PL Sections for focus

• Books 1 and 2

• Book 3 (lines 1-343)

• Books 4 and 5

• Books 8 through 10

• Book 12 (lines 1-649)

Milton

Milton

• We know quite a bit about him

• Marriage

• Blindness

• Political involvement

PL and Epic Form

• What is an epic?

• How does PL engage with this genre?

• Who is the “hero” in this epic?

PL and Epic Convention

• A look at the opening: “no middle flight”

• Invocation of the Muse

• In medias res

• Epic similes

• Drawing on other earlier works—page 1839

Justify the Ways of God to men

• Theodicy

• Questions about the human situation

• (Danielson)1. God is all powerful

2.God is wholly good

3. There is evil in the world

Milton’s Theodicy

• Divine providence

• Free will (III. 98-111)

In medias res

• In hell with Satan, I. 50 ff– Describing Satan: I. 192, I. 283

• PL’s dramatic roots– Satan addresses Beelzebub I. 84

• Depicting Satan, his followers and hell– Satan, determined never to do good: I. 159– Wants to continue to “offend”: I. 187

The convocation in Hell

• I.315

• How to proceed: II.40-42

Moloch (I. 392; II. 50 ff.)

Belial (I.490; II. 109)

Mammon (I.678; II.229)

Beelzebub (II. 299 ff.)

The plot against Man (II.345ff.)

Hell and Milton’s Politics

Anti-monarchical?

Satan as champion of this stance?

Satan as hero: http://www.stjohns-chs.org/english/gothic/works/satanhero.html

The Topography of Hell

• Hell as actual place (II. 619)

• Hell as figurative (à la Faustus)– I. 249ff

Winter quarter class

• Parzival

• LTWL 172

• TuTh 12:30p - 1:50p

Satan as Explorer

• Colonial metaphor: II. 629 ff.

Sin and Death

Allegory

Sin (II.648)

Death (II. 667)

Unholy Trinity

Satan freed from Hell

A path to Earth (II. 1024)

Invocation Book III

• Exploration of poetic authority

• Autobiographical parallels (III. 22)

• Parallels between narrator and Satan?

Free Will

• Free to fall (III. 97ff)

• What kind of God is this?

Paradise Threatened

• Satan enters Paradise

Important Epic Simile (IV. 180)

He sees Adam and Eve (IV. 288)

He is jealous (IV. 358)

Eve

• Milton: Misogynist or friend to women?

• (Married) sexuality in Paradise (IV. 736)

• Eve’s account of her creation (IV. 450 ff)

Eve’s Dream (IV. 800 ff)

• The Faculties

• How does Eve experience her dream: V. 48ff

• Is this fair?

Raphael’s Visit

• More discussion of free will as God sends him to Eden: V. 224ff and V. 525 ff

• The War in Heaven related by Raphael

Adam’s account of his creation

• 8. 255 ff

• He doesn’t quite understand how he comes into being, but assumes a maker (compare to Satan)

• How does Adam’s account of his creation compare to Eve’s?

• How does Adam view Eve? (8.546ff)

Raphael’s final warning

• The importance of reason and free will

• 8. 633 ff.

Book 9

• Change in tone—another focus on speaker

• Disdaining Romance (IX. 30 ff.)

• Satan the explorer once again

The grail

• A shameless plug for LTWL 172

The Seduction of Eve

• Satan’s descent (IX. 75 ff.)

• Eve’s suggestion (IX. 205)– She argues that they have reason and can

defend themselves– Eden were no Eden thus exposed 9.322-41

The Seduction of Eve

• Satan spies Eve 9.421-433 ff

• Epic simile 9.445

• Satan almost stops 9.455

• Petrarchan address 9.532

• References to ancient oration 9.670

• Eve’s thoughts 9. 733 ff

Adam’s Fall

• Eve’s concern she will be replaced 9.826

• Adam’s reaction—goes slack 9.886

• Why does Adam disobey?

• Lanyer, Eve’s Apology, page 1317

The Fall

• Lust enters the world 9. 1013 (Compare to 4. 736)

• Comparison to Samson 9.1060

• Comparison to Indians 9. 1099

• They begin to blame one another

Changes After the Fall

• A. Adam and Eve divided

• B. Sin and Death come into the World

• C. Satan

• 1. Rejoicing in Hell 10. 418

• 2. Punishment in Hell 10.500

•

Adam and Eve Reunited

• Adam’s despair 10. 725

• Eve’s reconciliation 10. 909

• Suicide? 10. 1000

Book 12—Christian future

• Archangel provides view of future

• View of future kings 12.65

• Christ and Mary 12. 375

• Triumph over Death 12.420

• Fortunate Fall 12. 469

• Corrupt Church 12. 502

Adam and Eve leave Eden

• Paradise Within 12. 586

• Compare 1.254

PL as Poem of Empire

• Satan as explorer 2.440

• God “sovran Planter” 4.691

• Satan adventurer 10. 440

• Earth as New World: 2.403, 2.867, 4.34– 4.133, 4.391, 10. 257, 10. 377

PL as Poem of Empire

• Columbus 9. 1116

• Montezuma 11.407

• God’s empire 1.114

• Nether empire 2.296

• Divided empire 4.111

• Eve as place/empire

Review question: Themes in PL

• Theodicy– Sin, death, evil

• Questions of gender

• Metaphors of exploration//empire

• Contemporary religious/social issues

• Poetry, poetic voice, genre….