Paradise Lost
The argument over who is the true protagonist of Paradise Lost, has been brewing for centuries. One would think that Milton, a Puritan, would have no problem casting God as the hero, and Satan as the antagonist. But looking back in0 history, Milton saw that most epic heroes had conflicts that prevented them from accomplishing their goals. God and his Son have no conflict, and Adam’s story doesn’t really begin until the fall of man. Therefore, Milton was forced to select Satan as the hero of Paradise Lost because he adheres to the guidelines of epic poetry set by Homer and others. There are many examples of how Milton uses the tradition of these previous epics in the formation of the Devil as a hero. One of the most basic examples of heroism in epic poetry is the feeling that the leader relays to his followers. In The Odyssey, Homer has Odysseus give a speech that would convince anyone they could survive the journey to the Strait of Messina, "Then we die with our eyes open, if we are going to die, or know what death we baffle if we can.(ln.1243-1245)" After passing the Sirens, the ship approaches the Strait, and the crew sees the twin terrors of Scylla and Charybdis, they are mortified. Odysseus again lifts the
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Paradise Lost, Odysseus Tell, Milton Satan, Satan Christian, Heaven258-263 Beelzebub, Scylla Charybdis, Hell Fire, Gods Empyreal, Heavn106-109116-124 Beelzebub, Almighty Satan, paradise lost, epic hero, fallen angels, hero satan, satan hero, epic poetry, epic heroes, survive journey, speech satan, home odysseus,
Approximate Word count = 1516
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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