This document discusses the human and divine perspectives presented in Paradise Lost by John Milton compared to the biblical book of Genesis. It notes that Genesis tells the story of Adam and Eve's fall from a divine perspective, with God at the center, while Paradise Lost presents a more human-centric view. Milton seeks to justify God's ways to humanity by providing intentions and emotions to characters like Eve, Adam, and Satan driven by human qualities like knowledge, love, ambition, and spite. The document argues that Milton prioritizes the human perspective and experience over religious obedience to God.

1.  Name: Dabhi Vipul C
 Roll No: 47
 Enrollment No: 2069108420180009
 Topic: Human and Divine perspective in
Paradise Lost
 M. A. Sem-1
 Email Id: dabhivc04@gmail.com
 Batch: 2017-19
 Submitted To: Department of English MKBU

2.  Paradise Lost:
 An epic poem in blank verse by the 17th century English poet
John Milton(1608-1674).
 Poem concerns the biblical story of the fall of man, the
temptation of Adam & Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their
expulsion from the garden of Eden.
 Genesis:
 The first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian old
testament.
 Moses called Genesis in Greek its mean “coming into being”.
 The Jews called them “Torah”- “The law”.

3.  The humanistic perspective is an approach to
psychology that emphasizes empathy and
stresses the good in human behaviour.

4.  The major changes Renaissance and Reformation brought
in Socio-Cultural life of Europe was the paradigm shift
from God centric world to human centric one.
 In humanism decentered the God and replaced human, at
the center of the universe.
 In the Holy Bible and other scriptures were retold from
Human perspective.
 We will take bird’s eye view of Genesis from the Holy Bible
and book-9 from Paradise Lost. John Milton proposed
argument to justify the ways of God to Men.

5.  In Genesis the fall is narrated from God’s
perspective. God is the center of Bible. The
character of Adam & Eve are flat, lifeless and
mere puppet.
 The Satan-Serpent tempted Eve, Eve tempted
Adam & the fall happened, many questions
remain unanswered in the God’s justice.

6.  If Satan used Serpent’s body to harm Adam, Eve & Eden why should it be
punished instead of Satan.
 If Eve is to be punished for her “disobedience” why should her children
also be cursed:
“I will put enmity between your seed and her seed.” (God)
 To curse Eve to multiply her pain in childbearing is not fair way to
punish her.
 If Adam shares the guilt he is not fairly well judged and punished he
seems to be in God’s good book.
 The entire story of Genesis is quite obviously God centric, it is narrated
from Divine perspective it does not take care of Adam & Eve.

7.  Story is told from human perspective. It tries to
justify ways of God to man, Whereas in reality it
retells the story from human perspective.
 Eve is responsible for disobedience and thus fall
of man. She is presented with an intention to act.
 Eve’s intention to taste the fruit was to gain
‘knowledge’ to be equal to Adam to know good
and Evil as a God seems to know it all.

8.  Milton is a poet. So he stand in favour of human
rather than God.
 Milton redeems Eve by giving her intentions which are
quite noble and unproblematic.
 Act of Adam: Adam is also driven his human emotion.
 Adam’s love for Eve was genuinely selfless.
 After deep thinking he be on the side of Eve rather
than God. It is ‘love’ the human emotion which drives
him.

9.  Satan also driven by human emotion.
“This man of clay, son of despite, whom us the
more to spite, his maker raised from clust, spite
then with spite is best repaid.”
 So called deadly sins like ambition, envy revenge
spiteful are quite human which Satan represents.
 So Satan is also represent with human
perspective.

10.  The Paradise lost purpose justify the way of God to
man. Writer can’t be side of God at the cost of
humans. Virtues and vices are the raw material of
literature. Literature can’t exist if it does anything
sacrificing human emotion and feelings at altar of the
of religion or God. It is made by, made for and made
of human beings. Literature reflect as the rainbow of
perspective. The center of literature is human beings.
 So we can conclude that in the entire story of Genesis
God is in the center. In Milton’s Paradise Lost human
are in center. In today’s time also we see to service
human being that idea taking place.

11.  http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2014/09/huma
n-perspective-vs-divine-
perspective.html?m=1