This document provides context about John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. It discusses the epic form, including its typical requirements like invoking a muse and covering vast settings. It then summarizes Milton's biography, the English civil war during his time, and the purpose and characters of Paradise Lost, which retells the biblical story of Adam and Eve's exile from the Garden of Eden.

1. “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 the loss of Eden”
--Paradise Lost

2. Paradise Lost
by John Milton
An Epic

3. The Epic’s Form
Epic Poetry is a classic literary form. Homer recorded the first major epic
poems—The Iliad and The Odyssey. They have the following requirements…
•begin in medias res with an invocation to the muse;
•are long, narrative poems (The key is in the length!);
•are of epic proportions. Characters are usually immortal or royal.
•are vast in setting, covering nations and even the world.
•usually involve a hero;
•contain gods, demons, monsters, or supernatural creatures who intervene in
the tale;
•are written in verse, the most common being iambic pentameter, which does
not necessarily have to rhyme (blank verse).

4. John Milton’s Biography
•Born on December 9, 1609 in London, England
•Graduates cum laude from Cambridge University. Moved home after school and
spent six years writing and pursued his studies in Greek, Latin, and Italian. Later in
the 1630s he traveled to France and Italy, where he met a man named Galileo.
•When he returned home, he set up a school for his nephews and a few other
pupils. During this period, he did not write much. The British civil war silenced his
writing for almost 20 years.
•He was concerned with the Puritan cause. He wrote a series of pamphlets against
the Church of England, on the idea of divorce, and in defense of the liberty of the
press. After Charles I died, he published The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates
(1649), supporting the view that people had the right to depose and punish tyrants.
•Milton went blind in 1651. Some think that it was the loss of his sight that helped
him develop “verbal richness”
•Paradise Lost was published in 1667 (10 book form) and republished in1674 (12
book form).
•He died November 1674

5. Freaky Fact
“He was buried beside his father in the church
of St. Giles, Cripplegate. It has been claimed that
Milton’s grave was desecrated when the church was
undergoing repairs. All the teeth and ‘a large quantity
of hair’ were taken as souvenirs by the grave robbers”
(“John Milton”).

6. John Milton’s England
1642-1649 English Civil War
– King/Anglican Clergy vs.
Parliament (dominated by
Puritans)
– Protestant Reformation (death
of King Charles I)
– 1649-1660 No British King
• 1649-1653 Commonwealth
• 1653-1658 Oliver Cromwell
• 1660 Restoration of King
Charles II.

7. Purpose
• His purpose was to answer the question of why
men suffer and die.
• He also wanted to write an epic that was equal to
the greatness of Homer and Virgil.
• His events are drawn from the Bible, mostly
Genesis.
• He believes that good will eventually overcome evil.

8. Paradise Lost
• It is set apart from other epics because it deals with
deeds on a cosmic scale, rather than earthly matters
• As with most epics, it begins with the invocation of a
Muse (one of the 9 Greek goddesses who inspire poets
and others)
• It deals with the first act of disobedience; eating the fruit
from the forbidden tree.
• The result of their disobedience is banishment from the
Garden of Eden.
• Jesus Christ comes and restores the possibility of
Paradise to humanity.

9. Paradise Lost—Leading Up to the Beginning
• At the beginning of the poem, war in heaven has been over
for two weeks.
• For nine days, Satan and those who fought God alongside
him have been lying in Hell, stunned at the outcome.
• The first character to move is Satan, who begins by
speaking to Beelzebub.
• Satan begins to sort of rally his troops

10. The Characters
• Satan, the leader of the fallen angels (now known
as devils)
• Beelzebub, Satan’s closest friend/ally
• God, God the Father
• God, God the Son; also known as the Messiah,
Christ
• Adam, The first man, living in Paradise
• Eve, His wife, supposed to be under his control

11. Acknowledgements
• The image, Adam and Eve & the Serpent, 3rd
century fresco, came from Temptation of Adam &
Eve: Images.
• The image of John Milton came from The
Literature Network.
• Biographical Information is from Books and
Writers article, “John Milton.”
• This PowerPoint was adapted from Mr. Adam
Johnson’s PowerPoint whose source was John
Geraghty’s Digital Facsimile Project.
• Elements of Literature 6th course