Paradise Lost
"Paradise Lost" by John Milton is considered as the greatest epic poem in the English language. In words remarkable for their richness of rhythm and imagery, Milton tells the story of Man's creation, fall and redemption - to "justify the ways of God to men" (I, 26). But even where a single theme is stated, others can be considered as well - perhaps as a variation of the central idea. As integration to the content of this course, the following critical analysis will analyze the theme of dualities in "Paradise Lost". It is not difficult for readers to recognize the connection between the theme of duality in the form of Hells and Heaven or God versus Satan. It is also interesting to analyze the theme of duality within the character of Satan himself, the transformation of Satan from the heroic rebel to the envious, frustrated, and finally defeated victim of his own ambitions. Among all the characters in the poem, the reader is immediately intrigued by Milton's portrait of Satan. In fact, it is not surprising that
However, as the poem develops, Satan shows his true color and by the end of the poem he no longer seems admirable. Our perception of Satan's character changes significantly from Book I to Book X, when he makes his final appearance. We first see him as a strong, imposing figure with great skill as a leader. But by the poem's end he is suffering in Hell as a serpent. Satan's gradual degradation is physically represented by the increasingly shapes he assumes. He begins the poem as a fallen angel of enormous stature. He leaves Hell looking like a comet or meteor, then disguises himself as a more humble cherub, then as a cormorant, a toad, and finally a snake. Satan's ability to reason and argue also deteriorates over the course of the poem. In Book I, he uses his rhetorical skill with great cunning and charm, persuading the devils to agree to his plan. In Book IV, he illogically reasons that the Hell he feels inside of him is reason to do more evil. He tricks his fellow devils, the troops who faithfully followed him to their doom, by rigging the debate and
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 717
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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