Paradise Lost: A Poem, in Twelve Books, Volume 1J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper; and for S. Birt, C. Hitch, J. Hodges [and seven others in London], 1750 |
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Which action pass'd over , the poem haftes into the midst of things , prefenting Satan with his Angels now fallen into Hell , defcrib'd here , not in the center ( for Heaven and Earth may be fuppos'd as yet not made , certainly not yet ...
And the mention of Heaven and Hell is very proper in this place , as the fcene of fo great a part of the poem is laid fometimes in Hell , and fometimes in Heaven . 32. For one refraint , ] For one thing that was reftain'd , every thing ...
... Such place eternal Justice had prepar'd For those rebellious , here their pris'on ordain'd In utter darkness , and their portion fet As far remov'd from God and light of Heaven , As from the center thrice to th ' utmost pole . 72.
1 8 Who now triumphs , and in th ' excefs of joy Sole reigning holds the tyranny of Heaven .. So fpake th ' apoftate Angel , though in pain , Vaunting aloud , but rack'd with deep despair : 3 Xx 120 3 1.j : 125 And fuccefsfully ...
... they would never own his fuperiority ; they would rather afcribe their defeat to the whole hoft of Heaven than to him alone ; or if they did indeed imagin their purfuers to be fo many in number , their fears multiplied them , and it ...
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Chronicles the rise and fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. Begins with the crowning of the Son of God, moves to Lucifer's rebellion and fall, the beginning of the Earth, the birth of Adam and Eve, and how they fell prey to Satan's fraud.
Written in 10 syllable per line prose, which must have been very difficult. Milton was blind, which makes the accomplishment even more amazing. Parts of the book were wonderfully written (the battles with Satan, Eden, the creation of the Earth, the coming events as Adam and Eve are escorted from Eden by Archangel Michael), but others are difficult with many references to Greek characters. I'm sure Milton was brilliant, but those parts don't add much for me and make it seem as though he's being pretentious. I also disliked the way all the characters addressed each other: "Lo, great angel from Heaven, graceful and true of spirit." The pictures of the story in the book, while they received vast praise in the preface, were forgettable.
Still, I can't get away from the amazing work that Milton put here. My only real compliant was the blatant sexism that Adam had for Eve, assuming she was always inferior to him. That is no longer the way of the world, and I doubt Adam would have treated Eve thusly. Sin, Death. Satan, Michael and Raphael were my favorite characters, all providing memorable lines.