Paradise Lost Albrecht Durer, Adam and Eve (1504)

Paradise Lost

Albrecht Durer, Adam and Eve (1504)

Paradise Lost, Book I

Synopsis of Book I:

• Lines 1-74: Invocation of the Muse


Synopsis of Book I:

• Lines 1-74: Invocation of the Muse• Lines 75-270: Satan and Beelzebub wake up in Hell


Synopsis of Book I:

• Lines 1-74: Invocation of the Muse• Lines 75-270: Satan and Beelzebub wake up in Hell• Lines 271-374: Satan rouses the fallen demons


Synopsis of Book I:

• Lines 1-74: Invocation of the Muse• Lines 75-270: Satan and Beelzebub wake up in Hell• Lines 271-374: Satan rouses the fallen demons• Lines 375-544: A catalogue of demons


Synopsis of Book I:

• Lines 1-74: Invocation of the Muse• Lines 75-270: Satan and Beelzebub wake up in Hell• Lines 271-374: Satan rouses the fallen demons• Lines 375-544: A catalogue of demons• Lines 545-621: Description of the assembling demons


Synopsis of Book I:

• Lines 1-74: Invocation of the Muse• Lines 75-270: Satan and Beelzebub wake up in Hell• Lines 271-374: Satan rouses the fallen demons• Lines 375-544: A catalogue of demons• Lines 545-621: Description of the assembling demons• Lines 622-662: Satan addresses the troops; calls them to war


Synopsis of Book I:

• Lines 1-74: Invocation of the Muse• Lines 75-270: Satan and Beelzebub wake up in Hell• Lines 271-374: Satan rouses the fallen demons• Lines 375-544: A catalogue of demons• Lines 545-621: Description of the assembling demons• Lines 622-662: Satan addresses the troops; calls them to war• Lines 663-798: Host of demons transform Hell in preparation for War


• Milton begins with an “invocation” of his “muse”



• The invocation of the muse is a characteristic feature of classical Greek and Roman epics, like the Iliad, the Odyssey and the Aeneid




• Milton adapts this tradition for his “Christian” epic by invoking a “muse” that turns out to be the Holy Spirit




• Milton adapts this tradition for his “Christian” epic by invoking a “muse” that turns out to be the Holy Spirit

• Lines 1-49 invoke the muse and describe the topic of the poem Adam and Eve’s disobedience and Satan’s rebellion against God:


Of Mans First Disobedience, and the FruitOf that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tasteBrought Death into the World, and all our woe,With loss of EDEN, till one greater ManRestore us, and regain the blissful Seat,Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret topOf OREB, or of SINAI, didst inspireThat Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed,In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earth

10 Rose out of CHAOS: Or if SION Hill Delight thee more, and SILOA'S Brook that flow'dFast by the Oracle of God; I thenceInvoke thy aid to my adventrous Song,That with no middle flight intends to soar

Above th' AONIAN Mount, while it pursues Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime.

Paradise Lost, Book IHere, Milton introduces the poem by invoking his “muse”—he asks

the muse to sing a story of the original sin by Adam and Eve, and their pre-ordained redemption by Christ:

Of Mans First Disobedience, and the FruitOf that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tasteBrought Death into the World, and all our woe,With loss of EDEN, till one greater ManRestore us, and regain the blissful Seat,Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret topOf OREB, or of SINAI, didst inspireThat Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed,In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earth


And chiefly Thou O Spirit, that dost preferBefore all Temples th' upright heart and pure,Instruct me, for Thou know'st; Thou from the first

20 Wast present, and with mighty wings outspreadDove-like satst brooding on the vast AbyssAnd mad'st it pregnant: What in me is darkIllumine, what is low raise and support;That to the highth of this great ArgumentI may assert th' Eternal Providence,And justifie the wayes of God to men.Say first, for Heav'n hides nothing from thy viewNor the deep Tract of Hell, say first what causeMov'd our Grand Parents in that happy State,

30 Favour'd of Heav'n so highly, to fall offFrom their Creator, and transgress his WillFor one restraint, Lords of the World besides?

Paradise Lost, Book IMilton asks the holy spirit for inspiration, and for the ability “to justify the ways of God to men.” This goal betrays a particularly “modern” and “humanist” sensibility, as opposed to the traditional assumption of unquestioned divine authority in feudal Europe:

And chiefly Thou O Spirit, that dost preferBefore all Temples th' upright heart and pure,Instruct me, for Thou know'st; Thou from the first

20 Wast present, and with mighty wings outspreadDove-like satst brooding on the vast AbyssAnd mad'st it pregnant: What in me is darkIllumine, what is low raise and support;That to the highth of this great ArgumentI may assert th' Eternal Providence,And justifie the wayes of God to men.

Paradise Lost, Book I Who first seduc'd them to that fowl revolt? Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile Stird up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv'd The Mother of Mankinde, what time his Pride Had cast him out from Heav'n, with all his Host Of Rebel Angels, by whose aid aspiring To set himself in Glory above his Peers,40 He trusted to have equal'd the most High, If he oppos'd; and with ambitious aim Against the Throne and Monarchy of God Rais'd impious War in Heav'n and Battel proud With vain attempt. Him the Almighty Power Hurl’d headlong flaming from th' Ethereal Skie With hideous ruine and combustion down To bottomless perdition, there to dwell In Adamantine Chains and penal Fire, Who durst defie th' Omnipotent to Arms.


• Satan awakes from his unconscious state, and registers his defeat

• The dismal surroundings of Hell are described

• Satan addresses his next-in-command, Beelzebub:

Paradise Lost, Book I He soon discerns, and weltring by his side

One next himself in power, and next in crime,80 Long after known in PALESTINE, and nam'd

BEELZEBUB. To whom th' Arch-Enemy,And thence in Heav'n call'd Satan, with bold wordsBreaking the horrid silence thus began.

Paradise Lost, Book I[Satan speaks to Beelzebub]

If thou beest he; But O how fall'n! how chang'dFrom him, who in the happy Realms of LightCloth'd with transcendent brightnes didst outshineMyriads though bright: If he whom mutual league,United thoughts and counsels, equal hope,And hazard in the Glorious Enterprize,

90 Joynd with me once, now misery hath joynd In equal ruin: into what Pit thou seestFrom what highth fal'n, so much the stronger provdHe with his Thunder: and till then who knewThe force of those dire Arms? yet not for thoseNor what the Potent Victor in his rageCan else inflict do I repent or change, And high disdain, from sence of injur'd merit,That with the mightiest rais'd me to contend,And to the fierce contention brought along

100 Innumerable force of Spirits arm'd

Paradise Lost, Book IThat durst dislike his reign, and me preferring,His utmost power with adverse power oppos'dIn dubious Battel on the Plains of Heav'n,And shook his throne. What though the field be lost?All is not lost; the unconquerable Will,And study of revenge, immortal hate,And courage never to submit or yield:And what is else not to be overcome?That Glory never shall his wrath or might

110 Extort from me. To bow and sue for grace

With suppliant knee, and deifie his powerWho from the terrour of this Arm so lateDoubted his Empire, that were low indeed,That were an ignominy and shame beneathThis downfall; since by Fate the strength of GodsAnd high disdain, from sence of injur'd merit, And this Empyreal substance cannot fail,

Paradise Lost, Book ISatan’s language sounds noble and heroic:

What though the field be lost?All is not lost; the unconquerable Will,And study of revenge, immortal hate,And courage never to submit or yield:And what is else not to be overcome?

Satan refuses to grovel before a tyrannical God:

110 To bow and sue for graceWith suppliant knee, and deifie his powerWho from the terrour of this Arm so lateDoubted his Empire, that were low indeed,That were an ignominy and shame beneathThis downfall;

Paradise Lost, Book ISince through experience of this great eventIn Arms not worse, in foresight much advanc't,

120 We may with more successful hope resolve

To wage by force or guile eternal WarrIrreconcileable, to our grand Foe,Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joySole reigning holds the Tyranny of Heav'n.So spake th' Apostate Angel, though in pain,Vaunting aloud, but rackt with deep despare:And him thus answer'd soon his bold Compeer.

Paradise Lost, Book I[Beelzebub speaks to Satan]

O Prince, O Chief of many Throned Powers,That led th' imbattelld Seraphim to Warr

130 Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds Fearless, endanger'd Heav'ns perpetual King;And put to proof his high Supremacy,Whether upheld by strength, or Chance, or Fate,Too well I see and rue the dire event,That with sad overthrow and foul defeatHath lost us Heav'n, and all this mighty HostIn horrible destruction laid thus low,As far as Gods and Heav'nly EssencesCan Perish: for the mind and spirit remains

140 Invincible, and vigour soon returns,Though all our Glory extinct, and happy stateHere swallow'd up in endless misery.

Paradise Lost, Book IBeelzebub’s assertion that “the mind and spirit remains invincible”

is a very “modern” idea, emphasizing the autonomy of the individual human in contrast to the divinely-ordained hierarchy of the feudal social order and the assumption that the individual is defined by his or her place in the social hierarchy, rather than by the individual will.

Too well I see and rue the dire event,That with sad overthrow and foul defeatHath lost us Heav'n, and all this mighty HostIn horrible destruction laid thus low,As far as Gods and Heav'nly EssencesCan Perish: for the mind and spirit remains

140 Invincible, and vigour soon returns,Though all our Glory extinct, and happy stateHere swallow'd up in endless misery.

Paradise Lost, Book IBut what if he our Conquerour, (whom I nowOf force believe Almighty, since no lessThen such could have orepow'rd such force as ours)Have left us this our spirit and strength intireStrongly to suffer and support our pains,That we may so suffice his vengeful ire,Or do him mightier service as his thralls

150 By right of Warr, what e're his business be Here in the heart of Hell to work in Fire,

Or do his Errands in the gloomy Deep;Too well I see and rue the dire event,That with sad overthrow and foul defeatHath lost us Heav'n, and all this mighty HostWhat can it then avail though yet we feelStrength undiminisht, or eternal beingTo undergo eternal punishment?

Paradise Lost, Book I[Satan replies to Beelzebub]

Whereto with speedy words th' Arch-fiend reply'd.Fall'n Cherube, to be weak is miserableDoing or Suffering: but of this be sure,To do ought good never will be our task,

160 But ever to do ill our sole delight,As being the contrary to his high willWhom we resist. If then his ProvidenceOut of our evil seek to bring forth good,Our labour must be to pervert that end,And out of good still to find means of evil;Which oft times may succeed, so as perhapsShall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturbHis inmost counsels from their destind aim.But see the angry Victor hath recall'd

170 His Ministers of vengeance and pursuit

Paradise Lost, Book ISatan’s stubborn defiance might sound admirable and heroic to

modern readers, but, since his battle is against God, he is doomed. The more he succeeds, the more misery he will heap upon himself. Of course, if he surrendered, that would be to deny his individuality—effectively, he would cease to exist. He would merge into the mass of Angels; he would no longer stand out.

Whereto with speedy words th' Arch-fiend reply'd.Fall'n Cherube, to be weak is miserableDoing or Suffering: but of this be sure,To do ought good never will be our task,

160 But ever to do ill our sole delight,As being the contrary to his high willWhom we resist. If then his ProvidenceOut of our evil seek to bring forth good,Our labour must be to pervert that end,And out of good still to find means of evil;

Paradise Lost, Book IBack to the Gates of Heav'n: The Sulphurous HailShot after us in storm, oreblown hath laidThe fiery Surge, that from the PrecipiceOf Heav'n receiv'd us falling, and the Thunder,Wing'd with red Lightning and impetuous rage,Perhaps hath spent his shafts, and ceases nowTo bellow through the vast and boundless Deep.Let us not slip th' occasion, whether scorn,Or satiate fury yield it from our Foe.

180 Seest thou yon dreary Plain, forlorn and wilde, The seat of desolation, voyd of light,Save what the glimmering of these livid flamesCasts pale and dreadful? Thither let us tendFrom off the tossing of these fiery waves,There rest, if any rest can harbour there,And reassembling our afflicted Powers,Consult how we may henceforth most offendOur Enemy, our own loss how repair,

How overcome this dire Calamity,

Paradise Lost, Book I190 What reinforcement we may gain from Hope,

If not what resolution from despare.Thus Satan talking to his neerest MateWith Head up-lift above the wave, and EyesThat sparkling blaz'd, his other Parts besidesProne on the Flood, extended long and largeLay floating many a rood, in bulk as hugeAs whom the Fables name of monstrous size,TITANIAN, or EARTH-BORN, that warr'd on JOVE,BRIARIOS or TYPHON, whom the Den

200 By ancient TARSUS held, or that Sea-beastLEVIATHAN, which God of all his worksCreated hugest that swim th' Ocean stream:Him haply slumbring on the NORWAY foamThe Pilot of some small night-founder'd Skiff,Deeming some Island, oft, as Sea-men tell,With fixed Anchor in his skaly rindMoors by his side under the Lee, while NightInvests the Sea, and wished Morn delayes:

Paradise Lost, Book ISo stretcht out huge in length the Arch-fiend lay

210 Chain'd on the burning Lake, nor ever thenceHad ris'n or heav'd his head, but that the willAnd high permission of all-ruling HeavenLeft him at large to his own dark designs,That with reiterated crimes he mightHeap on himself damnation, while he soughtEvil to others, and enrag'd might seeHow all his malice serv'd but to bring forthInfinite goodness, grace and mercy shewnOn Man by him seduc't, but on himself

220 Treble confusion, wrath and vengeance pour'd.Forthwith upright he rears from off the PoolHis mighty Stature; on each hand the flamesDrivn backward slope their pointing spires, & rowldIn billows, leave i'th' midst a horrid Vale.

Paradise Lost, Book IMilton asserts that Heaven permits Satan to plot evil, and thereby

to heap damnation on himself.

So stretcht out huge in length the Arch-fiend lay210 Chain'd on the burning Lake, nor ever thence

Had ris'n or heav'd his head, but that the willAnd high permission of all-ruling HeavenLeft him at large to his own dark designs,That with reiterated crimes he mightHeap on himself damnation, while he soughtEvil to others, and enrag'd might seeHow all his malice serv'd but to bring forthInfinite goodness, grace and mercy shewnOn Man by him seduc't, but on himself

220 Treble confusion, wrath and vengeance pour'd.

Paradise Lost, Book ISatan and Beelzebub congratulate themselves on taking

possession of Hell:

Then with expanded wings he stears his flightAloft, incumbent on the dusky AirThat felt unusual weight, till on dry LandHe lights, if it were Land that ever burn'dWith solid, as the Lake with liquid fire;

230 And such appear'd in hue, as when the forceOf subterranean wind transports a HillTorn from PELORUS, or the shatter'd sideOf thundring AETNA, whose combustibleAnd fewel'd entrals thence conceiving Fire,Sublim'd with Mineral fury, aid the Winds,And leave a singed bottom all involv'dWith stench and smoak: Such resting found the soleOf unblest feet. Him followed his next Mate,

Paradise Lost, Book IBoth glorying to have scap't the STYGIAN flood

240 As Gods, and by their own recover'd strength,Not by the sufferance of supernal Power.Is this the Region, this the Soil, the Clime,Said then the lost Arch Angel, this the seatThat we must change for Heav'n, this mournful gloomFor that celestial light? Be it so, since heeWho now is Sovran can dispose and bidWhat shall be right: fardest from him is bestWhom reason hath equald, force hath made supreamAbove his equals. Farewel happy Fields

250 Where Joy for ever dwells: Hail horrours, hailInfernal world, and thou profoundest HellReceive thy new Possessor: One who bringsA mind not to be chang'd by Place or Time.The mind is its own place, and in it selfCan make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.

Paradise Lost, Book IHere is another good example of Milton’s association of “modern,”

“individualist” and “humanist” values with Satan. The individual human is autonomous in control of himself or herself. Satan’s mind is “not be be chang’d by Place or Time.” This is a little surprising, perhaps, since Milton might reasonably be associated with these modern ideas as a result of his support for overthrowing King Charles I, who invoked “divine right” as a monarch.

Hail horrours, hailInfernal world, and thou profoundest HellReceive thy new Possessor: One who bringsA mind not to be chang'd by Place or Time.The mind is its own place, and in it selfCan make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.

Paradise Lost, Book IWhat matter where, if I be still the same,And what I should be, all but less then heeWhom Thunder hath made greater? Here at leastWe shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built

260 Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:Here we may reign secure, and in my choyceTo reign is worth ambition though in Hell:Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n.

Paradise Lost, Book INotice how this famous passage echoes the familiar rhetoric of

democracy and human freedom:

What matter where, if I be still the same,And what I should be, all but less then heeWhom Thunder hath made greater? Here at leastWe shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built

260 Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:Here we may reign secure, and in my choyceTo reign is worth ambition though in Hell:Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n.

Paradise Lost, Book ISatan addresses the troops:

Thrice he assayd, and thrice in spite of scorn,620 Tears such as Angels weep, burst forth: at last

Words interwove with sighs found out their way.O Myriads of immortal Spirits, O PowersMatchless, but with th' Almighty, and that strifeWas not inglorious, though th' event was dire,As this place testifies, and this dire changeHateful to utter: but what power of mindForeseeing or presaging, from the DepthOf knowledge past or present, could have fear'd,How such united force of Gods, how suchAs stood like these, could ever know repulse?

630 For who can yet beleeve, though after loss,That all these puissant Legions, whose exileHath emptied Heav'n, shall faile to re-ascendSelf-rais'd, and repossess their native seat.

Paradise Lost, Book IIn his address to the demonic legions, Satan again emphasizes

individual autonomy and self-determination:

630 For who can yet beleeve, though after loss,

That all these puissant Legions, whose exileHath emptied Heav'n, shall faile to re-ascendSelf-rais'd, and repossess their native seat.

Paradise Lost, Book IFinally, Satan represents God as a tyrannical monarch. Like the

traditional feudal aristocracy, God rules not because he deserves to rule by merit, but only because of tradition and “custom”:

But he who reignsMonarch in Heav'n, till then as one secureSat on his Throne, upheld by old repute,

640 Consent or custome, and his Regal StateFor who can yet beleeve, though after loss,That all these puissant Legions, whose exileHath emptied Heav'n, shall faile to re-ascendSelf-rais'd, and repossess their native seat.

Documents

Paradise Lost Albrecht Durer, Adam and Eve (1504)