Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667)
Paradise Lost is an epic poem written by John Milton in 1667. It tells the story of the fall of man from the Garden of Eden. The poem begins with Satan and his followers being cast out of Heaven and into Hell. Satan then rallies his forces and leads them in a revolt against God. God sends his Son, Jesus, to Earth to battle Satan and his minions. Jesus defeats Satan and his followers, and God casts them out of Heaven once again. Adam and Eve, the first humans, are created and placed in the Garden of Eden. Satan, still determined to defeat God, tempts them to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Adam and Eve succumb to temptation and are cast out of the Garden of Eden. The poem follows Adam and Eve as they struggle to survive in a world full of sin and suffering. They eventually repent and are forgiven by God. The poem ends with a vision of the future, in which God will restore Paradise and bring about a new Heaven and Earth.
By John Milton · First published 1667 · Genre: Epic Poetry, Religious Poetry, Romanticism · 12 chapters · 79,282 words
First lines
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, Heavenly 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 heavens 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 adventurous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th' Aonian mount, while it pursues Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.
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Paradise Lost is listed on Textopian as a novel by John Milton, dated 1667 CE.
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- Work type: Novel
- Author: John Milton
- Date: 1667 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Epic Poetry, Religious Poetry, Romanticism, Classical Literature
- Length: 79,282 words
- Structure: 12 chapters, 2,338 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
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- The Aeneid by Virgil
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- Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
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Genres
- Epic Poetry — Paradise Lost is an epic poem written by John Milton, which follows the classical epic structure of an invocation, a long narrative, and a conclusion.
- Religious Poetry — Paradise Lost is a religious poem that retells the biblical story of Adam and Eve's fall from grace in the Garden of Eden.
- Romanticism — Paradise Lost is a romantic poem that explores themes of love, loss, and redemption, and emphasizes the power of the imagination.
- Classical Literature — Paradise Lost is a classic work of literature that has been studied and analyzed for centuries, and is considered to be one of the greatest works of English literature.
Tags
Adam (Biblical figure) · Bible · Eve (Biblical figure) · Fall of man · Genesis · Historical Novel · History of Biblical events · Novel · Poetry · adam · air · bright