1608-1674




Born into bourgeois class



Proclaimed that he would write a “great English Epic”

Self-appointed prophetic bard

Studied independently for six years
Strongly supported the Puritan Reformation
Wrote with strong independence and on a variety of topics
Church government
Divorce

Republicanism
Suffered many tragedies

Wife and son died in 1652




Became blind the same year
New wife and daughter died in 1656
Went into hiding after the return of Charles II, briefly imprisoned
Dismayed by the failure of the Reformation












Milton:
Of man’s 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,
Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed,
In the beginning how the heav’ns and earth
Rose out of Chaos: or if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed
Fast by the oracle of God: I thence
Invoke thy aid to my advent’rous song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above th’Aonian mount while if pursues
Things unstamped yet in prose or rhyme.
(1-16)
Homer:
Tell me, Muse, about the man of many turns, who many
Ways wandered when he had sacked Troy’s holy citadel;
He saw the cities of many men, and he knew their thought;
On the ocean he suffered many pains within his heart,
Striving for his life and his companions’ return.
But he did not save his companions, though he wanted to:
They lost their own lives because of their recklessness.
The fools, they devoured the cattle of Hyperion,
The Sun, and he took away the day of their return.
Begin the tale somewhere for use also, goddess, daughter of Zeus.
There are many similarities between Paradise Lost and the ancient Greek epics, including these invocation of the Muse, and also the cataloging of characters. Both Milton and Homer start “in the midst of things;” Homer after the battle of Troy,
Milton after the battle between Satan and God. In his invocation, though, Milton blatantly attempts to surpass the ancient
Greek poets.

Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed,
In the beginning how the heav’ns and earth
Rose out of Chaos: or if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed
Fast by the oracle of God; I thence
Invoke thy aid to my advent’rous song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above th’Aonian mount, while it pursues
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.
(6-16)
Here at least
We shall be free; th’Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n.
(257-263)
To bow and sue for grace
With suppliant knee, and deify his power
Who from the terror of this arm so late
Doubted his empire, that were low indeed,
That were in ignominy and shame beneath
This downfall; since by fate the strength of gods
And the empyreal substance cannot fail,
Since through experience of this great event
In arms not worse, in foresight much advanced,
We may with more successful hope resolve
To wage by force or guile eternal war
Irreconcilable, to our grand foe,
Who now triumphs, and in th’excess of joy
Sole reigning holds the tyranny of Heav’n.
(111-124)

All Artwork form http://www.stedwards.edu

Plate 3:
"They heard, and were abashed, and up they sprung"
(I. 331)
Plate 1:
"Him the Almighty Power
Hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky"
(I. 44, 45)
Plate 2:
"Forthwith upright he rears from off the pool
His mighty stature"
(I. 221, 222)

The
Tolkien’s The Simarillion is the history of the elves in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. He opens with his version of
Genesis, where Iluvatar creates Middle-Earth through song, and his instruments, the Ainur.
But now Iluvatar sat and hearkened, and for a great while it seemed good to him, for in the music there were no flaws. But as the theme progressed, it came into the heart of Melkor to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of Iluvatar; for he sought therein to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself. To
Melkor among the Ainur had been given the greatest gifts of power and knowledge, and he had a share in a all the gifts of his brethren.
(p. 4)
Then Iluvatar spoke, and he said: ‘Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor; but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Iluvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.’
(p.6)
Melkor certainly parallels Satan, but Milton’s influence can be seen in the way Melkor is shown as the strongest of the Ainur, and he has a hand in the actual creation of Middle-Earth. The quote from page 6 resembles
Beelzebub’s speech on Book 1: “But what if he…have left us this our spirit and strength entire…do him mightier service as his thralls by right of war, whate’er his business be here in the heart of Hell to work in fire, or do his errands in the gloomy deeps…” (143-152).

Ahab to his men: “Aye, Starbuck; aye, my hearties all round; it was Moby Dick that dismasted me; Moby Dick that brought me to this dead stump I stand on now. Aye, aye,” he shouted with a terrific, loud, animal sob, like that of a heartstricken moose; “Aye, aye!
It was that accursed white whale that razeed me; made a poor pegging lubber out of me for ever and a day!” Then tossed both arms, with measureless imprecations he shouted out: “Aye, aye! And I’ll chase him round
Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames before I give him up. And this is what ye have shipped for, men! To chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out. What say ye men, will ye splice hands on it, now? I think ye do look brave.”
(p. 139)
Satan to Beelzebub: 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 extort form me. To bow and sue for grave with suppliant knee, and deify his power who from the terror of this arm so late doubted his empire, that were low indeed, that were an ignominy and shame beneath this downfall; since by fate the strength of gods and this empyreal substance cannot fail, since through experience of this great event in arms not worse, in foresight much advanced, we may with more successful hope resolve to wage by force or guile eternal war irreconcilable, to our grand foe…”
(105-122)
Melville portrays Ahab (who many interpret to be a metaphor for Satan), very similar to Milton’s Satan, a powerful and influential speaker who has one goal. Both Satan and Ahab follow their path despite what further damnation will occur to them and their men.

© Warner Bros. (1997)
Satan:
“Let me give you a little inside information about
God. God likes to watch.
He's a prankster. Think about it. He gives man
INSTINCTS! He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It's the goof of all time. Look but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste! Taste, don't swallow.
Ahaha! And when you're jumpin' from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's laughin‘!... He's a sadist!
He's an absentee landlord.
Worship THAT? NEVER!” http://www.allpacino.com/john.html
Al Pacino as John
Milton (Satan)

Photos from: http://www.mick-jagger.com
http://www.musicsonglyrics.com

With the exception of the passage from The Odyssey , each text or piece of art in this collage was selected to show the change in public opinion of Satan since Milton’s epic was first published. The passage from The Odyssey was included to display how Paradise Lost compared to Homer’s poem as an epic.
Placing them side-byside shows both how Milton’s poem in an epic because he invokes the Muse, but also attempts to surpass Homer.
The illustrations were included to show Satan’s development into a true epic character. Whether or not the artist’s religious views were changed by Milton or not, they at least saw Satan as a truly complex and powerful character, as is conveyed in their detailed renderings of him.
The Silmarillion and Moby-Dick are included for the same reason. Both
Tolkien and Melville create characters, though definitely the villain in their respective stories, that are both powerful and human, with strong characteristics of vengefulness and pride which most readers can relate to.
The quotes from Devil’s Advocate and Sympathy for the Devil were selected because they effectively show today’s changing views on Satan. For many people it is almost trendy to “sympathize” with Satan, because he works on reasoning rather than faith. Reason certainly dominates today’s culture much more than blind faith.

By Appearance
Paradise Lost
Milton, John. “Paradise Lost.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature.
7 th ed. New York: Norton 2000
Milton, John. Paradise Lost . Scott Elledge, ed. New York: Norton, 1975
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. 2 nd ed. London: S. Simmons, 1674
The Odyssey
Homer. The Odyssey, a Norton Critical Edition.
Albert Cook, ed. New York: Norton, 1993
Homer. The Odyssey.
Manuscript. British Library. London.
The Illustrations of Gustave Doré
Klawitter, George. “The Iconography of Paradise Lost .
” St. Edwards University. 11 Dec. 2003 http://www.stedwards.edu/hum/klawitter/milton/icon.htm
Lanzara, Joseph. Paradise Lost: The Novel. New York: New Arts Library, 1994
Milton, John. Paradise Lost.
Robert Vaughan, ed. New York: Cassell, 1966
The Silmarillion
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Silmarillion. Christopher Tolkien, ed. New York: Ballentine, 1977
Moby-Dick
Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick. Parker, Hayford, ed. New York: Norton, 2002
Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick . Parker, Hayford, Tanselle, ed. New York: Northwestern, 1988
Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. Richard Bentley, ed. New York, London: Harper and Bros.,
1851
Devil ’s Advocate
“Devil’s Advocate.” 11 Dec. 2003. http://velvet_peach.tripod.com/fpacdevilsadvocate.html
Devil ’s Advocate.
Dir. Taylor Hackford. Perf. Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves. Warner Bros. 1997
Sympathy for the Devil
“Sympathy for the Devil.” Beggars Banquet. The Rolling Stones. Virgin Records, 1968