Paradise Lost"Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven." It's the classic temptation - power. And these are the words John Milton puts on the forked tongue of the serpent when it speaks to Adam and Eve. We know how it ends - an apple, nakedness and banishment. But in 'Paradise Lost', Milton turns a few Bible verses into a true epic. In 10,000 lines of beautiful but dark verse, he tells the parallel stories of Satan and of Adam and Eve. With greed, temptation, lust, sex, deception, shame and much more, it is a classic whose themes are as relevant and alluring today as ever before. John Milton (1608-1674) was almost 60 when he produced his masterpiece, 'Paradise Lost'. He was an English poet who served as a civil servant under Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century. Before this, he was considered a dangerous radical as he published rebellious pamphlets during the reign of Charles I. A famed republican, his work 'Areopagitica' was a scorching condemnation of pre-publication censorship. The Restoration of Charles II saw Milton marginalised from 1660. He died blind and impoverished. |
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... King, And put to proof his high supremacy, Whether upheld by strength, or chance, or fate, Too well I see and rue the dire event That, with sad overthrow and foul defeat, Hath lost us Heaven, and all this mighty host In horrible ...
... King, And put to proof his high supremacy, Whether upheld by strength, or chance, or fate, Too well I see and rue the dire event That, with sad overthrow and foul defeat, Hath lost us Heaven, and all this mighty host In horrible ...
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... king, besmeared with blood Of human sacrifice, and parents' tears; Though, for the noise of drums and timbrels loud, Their children's cries unheard that passed through fire To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite Worshiped in Rabba and her ...
... king, besmeared with blood Of human sacrifice, and parents' tears; Though, for the noise of drums and timbrels loud, Their children's cries unheard that passed through fire To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite Worshiped in Rabba and her ...
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... king whose heart, though large, Beguiled by fair idolatresses, fell To idols foul. Thammuz came next behind, Whose annual wound in Lebanon allured The Syrian damsels to lament his fate In amorous ditties all a summer's day, While smooth ...
... king whose heart, though large, Beguiled by fair idolatresses, fell To idols foul. Thammuz came next behind, Whose annual wound in Lebanon allured The Syrian damsels to lament his fate In amorous ditties all a summer's day, While smooth ...
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... king—Ahaz, his sottish conqueror, whom he drew God's altar to disparage and displace For one of Syrian mode, whereon to burn His odious offerings, and adore the gods Whom he had vanquished. After these appeared A crew who, under names ...
... king—Ahaz, his sottish conqueror, whom he drew God's altar to disparage and displace For one of Syrian mode, whereon to burn His odious offerings, and adore the gods Whom he had vanquished. After these appeared A crew who, under names ...
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... kings, Learn how their greatest monuments of fame And strength, and art, are easily outdone By Spirits reprobate, and in an hour What in an age they, with incessant toil And hands innumerable, scarce perform. Nigh on the plain, in many ...
... kings, Learn how their greatest monuments of fame And strength, and art, are easily outdone By Spirits reprobate, and in an hour What in an age they, with incessant toil And hands innumerable, scarce perform. Nigh on the plain, in many ...
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Common terms and phrases
Adam Angel appeared arms beast behold bliss bounds bright bring called cloud created creatures dark death deep delight divine dreadful dwell Earth equal eternal evil eyes fair faith fall Father fear fell field fire flowers force fruit glory Gods grace hand happy hast hath head heard heart Heaven heavenly Hell hill hope human King land leave less light live look lost Mean mind morn move Nature night once pain Paradise passed peace perhaps raised reason receive reign replied rest rise round Satan saying seat seemed shape side sight sons soon sound spake Spirits stand stars stood sweet taste thee thence things thou thoughts throne till tree turned voice wide winds wings wonder