What’s in it for me? Dive into an epic battle between good and evil.
Retelling a story from the Bible is a daunting task. Retelling it in a time of religious and political upheaval is even riskier. But that’s what John Milton did with Paradise Lost.
Published in 1667, when Milton was already 60 and had gone blind, the poem was the culmination of a lifelong endeavor.
The epic dropped like a bomb into the religious and intellectual circles of seventeenth-century England. It’s made up of over 10,000 lines of blank verse – meaning nothing rhymes – and divided into 12 “books”, or chapters. Its exploration of theological and philosophical themes, its poetic grandeur, and its innovative use of blank verse made it an instant classic.
Today, Paradise Lost continues to be celebrated as a monumental work of English literature. In this Blink, you’ll find out what makes the epic poem such a timeless masterpiece.
Books I & II: Satan’s fallen soldiers
Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n.
Like any good epic, Paradise Lost begins with an invocation to the Muse. Milton chooses the classical muse Urania, the muse of astronomy, to help him tell the story of man’s disobedience toward God. He also proclaims that he’ll justify God’s ways to man.
Then, the story begins. Fallen angel Satan lies in chains on a lake of fire along with his fellow rebels. They’ve just lost their first big battle against God and plummeted to Hell. But despite their defeat, Satan wants to continue the struggle against God. In a famous line, he asserts that he’d rather reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.
He breaks free from his chains and calls for the other fallen angels, rattling off a long list of names: Moloch, Chemos, Baalem, Ashtaroth, Astarte, Dagon, Rimmon, Osiris, Isis, Orus, Mammon, and Belial. Satan instructs this demon army to construct a capital city for Hell: Pandemonium.
Then, he assembles his demons to talk strategy. How should they proceed with their struggle against God? Moloch suggests open warfare against Heaven. Belial advocates for doing nothing. Mammon argues for making Hell a little nicer, so they can all live a happy life of sin. Finally, Beelzebub, speaking for Satan, proposes to take revenge on God by corrupting his most beloved creation: mankind. Naturally, Satan’s plan prevails.
He leaves for Earth. At Hell's Gate, he encounters his daughter Sin – half woman, half serpent. She’s surrounded by hellish dogs and accompanied by their incest-spawned son Death. Satan instructs Sin to open the gates of Hell. But once opened, Sin is unable to close them again.
Satan wanders through the limbo between Heaven and Hell, where he meets the allegorical figures Chaos and Night. As he moves toward Earth, Sin and Death follow his path – broadening it into a superhighway for evil to follow.
ANALYSIS
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in the tradition of ancient literary masters like Homer and Virgil and Christian successors like Dante. Milton follows their example by opening his poem with an invocation to a Muse. He calls on Urania as the “heavenly” muse of astronomy, mixing classic and Christian symbolism.
Then he begins his story in medias res, right in the middle of things – another epic tradition. Satan has just fallen from Heaven after rebelling against God and is about to establish his new kingdom of Hell.
Protagonist Satan might be construed as some kind of antihero, but Milton doesn’t want readers to sympathize with the devil. Milton makes it clear that Satan’s power is illusory, since it ultimately derives from God. Satan’s battle is lost before it’s begun. But that won’t keep him from trying.
Books III & IV: Satan in Paradise
In Book III, the focus shifts to Heaven, where God and the Son observe Satan approaching Earth. They hold a heavenly council, discussing how humankind will fare in the face of temptation. God knows that Adam and Eve will fail the test and is determined to hold them accountable – unless someone is willing to die for their sins. Luckily, the Son readily volunteers to do just that.
The scene then transitions to Satan, perched at the border between Earth and Chaos pondering his evil intentions. He spots the archangel Uriel and disguises himself as a cherub – a lower-level angel – to ask where to find the humans.
Satan then breaks into the Garden of Eden, scaling the walls of the big mountain that protects it. Once inside, he perches himself on the Tree of Life in the form of a cormorant. He can’t help but admire the Paradise God has created. When he spots Adam and Eve, he takes the forms of a lion and a tiger and follows them to their bowery.
Meanwhile, Uriel realizes Satan's deception and alerts Gabriel, who sends two angels to intercept Satan. They find him in the form of a toad, whispering nightmares to the sleeping Eve. The angels bring Satan before Gabriel, who questions him about his intentions. Satan claims he was checking out Earth as a potential new home for his demons. But Gabriel won’t have any of it. He threatens to drag Satan back to Hell in chains. Satan grows furious, and the angels prepare for another battle. But before the situation can escalate, God intervenes. He summons golden scales in the sky that symbolize His divine justice. Realizing his powerlessness, Satan retreats into the night.
ANALYSIS
In Book III of Paradise Lost, we visit Heaven for the first time. Unlike dark, fiery Hell, it’s a place of eternal good and light. Characterizing God and his son Jesus was a risky move on Milton’s part. Any portrayal of the two and their relationship was bound to earn religious critique. He also had to characterize God as all-powerful and all-knowing while maintaining a sense of drama.
God’s laissez-faire attitude toward Satan’s corruption of humanity could also read as callous. But God’s love and compassion are embodied in the form of his son Jesus. It’s Jesus who offers to die for humanity’s future sins.
For the moment though, the first humans Adam and Eve are still without sin, living happily in the Paradise God has created for them.
Books V & VI: The battle for Heaven
Attend: That thou art happie, owe to God; That thou continu'st such, owe to thy self
Book V begins with Adam and Eve waking up. Eve recounts a troubling dream to her husband: a heavenly figure tempted her into eating from the Tree of Knowledge – something God has strictly forbidden. Adam assures her it was just a dream.
God and his angel Raphael observe the interaction, knowing full well that the humans will succumb to temptation. Nonetheless, God sends Raphael to warn them about Satan’s scheme and remind them that they have free will.
Raphael comes to Eden to share a meal with Adam and Eve. He tells them they may reach an angel-like state of purity, if they only obey God. Adam is intrigued by the topic and asks Raphael to tell the story of the rebel angels.
Raphael narrates how Satan, then known as Lucifer, managed to lead a third of the angels astray. Only the angel Abdiel decided to return to God, who praised him for his loyalty.
God then appointed the angels Michael and Gabriel to lead the Heavenly forces against Satan's army. This battle between the angels and their rebels spanned two days. On the first day, the angels easily defeated the rebels. On the second day, the rebels attacked with a powerful cannon. In response, the angels buried them under mountains, hills, and boulders.
At this point, God grew concerned about the level of chaos in Heaven and called on the Son to step in. The Son single-handedly confronted the rebels and herded them into an opening that leads to Hell.
ANALYSIS
Book V and VI center around the question of free will. Throughout the poem, Milton makes clear that even though God foresees everything, humans have the freedom to choose their path.
Raphael’s story illustrates his point. The account of the heavenly battle recalls classic war epics like Homer’s Iliad. But since the angels are extremely powerful and can’t actually die, many battle scenes appear almost comical. For instance, one angel splits Satan in half with a sword, just for him to immediately put himself together again.
The humor also derives from the fact that the rebels are no actual threat to the almighty God. At most, He seems slightly annoyed by them. The rebels’ real offense is their disobedience. This disobedience is contrasted by the virtuous figure of Abdiel, who resists Satan’s temptation.
Books VII & VIII: The creation of humankind
Adam’s conversation with Raphael continues. Raphael now tells the story of the world's creation. He explains that after the defeat of the rebellious angels, God wanted to fill the universe with new life – humanity.
God sent the Son to create Earth and its surrounding heavens. The Son finished off his creation by suspending Earth from Heaven with a golden chain. Then God himself created light, the firmament, the seasons, animal life, and finally Adam, the first man. Raphael recounts how the angels in Heaven celebrated God’s magnum opus.
Adam then asks Raphael about the movement of the stars and planets. Raphael rebuts that the mysteries of the universe are beyond human comprehension. He advises Adam to be content with the knowledge God permits him to possess.
Adam then shares his own account of his creation. He describes awakening in a lush setting, being able to stand upright, run, and jump. God then led him to Eden and entrusted him the Garden as his own dominion – the only condition being that Adam must not eat from the Tree of Knowledge.
After some time, Adam expressed his loneliness, and God created Eve from his rib. Adam immediately fell in love with her beauty. Although Eve’s first impulse was to run away, the two eventually fell in love and were joined in marriage.
Raphael is concerned about Adam’s overpowering physical desire for Eve. He reminds him that Eve is spiritually inferior to him. He cautions Adam to balance passion with reason to avoid disobeying God.
Then, Raphael returns to Heaven.
ANALYSIS
Raphael’s story hour continues in Books VII and VIII. His account of Earth’s creation closely follows the events in the biblical book of Genesis. Milton adds some scientific flourishes, though. For instance, he describes the creation of the stars in the astronomical detail available at the time.
The account of Adam and Eve’s creation closely resembles its Bible template. Milton describes them as a perfect couple – at least by sexist seventeenth-century standards. Eve is presented as a slightly inferior, slightly less spiritual, slightly more capricious version of Adam. Adam is the more level-headed, reasonable one of the pair. But he’s so infatuated with Eve that we can already sense his passion will lead him astray.
Books IX & X: Forbidden fruit
So glister'd the dire Snake, and into fraudLed Eve our credulous Mother, to the TreeOf prohibition, root of all our woe;
After laying low for eight days, Satan returns to Eden, taking the form of a serpent.
It’s morning and Adam and Eve are about to attend to their daily duty by working in the Garden. Eve suggests that they’d get more done if they worked separately. After much debate, Adam reluctantly agrees to her suggestion.
Once Eve is away from Adam, Satan approaches her in serpent form. Eve is captivated by the snake’s beauty and its use of language. The snake claims to have acquired speech by consuming the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and implores Eve to do the same.
Even though Eve initially resists the temptation, serpent Satan overwhelms her with sneaky arguments. He convinces her that God is lying about the Tree of Knowledge because he’s afraid that she and Adam will become like Him. Eve finally relents. She eats the forbidden fruit, plunging humanity into damnation.
When Eve tells Adam what she’s done, he doesn’t take much convincing. Out of fear of losing her, he also eats the forbidden fruit. Immediately, they have steamy sex. But when they awake, their lust is replaced by guilt and shame. They start to fight, blaming each other for their disobedience.
In Heaven, God gathers the angels to acknowledge Adam and Eve's fall from grace. As a punishment, he sends the angels to create seasons, violent weather, and discord among the animals on Earth. Eve and all women are assigned the pain of childbirth and subjugation to their husbands. Adam and all of humankind are sentenced to labor and death. Once more, the Son shows mercy by clothing the naked and ashamed Adam and Eve in animal skins.
Meanwhile, Sin and Death journey to Earth on the pathway they’ve constructed. God decides to let them remain there until Judgement Day. Then, he turns Satan and his followers into snakes.
On Earth, Eve urges Adam to continue loving each other despite their fate. They resolve to keep praying for God's mercy and produce offspring – in the hope that their children will one day defeat Satan.
ANALYSIS
In many ways, Books IX and X are the dramatic finale of Paradise Lost. Eve lets herself be tempted by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit, causing mankind’s fall from grace. Adam lets himself be swayed by his passion for Eve.
God’s punishment is harsh. From now on, humanity must deal with death, violent nature, shame, and pain. The Paradise of Eden becomes Earth as we know it.
At the beginning of Book IX, Milton warns that the tone of his Christian epic will now shift toward tragedy. The fall of man is indeed tragic, but there’s plenty of hope too. Eve and Adam find solace in the love they have for each other, in their faith, and in creating children of their own.
Books XI & XII: Paradise lost
Adam and Eve pray for forgiveness and their prayers reach God. Once more, the Son offers to make up for mankind's shortcomings through his own death. God accepts the proposal, but he proclaims that Adam and Eve must leave Eden nonetheless.
The archangel Michael informs Adam and Eve of God's judgment. Eve mourns the loss of Eden's beauty, while Adam worries about losing his connection with God. Michael assures Adam that God is present everywhere on Earth.
Michael then guides Adam to a high point in Paradise, where he sketches out humanity's future for him. He begins by recounting the story of Cain and Abel, the first sons of Adam and Eve. He emphasizes the destructive power of envy and warns Adam about the dangers of unchecked passions.
Michael then describes the rise of mankind, the establishment of cities, and the degeneration of society into corruption and violence. But he also reveals the divine plan for human redemption. He introduces Noah, a righteous man chosen to survive the impending flood and restore humanity.
He recounts the story of Moses and the Israelites, their exodus from Egypt, and the reception of the Ten Commandments. He then turns to the future birth of Jesus Christ, portraying his life and sacrifice as the ultimate redemption for humanity's sins. The Archangel explains that through Jesus, mankind can regain the favor of God and find salvation.
Michael concludes by reassuring Adam that despite the temporary triumph of evil, ultimate victory lies with God and the forces of good. In the end, Jesus will judge all, and the faithful will enter paradise. He instructs him to share their conversation with Eve.
Adam takes comfort in Michael’s words. Eve takes solace in knowing the Messiah will come from her seed. Led by Michael, the couple leaves Eden through its gate. Hand in hand, they venture into a new world – they won't be in Paradise, but in the presence of God nonetheless.
ANALYSIS
In these final two Books of Paradise Lost, Milton speeds through several biblical stories to explore themes of sin, faith, and redemption.
The future visions that Michael presents to Adam shows the human condition as an eternal struggle between good and evil. The stories of Cain, the Tower of Babylon, Noah, and Moses underscore that God rewards those who are righteous and remain loyal to him even in the face of adversity. But the ultimate salvation rests upon the forthcoming sacrifice of Jesus, who’ll die for humanity’s sins.
Milton uses these final books to offer his Christian prescription for how humanity can achieve salvation after all: through embracing virtue, patience, love, and most importantly, faith in God.
Final Summary
Paradise Lost is a monumental literary classic. The epic poem retells the Biblical story of the fall of man, exploring a timeless battle between good and evil.
At the heart of the narrative is Satan, the fallen angel who led a rebellion against God. Satan leaves his newly created home in Hell to cause chaos among the first humans in the Garden of Eden. Disguised as a snake, he lures Eve into eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge.
As a result, God lets evil, death, and sin enter Earth. But he also offers a road to redemption. He promises those who live a righteous life devoted to him will receive salvation. Adam and Eve must leave the Garden of Eden.