Hell In John Miltons Paradise Lost Hell - 1034 Words

John Milton’s Paradise Lost: Hell Term Paper Hell has a very long history; it comes up even before Christianity where the idea of hell has been mentioned across many different cultures. Over the period of many centuries, the concept of hell has changed and developed. To further understand John Milton’s description of hell in his poem â€Å"Paradise Lost† it would be a good idea to look at what the standard notion of hell in Europe before or during the 17th century. When looking back at the middle ages in Europe, hell was thought to be at the very center of the earth, was a place that could be found and located, and the inhabitants of hell were believed to be sinners from their life on earth. As the Middle Ages came to a close and as the†¦show more content†¦The fall, is a reoccurring theme within â€Å"Paradise Lost,† for many reasons because it takes place in a physical dimension as well as falling in the moral sense. â€Å"Now the fall refers to the first human transgression of divine command † (Danielson, p. 147). What is hell? Two standard features are associated with hell one is fire and the other is darkness. When reading this back, it sounds quite funny because usually when you think of fire, you associated with light. However, the impressions that are given show quite the opposite: â€Å"on all sides round/ as one great furnace flamed, yet those flames/ no light, but rather darkness visible† (Milton 63). The phrase â€Å"darkness visible† seems to be an oxymoron but is also meaningful to the poem because it is supposed to compare to heavens blinding lights to hells darkness that is so evil is so pure that is visible. When looking at Hells environment, there’re many similarities between Hell and earth. In hell, there still mountains rivers hills and planes but instead of rivers full of cold water and mountains full of trees and wildlife in hell the lakes and rivers are described as having no water but being of liquid fire instead. Inst ead of plains with rolling wheat fields, in hell, they are lands that have been burned and are desolate and wild. Hell does not only just show the Extreme of fire, but it also shows the opposite as well, the cold. The function that cold has was in thisShow MoreRelatedEvil in Disguise in John Milton ´s Paradise Lost793 Words   |  4 Pagesto become fallen angels as God expelled the traitors from the heavens. John Milton wished to write a poem by which he could be remembered as the authors of the odyssey, Iliad, and the Aeneid. He did this in the form an epic poem about the story of Eden. Milton’s poem is written from the point of view of Satan and in such a way that he appears to be the heroic figure of the tale. Satan is given lines to uplift the demons of hell, seeming to empower them and as he sets off to derail the lives of AdamRead MoreIs Satan A Hero Or Villain?1258 Words   |  6 PagesIs Satan a Hero or a Villain? An Analysis of Milton’s Paradise Lost The heroic qualities of Satan in John Milton’s Paradise Lost are overwhelmingly masked by his ‘satanic’ and villainous acts which qualify his character to fall into a category of villain rather than hero. Paradise Lost is an epic poem and like all epic poems, requires an epic hero with a tragic flaw. 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John Milton’s Paradise Lost is an epic possibly createdRead MoreThe Power And Lure Of Satan1365 Words   |  6 Pagesbible, no other author has thoroughly written thoughts which have resounded in the minds of those that have read John Milton’s â€Å"Paradise Lost†. Milton’s epic tale of Paradise Lost has become biblical folklore and even Christians who have not fully read the Bible rely upon the representations and indulgences that Milton presented through his embellishments of fact. Milton’s paradise lost is considered by critics to be one of the greatest literary cannons of all time and is undoubtedly a source ofRead MoreJohn Milton : A Strong Advocate Of Political Liberty Essay1659 Words   |  7 Pagespolitical liberty, John Milton was a poet during the Renaissance (Puchner 2742). He was born on December 9, 1608 in London to a middle class family. His parents were John Milton, Sr., a professional composer, and his mother, Sara Jeffery. Milton had numerous siblings. He was only survived by three of them; however, some of them died at young ages. During Milton’s writing years, he wrote many pamphlets based on political, religious, populism, and educational topics. However, Milton’s m ain focus, thoughRead More Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and John Miltons Paradise Lost Essay1685 Words   |  7 Pagesand John Miltons Paradise Lost â€Å"Forth reaching to the Fruit, She pluck’d, she eat:/ Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat/ Sighing through all her Works gave signs of woe,/ That all was lost [†¦]† (PL 8. 781-784) In the gothic novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley weaves an intricate web of allusions through her characters’ expedient desires for knowledge. Both the actions of Frankenstein, as well as his monster allude to John Milton’s Paradise Lost. BookRead MoreSatan Is Evil Or Evil?1330 Words   |  6 Pagesvery different beliefs. Throughout literature, Satan has been represented as the evillest entity to ever have existed, but Satan is not truly as evil as he is portrayed because he is more of an anti-hero or Byronic Hero in texts such as John Milton’s Paradise Lost as well as other academic scholars arguments, rather than being a complete antagonist. According to the Christian’s perspective of the Bible, before Adam and Eve, God made the angels. The most beautiful angel God made was named LuciferRead MoreThe story of Paradise Lost by John Milton details disobedience and the fall of mankind from God’s900 Words   |  4 PagesThe story of Paradise Lost by John Milton details disobedience and the fall of mankind from God’s grace. God preordained all that was and all that will be following his creation. The poems major themes are the obedience to God, the nature of the universe and ultimately the fall of mankind. These themes will be further explained thru Milton’s explanation of light and darkness. Milton’s conversations between Satan, Beelzebub, Adam and Eve illustrate the difference between their conflicting views on