Paradise lost Book 9 simplified explanation

Paradise lost Book 9 simplified explanation

         An epic poem is a lengthy narrative poem involving a time beyond living memory in which occurred extraordinary doings of extraordinary men, dealing with Gods or other superhuman forces

10 characteristics

1.  Begins in media res

2.  Setting is vast covering nations and universe

3.  Invocation to Muse

4.  Begins with statement of theme

5.  Includes use of epithets

6.  Epic catalogue

7.  Long and formal speeches

8.  Divine intervention in human affairs

9.  features heroes that embody the value of civilization

10.               Often features hero’s tragic descent into the underworld.

Hero

Participates in cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries and returns home transformed by his journey. Hero performs deeds and exemplifies morals.

Epic conventions

1.  Proposition: Stating theme or cause of the epic. “Justify the ways of God to men”

2.  Invocation: poet invokes a muse (one of the nine daughters of Zeus)

3.  In Media res: in the middle of things

4.  Enumeratio: Catalogues and genealogies are given

5.  Epithet: repetition f stock phrases

Short summary of Book 9

         Milton places his epic within the tradition of tragedy; it involves the fall of great mean through some special flaw. Milton reaffirms has ability and speaks with Christian humility mentioning hi old age and asking the holy spirit to finish the poem through him

ADAM AND EVE’S DISOBEDIENCE AND THE FALL OF MAN

·      Milton asks Muse to keep him from being distracted by vain descriptions of long and tedious havoc (as Homer and Virgil) did in their epics. The scene turns to Satan, who has been hiding in the dark side of the Earth for 7 days after being banished by Gabriel. On the 8^th day Satan returns to Eden disguised as a mist following the Tigris river and rising up in the fountain next to the tree of life

SATAN’S PLAN

·      Satan studies all the creatures of Eden and finally settles on snake for its wit and native subtlety. Before continuing with his plan Satan hesitates grieving what might have been. He decides that the Earth was more beautiful than heaven

·      Adam and Eve’s happiness causes him grater anguish

·      Satan reaffirms his purpose to bring evil out of God’s creation

·      Satan laments how far he has fallen from the position of Archangel to the mazy folds and bestial slime f the serpent. He poses like a sleeping snake which is curled up upon itself like a labyrinth

EVE ‘S IDEA OF WORKING SEPARATELY

·      The next morning Adam and Eve wake up and do their usual praise to God. Eve proposes that she and Adam work separately to get more work done. Adam does not approve of the idea, he worries that the two might be more susceptible to Stan if they are separated. And in times of danger a woman’s place is with her husband.

·      Eve responds that she has overheard Raphael’s warning. Adam tries to dissuade her because he is wiser than her. Eve says they will have “double honour” if they defend themselves alone angst Satan. Adam reminds her of her free will. Eve replies that the proud Satan will seek Adam first. She parts Adam asks her to be back by noon. Milton comments that they will never have sweet repast in paradise again.

SATAN CONVINCING EVE

·      Satan is delighted t find her alone. Satan is momentarily stunned by her beauty but he is reminded of his hatred. Satan coils himself and seems to stand upright in a “surging maze” lifting his head  to get Eve’s attention

·      Serpent calls Eve “goddess among Gods” she is amazed that serpent could talk, Satan explains that he found a tree with beautiful apples and at the fruit and he go the ability to talk and expanded intellect , he is able to perceive heavenly and earthly knowledge

·      Eve asks him where the tree grows. Satan offers to show her. Eve sees the tree of  knowledge and says she has been forbidden by God from eating the fruit. Stan asks about the commandment, Eve reaffirms that she and Adam can eat any fruit except that of tree of knowledge

·      Satan says that the Tree of knowledge has revealed to him that god actually wants Even an Adam to disobey him as this will prove her independence and dauntless virtue in braving death. Satan says that he himself has proved that the fruit does not bring death. He persuades Eve telling that God will not punish for such small thing

·      Satan says that God has forbidden the fruit to keep Adam and Eve “low and ignorant instead of assuming their proper places as Gods” if servant can achieve speech, then Eve will surely become a goddess. Satan suggest that there is no sin in desiring virtue and knowledge

EVE EATING THE FRUIT FROM THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

·      Eve looks at the fruit which seems perfect and delicious. She thinks that the fruit might be very powerful since the God has forbidden it. It seems very wrong that such magical fruit is denied to humans if beasts can have it. In the evil hour, she takes a bite, “Earth felt the wound and ll was lost”

·      Eve praises the tree of knowledge and thiks if she should let Adam eat it. Then resolves to give him. If she dies, he would be wedded to another Eve

ADAM EATS THE FRUIT

·      Adam has been weaving a bouquet of flowers to give Eve. Adam sees the forbidden fruit in her hand and Eve explains that the serpent ate it and learnt to speak. She has eaten it an her eyes have been open. she is “growing up to Godhead” she wants Adam to try “equal joy as equal love”

·      Adam drops the garland, he stands there speechless and pale. He is horrified that Eve has succumbed to temptation. Adam’s sin is placing his love for Eve above his love for God.

·      Adam is curious and is attracted to Eve’s beauty; Eve is distracted by appearance and wanting to prove herself. Milton shows how these flaws lead to fully fledged sins

FALL OF MAN

·      NATURE GROANS AGAIN AND SKY WEEPS. Adam feels invigorated and godlike, he is filled with lust. They runoff to a shady bank to have sex and they sleep. After waking up they realized that instead of gaining knowledge of divine, they have gained knowledge of “good lost and evil got”

·      The two are suddenly aware off their nakedness an cover themselves with fig leaves

·      They stat o weep and emotions f sin com to them , they are filled with anger, hate mistrust suspicion and discord

MILTON’S MESSAGE

·      Knowledge is important but not all knowledge leads to good when it involves being disobedient and breaking order.

ANALYSIS

Milton’s 4^th invocation differs from the earlier ones. He doesnot invoke Urania

Christian epic with tragic core

Adam – “patience and heroic matryrdom”

Felix culpa- happy fault

Satan – “incarnate and brute/ That to the height f deity aspired”

Prilapsarian serpent “circular base of riing folds that towed/ Fold above fold, a surging maze”

Epic poem in blank verse

Ist verson 1667- 10 books-10,000 verse

2^nd version- 1674-12 books

Epics purpose is stated in Book 1

Charcters

1.  Satan

2.  Adam

3.  Eve

4.  Son of God

5.  God, the Father

6.  Raphael

7.  Michael

MOTIFS

·      Marriage

·      Idolatory

IMPORTANT QUOTATIONS

1.  "Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat, Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe That all was lost." ~ John Milton

2.  "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 loss of Eden, till one greater Man/Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,/Sing heavenly muse" ~ John Milton

3.  "Knowledge forbidden? Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord Envy them that? Can it be a sin to know? Can it be death?" ~ John Milton

4.  "Our state cannot be severed, we are one, One flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself." ~ John Milton

5.  "So glistered the dire Snake , and into fraud Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the Tree Of Prohibition, root of all our woe." ~ John Milton

6.  "Here we may reign secure; and in my choice

To reign is worth ambition, though in hell:

Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." ~ John Milton

7.  "The wife, where danger or dishonour lurks,

Safest and seemliest by her husband stays,

Who guards her, or with her the worst endures." ~ John Milton

8."Should God create another Eve, and I Another Rib afford, yet loss of thee Would never from my heart; no no, I feel The Link of Nature draw me: Flesh of Flesh, Bone of my Bone thou art, and from thy State Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe." ~ John Milton

9."Revenge, at first though sweet, Bitter ere long back on itself recoils." ~ John Milton

10."All is not lost, the unconquerable will, and study of revenge, immortal hate, and the courage never to submit or yield." ~ John Milton

11. "O fairest of creation, last and best Of all God's works, creature in whom excelled Whatever can to sight or thought be formed, Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet! How art thou lost, how on a sudden lost, Defaced, deflow'red, and now to death devote? Paradise Lost" ~ John Milton

Sonnet 19: On my Blindness/ When I consider how my light is spent BY JOHN MILTON

Sonnet 19: On my Blindness/

When I consider how my light is spent

BY John milton

When I consider how my light is spent,

   Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,

   And that one Talent which is death to hide

   Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent

To serve therewith my Maker, and present

   My true account, lest he returning chide;

   “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”

   I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent

That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need

   Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best

   Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state

Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed

   And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:

   They also serve who only stand and wait.”

 

Sonnet 19/ On his Blindness/ “When I consider how my light is spent”

·      Best known sonnet by John Milton

·      “ they also serve who only stand and wait”

·      published in Milton’s 1673 poems

·      Petrarchan form- ABBA ABBA CDE CDE

·      LIGHT ( Metaphor/ conceit) refers to

i)    Speaker’s life span

ii)  Sight

iii)         Intellectual illumination

·      Autobiographical sonnet- meditates on his loss of sight

·      Concerns the universal desire to discover and develop one’s talents

·      The poet suggests that each of us is given one or several talents which one is obliged to identify utilize and develop throughout our lives or else experience disappointment failure or frustration

·      Some people simply need to serve him by waiting

·      It is acceptable to wait for divine inspiration

Ø The poet explores his experience with blindness and religious faith

Ø Usually Petrarchan sonnets focus on love and romance but Milton subverts this in order to explore his relationship with God

Ø Milton fears that his blindness will prevent him from doing God’s wok

SUMMARY

v Milton opens the sonnet with “when” a subordinat clause that introduces the main idea

v The speaker feels that his light is spent in seveal senses of the word light

v Milton refers to “one talent” which is writing . Milton fears that he too will be condemned for failing to use his talent

v The 3^rd line refers the Biblical parable of the talents (Mathew 25: 14-30) which speaks of bad servant neglects his master’s talent instead of using it, is cast into darkness. The line denotes Milton’s talent as a writer

v 4-6: the poet feels that he is useless now that he is losing his eyesight. It is frustrating to want to serve God with his writing but he feels sad to feel that his talent will be wasted as he becomes blind

v 7-8: Milton uses grumbling tone to show his attitude as foolish. He asks if God wants just day work or smaller lesser tasks since Milton’s blindness denies him his light

v 9-10: “bear his mild yoke” refers to people who are most obedient to God’s will. The image of Yoke is also Biblical. A yoke was a kind of harness put on oxen but in Mathew 11: 29-30 it is an image for God’s will

v “His state is kingly” At God’s bidding thousands of people and by angelic messengers work all rough the world all the time. This line implies a sort of constant worldwide motion of service to God’s commands

v There is more than one way of serving God and patience tells the poet that even his waiting / apparent inaction caused by blindness is a kind of service

BIBLCAL IMAGES

LIGHT

     Gospel of John(John 9: 1-7)- Jesus miraculously cures a beggar’s blindness

WORK

     “I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work”

DUTY

     The parable of the talents from the Gospel f Mathew

Volta takes place in line 9- where patience replies to the poet’s queries

     Milton is known as one of the very greatest and most influential English poets ranking with Chaucer ad Shakespeare. He wrote poetry and prose. His most influential work is Paradise Lost. Lord Macauley in Critical Historical and Miscellaneous Essays “ traces of peculiar characters of Milton may be found in all is work but t is most strongly displayed in the sonnets.

QUESTIONS

1)  How does Milton hope to serve God?

2)  What is the central idea of the poem

3)  What does “they also serve who only stand and wait” mean?

4)  Why does the poet call the talent useless in the sonnet?

5)  What is the cause of Milton’s lament in his sonnet?

6)  Explain day-labour, mild yoke and stand and wait

7)  How does the poet justify the ways of God too men in the sonnet?

8)  What moral does the sonnet convey?

9)  What is the murmur that patience prevents Milton from making in the poem?

10)      Who gave the poem the title “On his Blindness”?

Answer: Thomas Newton, an eighteenth century cleric