the guise of a sea raven descends to the top of the Tree of Knowledge. He sees the first couple of people and ponders how to destroy them. Having overheard the conversation between Adam and Eve, he learns that, on pain of death, it is forbidden for them to eat of the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge. Satan is maturing an insidious plan: to kindle in people a thirst for knowledge, which will force them to break the Creator's prohibition.
Uriel, descending on a sunbeam to Gabriel, guarding Paradise, warns him that at noon evil spirit from the Underworld he was sent in the form of a good Angel to Paradise. Gabriel sets out on the night watch around Paradise. In the bush, tired of the day's labors and the pure joys of sacred marriage love, Adam and Eve sleep. The angels Ituriel and Zephon, sent by Gabriel, discover Satan, who, under the guise of a toad, lurked over Eve's ear in order to influence her imagination in a dream and poison her soul with unbridled passions, vague thoughts and pride. Angels lead Satan to Gabriel. The rebellious Spirit is ready to fight them, but the Lord shows Satan a heavenly sign, and he, seeing that his retreat is inevitable, leaves, but does not abandon his intentions.
In the morning, Eve tells Adam her dream: someone like the celestials tempted her to taste the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and she ascended above the Earth and experienced incomparable bliss.
God sends the Archangel Raphael to Adam to tell him about the free will of man, as well as about the proximity of the evil Enemy and his insidious designs. Raphael tells Adam about the First Rebellion in Heaven: Satan, inflamed with envy for the fact that God the Father exalted the Son and called Him the anointed Messiah and King, drew legions of Angels to the North and convinced them to rebel against the Almighty. Only Seraphim Abdiel left the camp of the rebels.
Raphael continues his story.
God sent Archangels Michael and Gabriel to confront Satan. Satan called the Council and, together with his accomplices, invented devilish machines, with the help of which he pushed back the army of Angels devoted to God. Then the Almighty sent his
Son, Messiah. The Son drove the Enemy to the fence of Heaven, and when their Crystal Wall opened, the rebels fell into the abyss prepared for them.
Adam asks Raphael to tell him about the creation of this world. The Archangel tells Adam that God wanted to create a new world and creatures to inhabit it after He cast Satan and his minions into Hell. The Almighty sent his Son, the Omnipotent Word, accompanied by the Angels to carry out the work of creation.
Answering Adam's question about the movement of heavenly bodies, Raphael cautiously advises him to deal only with such subjects that are accessible to human understanding. Adam tells Raphael about everything that he remembers from the moment of his creation. He confesses to the Archangel that Eve has an inexpressible power over him. Adam understands that, surpassing him in external beauty, she is inferior to him in spiritual perfection, however, despite this, all her words and deeds seem beautiful to him and the voice of reason is silent before her feminine charm. The Archangel, without condemning the love pleasures of the married couple, nevertheless warns Adam against blind passion and promises him the raptures of heavenly love, which is immeasurably higher than earthly. But to Adam's direct question - what is the love of the heavenly Spirits expressed in, Raphael answers vaguely and again warns him against thinking about what is inaccessible to the human mind.
Satan, disguised as a fog, again enters Paradise and possesses the sleeping Serpent, the most cunning of all creatures. In the morning, the Serpent finds Eve and with flattering speeches persuades her to partake of the fruits from the Tree of Knowledge. He convinces her that she will not die, and tells how, thanks to these fruits, he himself acquired speech and understanding.
Eve yields to the persuasion of the Enemy, eats the forbidden fruit and comes to Adam. The shocked spouse, out of love for Eve, decides to perish with her and also transcends the Creator's prohibition. Having tasted the fruits, the Ancestors feel intoxication: consciousness loses clarity, and an unbridled voluptuousness alien to nature awakens in the soul, which is replaced by disappointment and shame. Adam and Eve understand that
The serpent, who promised them inescapable raptures and unearthly bliss, deceived them, and reproach each other.
God sends his Son to Earth to judge the disobedient. Sin and Death, who previously sat at the Gates of Hell, leave their refuge, striving to penetrate the Earth. Following in the footsteps laid by Satan, Sin and Death build a bridge across Chaos between Hell and the newly created world.
Meanwhile, Satan in Pandemonium announces his victory over man. However, God the Father predicts that the Son will overcome Sin and Death and revive His creation.
Eve, desperate that a curse should fall on their offspring, invites Adam to immediately find Death and become its first and last victims. But Adam reminds his wife of the promise that the Seed of the Woman will erase the head of the Serpent. Adam hopes to propitiate God with prayer and repentance.
The Son of God, seeing the sincere repentance of the Ancestors, intercedes for them before the Father, hoping that the Almighty will soften his harsh sentence. The Lord Almighty sends the Cherubim, led by the Archangel Michael, to drive Adam and Eve out of Paradise. Before fulfilling the order of God the Father, the Archangel raises Adam to a high mountain and shows him in a vision everything that will happen on Earth before the flood.
Archangel Michael tells Adam about the future destinies of the human race and explains the promise made to the Ancestors about the Seed of the Woman. He talks about the incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension of the Son of God and how the Church will live and fight until His Second Coming. The consoled Adam awakens the sleeping Eve, and the Archangel Michael leads the couple out of Paradise. From now on, the entrance to it will be guarded by the flaming and incessantly turning sword of the Lord. Guided by the Providence of the Creator, cherishing in their hearts the hope of the coming deliverance of the human race, Adam and Eve leave Paradise.

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The Bible has inspired many geniuses. Many works are devoted to rethinking her plots. One of the most famous of these is Milton's poem "Paradise Lost". Let's find out more about this poem and its author, as well as consider its summary and problems.

Who is John Milton and what is he known for

This name belongs to the famous British poet and politician of the 17th century.

This man was born into the family of a London notary, John Milton Sr. in 1608. He was quite successful in the profession, so he had sufficient funds to give his child an excellent education at the University of Cambridge.

The parents' money was enough to support the unemployed Milton. Therefore, after receiving his diploma, the poet idly spent almost 6 years at his parent's estate, entertaining himself with reading books and self-education. Milton later considered this period of his life the happiest.

In 1637, John Milton went to travel to Europe for a year. At this time, he lived mainly in Italy and France, where he was fortunate enough to meet many of the outstanding minds of that time.

In 1638 the writer returned to his homeland and began to live in London. Although he was still supported by his father, Milton finally found something to do - he became a home teacher. At first, John taught his nephews, and later gave private lessons to children from other wealthy families.

Active political and literary activity

Milton's time is far from the quietest period in British history. The closeness of the policy of Charles I led to the outbreak of the Episcopal Wars, which grew into the English Revolution of the 17th century.

These events did not leave Milton indifferent. As an ardent anti-Royalist, he wrote effervescent pamphlets in which he criticized the monarchy and defended civil rights and freedoms, and also opposed censorship.

After the execution of the king and the establishment of a parliamentary system of government, John managed to secure the position of government secretary for Latin correspondence.

Over the years in this position, John Jr. wrote dozens of pamphlets, and also made acquaintance with many of the great British writers of the time.

At this time, he married three times, but was never able to find happiness in family life. Biographers believe that financial difficulties were one of the reasons for this. After all, almost all his life Milton was supported by his father, but in 1647 he died, and the writer had to provide for himself, his wives and children. The poet, who had not previously bothered with such worries, was now forced to worry not only about his intellectual needs, but also to look for various ways of earning money.

In 1652 the writer lost his sight and until his death in 1674 lived in pitch darkness. In this state, he could no longer hold office in parliament, and with the restoration of the monarchy (albeit partial), Milton was deprived of benefits. He considered this period of his life the worst. But from the point of view of his legacy, this stage is the most productive. After all, already being blind, John Jr. wrote his greatest work - the poem "Paradise Lost".

John Milton put all his knowledge, observations into this book and created a truly masterpiece, which was equal not only to his contemporaries, but also to descendants, such as George Byron.

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Poem Paradise Lost

What was special about this work? In addition to beautiful poetry, the use of colorful metaphors and comparisons, the author was able to refresh the biblical story of the fall of Adam and Eve.

In Paradise Lost, John Milton turned the centuries-old story of the creation of man and his expulsion from paradise into a gripping action game. Everything was here: the love story of Adam, and philosophical reflections on life, faith and his destiny, and a description of the war of angels with demons.

By today's standards, Paradise Lost doesn't seem to be anything special. But immediately after its publication in 1667, the readers of Milton's "Paradise Lost" evoked the most enthusiastic reviews. Tired of monotonous imitations of Homer and Dante, they were simply in love with the new poem.

Soon, Paradise Lost began to be translated into other languages ​​and published outside of England.

Sequel to Paradise Lost - Paradise Returned

The success of Paradise Lost helped Milton improve his financial situation and regain its former glory. On this wave, the poet writes a sequel and in 1671 publishes Paradise Regained.

This book was artistically inferior to Paradise Lost. It was not only 3 times shorter, but it was also a moralizing treatise, so for many it was frankly boring.

Background to writing Paradise Lost

The idea of ​​creating an epic poem about the Fall first appeared to John Milton during the revolutionary events in 1639. In those years, he made the first sketches and outlined a range of topics that could become a plot basis.

However, work in parliament, marriage and other concerns prevented the author from implementing his plans.

Only after losing his sight and hope, Milton decided to take up the pen. Of course, in a figurative sense, since he could not write on his own, and dictated the texts of the poem to his daughters and close friends.

In this regard, some biographers sometimes question Milton's authorship, putting forward theories that one of the poet's daughters could have composed such a bold work. And her father only edited her composition and gave his name as more recognizable. It is also possible that there was a joint work with one of the unknown young talents.

In favor of these theories is evidenced by the fact that over the course of 60 years of his life, the writer for some reason was not interested in the genre of the epic poem, but was better known as the author of treatises and poems.

However, we still will not be able to find out the truth, so we can only admire "Paradise Lost" and the genius of its creator, whoever he really is.

Structure

John Milton's book "Paradise Lost" is written in blank verse and consists of 12 parts. Initially, there were only 10 of them.

In later editions (starting in 1647), its plot was finalized and redistributed into 12 chapters.

In this form, the book has survived to this day.

main characters

Before considering a summary of Milton's Paradise Lost, it is worth learning about the characters in the work.

One of the most talked about heroes of Milton's Paradise Lost is Satan. Contrary to the biblical original, this character is endowed with human qualities. At the same time, he is incredibly powerful, smart and vain. Desiring power and self-affirmation, Satan rebelles against God. Despite the defeat, he does not give up and decides to take revenge on the sly, seducing Adam and Eve. However, revenge does not bring him full satisfaction.

It is believed that the prototype of Milton's Satan-rebel was "Prometheus" Aeschylus. Also, some literary scholars believe that in the character of the Lord of Hell, the poet collected the main features of his revolutionary friends, who at one time overthrew Karl, but could not retain power. And the described relationship between Satan and his demons is a veiled description of the working days of Parliament.

The image of the Lord in Paradise Lost is the embodiment of faith in Almighty God the Father. He sees the designs of the Devil, but admits them, realizing that in the end they will all bring good. Some researchers correlate this character with the embodiment of an ideal ruler and believe that by creating such a character, Milton was doing a "curtsey" to the restored monarchy.

Adam and Eve are heroes who are something between absolute Good and rebellious Evil. In Paradise Lost, they are not weak-willed toys, but have the right to choose. Moreover, unlike the Bible, these heroes are not only forbidden to eat the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge, but are warned about the intrigues of Satan. Because of this, their fall looks like a conscious decision. Moreover, the author portrays Eve as the main culprit. This heroine is shown to be weaker physically and intellectually. But at the same time, she turns out to be more cunning and manages to manipulate Adam.

At the same time, her husband is too idealized. He is not only smart and noble, but also curious. Despite his free will, Adam is very obedient and not inclined to rebel. Eve is the rebel in their marriage. Only with the acquisition of knowledge (after the Fall) do these heroes taste true bliss, however, after that they will experience bitter repentance.

The image of the Son of God is quite interesting in the poem. He is depicted not only as a noble, voluntarily sacrificing himself for the salvation of mankind, but also as an excellent leader, a brave commander (who helped the angels to defeat the demons). It is believed that in this hero Milton portrayed the features of an ideal ruler.

In addition to the listed characters, the angels Raphael and Michael play an active role in the book. They are the mentors of the human couple. Their looks are a bit boring as they are lusciously perfect and don't evoke much sympathy or admiration.

At the beginning of the poem, the action takes place in hell. Here the fallen demons voice their complaints to Satan. In order to somehow distract them from sad thoughts, the Ruler of Hell arranges a review of the troops. At the same time, although he is proud of his power, he does not know what to do next.

At the council of the hellish elders, various options are considered: to engage in the arrangement of the Underworld or again to raise a rebellion against Heaven.

Satan chooses a different tactic. Having learned about the creation of the New World and man, he decides to seduce people and thus take revenge on the Creator.

With the help of cunning, the Devil enters heaven. Here he is pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this place. However, the angels soon discover him and drive him away.

Realizing that the purpose of the Unclean One is to seduce people, the Lord sends Raphael to warn Adam and Eve. The Archangel tells Adam the story of the war with demons and the creation of the world by the Son of God. He also encourages a person to keep the commandments of the Lord.

Meanwhile, Satan sends a seduction dream to Eve. Impressed, the woman tells her husband about him.

In the future, the Devil enters heaven in the form of a fog and possesses a snake. Deftly manipulating the woman, he manages to convince her to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve likes the taste of the forbidden fruit so much that she persuades her and her husband to taste it. Adam, although he understands that he is doing wrong, loves his wife too much, does not want to be separated from her and agrees.

After eating the fruit, people experience carnal desires and satisfy them. However, when the passion cools down, they find insight and repentance.

The Lord knew about Satan's plan long before he entered heaven. But when Christ volunteered to become the atoning sacrifice, He looked to the future and realized that the ending would be successful. For this reason, God allowed the rascal to carry out his plan.

After the Fall, He commands the angels to bring those who sinned out of Paradise. Seeing their repentance, the Archangel Michael shows Adam the future until the coming of Christ to Earth and the destruction of Satan and his demons. People are leaving paradise, but their hearts are full of hope.

Analysis of the poem

Having considered the summary of Milton's Paradise Lost, it is worth analyzing the work.

Despite strict adherence to the biblical canon, the poet was able to describe in his book the life and problems of contemporary society.

Most literary scholars agree that in describing the relationship between the inhabitants of hell, the author depicted the reasons that led to the fall of his anti-royalist party and the restoration of the monarchy in England.

However, there are those who believe that by depicting the life of demons in hell, the poet ridiculed the basic problems of power in contemporary Britain. He veiledly showed how the government, instead of arranging the country, conducts demonstration reviews, arranges wars with other states and is mired in intrigues.

At the same time, paradise is depicted as Utopia, ruled by a wise and caring ruler and his faithful angels.

Other problems that Milton showed include family relationships. The author managed to outlive two of his three wives. Moreover, the first of them (Mary Powell, 20 years younger than the writer) fled from her husband to relatives a month after the wedding. Over time, John managed to return Mary home, but their relationship did not improve.

The poet married other wives when he was already blind, so he needed them more as nurses and nannies for children from his first marriage.

It was based on the not very successful, but rich experience of family life that the author described the marriage of the first people. In his interpretation, Adam is an ideal father and spouse. He loves his wife immensely, and is ready to commit suicide to save future children.

Eve (in Milton's understanding) is the main root of all family troubles. In general, she is shown as a good heroine, but too lustful. It's hard to look at something like that without a smile. After all, for the first time the writer got married at 34, then at 48 and 55 years old. Moreover, both of the last wives were 30 years younger than him. It is not surprising that the writer considered his spouses unnecessarily lustful, although in this case it was only the natural desires of young women.

Analyzing the "Paradise Lost" by John Milton, one cannot fail to mention the issue of the world order. The poet was one of the most educated people of his era and, of course, was interested in the structure of the universe. At that time, there was a heated debate about which of the systems corresponds to reality: Copernicus (heliocentric) or Ptolemy (where the Earth was in the center of the universe). Since the answer has not yet been found, Milton in Paradise Lost leaves the question open, although it concerns him.

Summary of "Paradise Returned" by Milton

After reviewing the summary of Milton's "Paradise Lost" and analyzing it, you should find out what the continuation of the poem is about - Paradise Regained.

This book consists of 4 chapters in total. They colorfully describe the story of the temptation of Christ by Satan and His victory.

Unlike the first book, this one was more like a religious treatise that Milton often wrote in his youth. By the way, it was her impressive dissimilarity to the boldness and lightness of Paradise Lost that gave rise to rumors that someone else was the author of Paradise Lost.

Selected quotes from Paradise Lost

One of the reasons for such an overwhelming popularity of the poem was not only its diverse plot and rich images, but also its beautiful syllable.

Below are some of the most famous quotes from Milton's Paradise Lost:

• "And even though in hell, But it is still worth reigning, for it is better to reign in hell than to be a slave in heaven ...". By the way, this phrase is a free interpretation of the famous quote by Julius Caesar: “It is better to be the first in the village than the second in the city (Rome).
• "Everywhere in Hell I will. Hell - I myself."
• "Maybe we will gain new strength in hope, if not, despair will inspire us."
• "Whether in suffering or in struggle, woe to the weak"
• "Oh, human disgrace! Harmony reigns among the damned demons, but a man, a creature possessing consciousness, makes strife with his own kind."
• "So why desire something that we cannot achieve by force, but as a handout, we ourselves will not take it?"
• "But everywhere I see the same source of all human evil - women!"