21.04.

2021
JOHN MILTON & THE PARADISE LOST & THE EPIC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oAGMQb5X0c
 Leading Up to 1660

164 164 164 164 165 165 165 165 165 166
2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8 0
•1642–1651: English Civil Wars
•1649: Charles I is beheaded on orders of a special
Parliamentary court.
•1650–1651: Charles II flees to Scotland, attempts
to invade England, and escapes to France.
•1653–1658 : Oliver Cromwell rules England,
Scotland, and Ireland as lord protector.
•1660: Parliament restores Charles II to the throne.
 King James I

• The King James Bible (1604) – precedent translators:

John Wycliffe and William Tyndale
• John Milton (1608-1674) – under the influence of The
King James Bible
Charles I:
Didn’t have money in his treasury
Didn’t get along with the parliament
Bloody and divisive conflicts (1642-1649)

authorization of taxes
The King X The Parliament
According to John Milton:

conflicts were about religion

Puritans gaining power in the parliament
Puritanism: ? (they believed that a person had a very individual
relationship with God)

Puritans X The Church of England

 between + kingdom
Cromwell – The Interregnum Period

An experimental period of 11 years (1649-1660) in England – the

parliamentary government

John Milton: Cromwell’s public relations officer

- held a good position in the Republican government.
John Milton

The end of Interregnum Period was a disappointment

Critics:
The title of the epic poem Paradise Lost – a reflection of this
republican paradise that was lost
Today’s learning goals are:
• to review our knowledge on EPIC, and to learn about EPIC
POETRY in terms of its modern setting, 17th century;
• to learn about Milton’s The Paradise Lost as an epic, and to
compare and contrast it with conventions of epic writing;
• to analyze the introductory excerpt from Book I;
What is Epic?

“A long narrative poem in elevated style presenting characters of

high position in a series of adventures which form an organic whole
through their developments of EPISODES important to the history
of a nation or race.” (A Handbook to Literature)
 Iliad by Homer (lines 1-14)
Achilles' wrath, to Greece the will of Jove!
direful spring
Declare, O Muse! in what ill-fated hour
Of woes unnumber'd, heavenly goddess, Sprung the fierce strife, from what
sing! offended power
That wrath which hurl'd to Pluto's gloomy
Latona's son a dire contagion spread,
reign
And heap'd the camp with mountains of the
The souls of mighty chiefs untimely slain;
dead;
Whose limbs unburied on the naked shore, The king of men his reverent priest defied,
Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore.
And for the king's offence the people died.
Since great Achilles and Atrides strove,
Such was the sovereign doom, and such the

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6130/6130-h/6130-h.html#toc5
 Aeneid by Virgil (lines 1-18)
Arms, and the man I sing, who, forc'd O Muse! the causes and the crimes relate;
by fate,
What goddess was provok'd, and whence her
And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate, hate;
Expell'd and exil'd, left the Trojan shore. For what offense the Queen of Heav'n began
Long labors, both by sea and land, he bore, To persecute so brave, so just a man;
And in the doubtful war, before he won Involv'd his anxious life in endless cares,
The Latian realm, and built the destin'd town; Expos'd to wants, and hurried into wars!
His banish'd gods restor'd to rites divine, Can heav'nly minds such high resentment
show,
And settled sure succession in his line,
Or exercise their spite in human woe?
From whence the race of Alban fathers come,
Soldiers were dying of it.
And the long glories of majestic Rome.

https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~classics/poetry_and_prose/Aeneid.1.intro.html
 What are the characteristics of EPIC?

a. The hero is a figure of imposing stature, of national or international

importance;
b. The setting is vast in its scope, covering great nations, the world, or the
universe;
c. The action consists of deed of great valor or requiring superhuman courage;
d. Supernatural forces –gods, angels, demons- interest themselves in the action
and intervene from time to time;
e. A style of sustained elevation and grand
simplicity is used;
d. The epic poet recounts the deeds
of heroes with objectivity.
(A Handbook to Literature)
 What are epic writing conventions?

a. The poet opens by stating the theme;

b. He invokes a Muse to inspire and instruct him;
c. He opens the narrative in medias res, giving the necessary
exposition in later portions of the epic;
d. The poet includes catalogues of warriors, ships and armies;
e. The poet gives extended formal speeches
by the main characters;
a. The poet makes frequent use of
the epic simile.
(A Handbook to Literature)
 Example epics?

a. Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey

b. Virgil’s Aeneid
c. The Old English Beowulf
d. The East Indian Mahabarata
e. The Epic of Gilgamesh from ancient Mesopotamia;
f. Dante’s Divine Comedy
g. Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered
h. Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene
i. John Milton’s The Paradise Lost
 Epic Hero From Homer to Milton…

The character of the hero in epic:

gives us some notion of the ideals of the age and society that gave
birth to epic.

In the Homeric period: personal glory won on the battlefield was the
aim of every warrior:
E.g. Achilles choosing of short life instead of an undistinguished
career; Beowulf’s reward for slaying Grendel –his fame-.
 Epic Hero From Homer to Milton…

The character of the hero in epic:

gives us some notion of the ideals of the age and society that gave birth to
epic.

In Virgil’s period: Aeneid was written as a complement for the emperor

Augustus. His hero Aeneas, was meant to found Rome. Yet, in addition to
being a perfect warrior, he had to embody certain leadership qualities
such as making treaties or fighting single combats to prevent wholesale
slaughter.
 Epic Hero From Homer to Milton…

Aeneid: Turnus-the defeated suitor for Lavinia’s hand.

Turnus is a prince of the Rutulian tribe and the leader of the Latin
forces who oppose the settlement of the Trojans in Latium. Like Aeneas,
he is a physically superior warrior. He is Aeneas's antagonist, his chief
enemy, and heroic counterpart. When Latinus engages Lavinia to marry
Aeneas instead, the goddess Juno, who hates the Trojans, drives Turnus
mad. He leads his people in a war against Aeneas and the Trojans. After
many acts of courage and rashness, Turnus is slain by Aeneas.
 Epic Hero From Homer to Milton…

So an old-time hero can become a new-style villain. That is why, the

definition of hero changes depending on the period in which it is
written.

Military glory and martial reputation à ??????

 The Miltonic epic hero

Is still a warrior, winning his victories over intemperance on the

battlefields.

In addition,
- a Platonic rational soul;
- a true warfaring Puritan aided by divine grace and who goes out
to face sin and temptation and push back the forces of darkness
and evil.
 Epic Hero From Homer to Milton…

Who is the hero of Paradise Lost? Adam?

similarities and differences between Adam and Aeneas:

- Like Aeneas, Adam is the father of a new race, responsible for
funding civilization on earth.
- Unlike Aeneas, Adam primary heroic act is not heroic at all: it is the
first act of disobedience
 Epic Hero From Homer to Milton…

Who is the hero of Paradise Lost? Satan?

“hero”: the central figure in a work of art

indicates the character with whom the reader identifies
Satan:
- possesses admirable characteristics, courage, leadership (The most
Achilles-like character)
Analysis of the introductory section.

OF Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit

Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste
Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat [5]

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_1/text.shtml
Analysis of the introductory section.

Sing Heavenly Muse, that on the secret top [6]

Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed,
In the Beginning how the Heavens and Earth
Rose out of Chaos: Or if Sion Hill [10]
Delight thee more, and Siloa's Brook that flowed
Fast by the Oracle of God;

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_1/text.shtml
Analysis of the introductory section.

I thence
Invoke thy aid to my adventrous Song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above the Aonian Mount, while it pursues [ 15 ]
Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime.

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_1/text.shtml
Analysis of the introductory section.

And chiefly Thou O Spirit, that dost prefer

Before all Temples the upright heart and pure,
Instruct me, for Thou knowst; Thou from the first
Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread [ 20 ]
Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss
And madst it pregnant:

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_1/text.shtml
Analysis of the introductory section.

What in me is dark
Illumin, what is low raise and support;
That to the highth of this great Argument
I may assert Eternal Providence, [ 25 ]
And justify the ways of God to men.

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_1/text.shtml
Al Pacino as John Milton in the movie The Devil’s Advocate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oAGMQb5X0c
Al Pacino as John Milton in the movie The Devil’s Advocate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oAGMQb5X0c