John Milton's Epic Poem, Paradise Lost is a narrative of a different kind of Old Testament story of Adam and Eve. A much more vengeful God and a much more sympathetic Satan take hold in these verses and as Puritan as Milton was...this poem surely was not Puritan.
Funny fact about Paradise Lost: for those of you who know me, you will know that my edition of Paradise Lost keeps going missing. It's not wordplay - it actually happens.
Character:
My favourite character from this entire poem was most probably Satan. Seeing as Milton intended to make Satan more 'sympathetic' and 'likeable' - I do see that happening. Satan is less vengeful than God in some aspects of the poem and there is a serious question of right and wrong.
Themes:
Of course, the theme of morality is one of the best and better developed themes of the poem. Personally, I love finding the little morality teachings that are dotted in and around the narrative of Genesis Version 2. Especially when we look at Genesis 3-4 AND Paradise Lost when we see the Fall of Man. There are many things to take away in terms of right and wrong - and we can now see that Milton is a Puritan.
Storyline:
Well, we know that Paradise Lost copies Genesis in a way. But it also adds some stuff that we don't see. Such as: the representation of the snake as the cunning Satan is not and idea that comes from the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible does it state that the snake represents Satan - this is an idea conjured by Milton's work. The fact that we constantly get them confused just adds to the resonating genius of this poem.
(In no way am I affiliated with using Paradise Lost for religious purposes. I am not saying that the Bible is like the poem or vice versa - both are individual texts serving different purposes. I apologise for any offence I may have caused).
Verdict:
I give this book 9/9
100% for characters: The characters of God and Satan are so well constructed that we almost get a three dimensional view of them, just like we do in Genesis. (See: small-print).
100% for themes: The themes in Paradise Lost are not only well developed, but also serve to be a vital part of the narrative in double purpose. I believe that this poem would not be very much without its themes.
100% for storyline: The narrative mirrors the first Biblical story of the Pentateuch and infers that there is more to tell, in more detail about Adam and Eve's wrong doings. The morality lessons that dot the poem throughout are also a good reminder of how it resonates the biblical text. (See: small-print).
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