Paradise Lost Essay

Paradise Lost is a poem by John Milton that is about the Fall of Man, how Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent who is Satan, and how God sent them out of the garden. Satan makes the angels turn against God leading to his expulsion out of paradise as well. God’s mercy, the son of God and the ultimate salvation and redemption are brought out in this epic poem. The poem is a series of arguments that were an expression of the characters in the poem. On further reading the poem, one understands that these poems are an expression of what Milton holds as the truth. He employs the use of analogies are digression to explain his belief with Satan considered a hero. Puritans were the extreme Protestants who were within the Church of England who held a strong belief that the Reformation did not make enough changes in the teachings and structure of the church. Puritans therefore found it upon themselves to purify their church by doing away with whatever they regarded as Catholic influence. They are extremely strict especially with regard to morality and religious matters. Puritans hold strong convictions regarding various aspects on the Biblical teachings. First, that personal salvation was from God alone. Secondly, that the Bible is the Bible was the true guide to life. Thirdly, that the way a church lives should be in accordance with what the scriptures say and finally that the society was unified as one. This paper will explain how the poem Paradise Lost is a reflection of John Milton’s Puritan beliefs. Milton discusses topics like the reality of evil, divine providence and the unification of the human race as one. As mentioned above, these are the strong convictions of Puritans. Paradise Lost is seen to be Milton’s expression of his Puritan belief which is mainly truth and purity despite the decadence of the society. In Book V, Abdiel, who was confronted by Satan refused to rebel against God and jealously guarded his faithfulness to God. The poem begins with a civil war in heaven. Here, Lucifer was exiled out of heaven after revolting against God. Together with Beelzebub, they form an alliance. This is a reflection of the civil war that happened in England with the puritans characterized as Lucifer and England as God. The Puritans had tried to take over England the same way Lucifer tried to overthrow God. Many Puritans were killed. Milton was excommunicated from the society just like Lucifer was sent away from heaven. Conclusion  Milton argues in his poem that just as God is not to blame for the fall of man, neither was Milton to take blame for the corruption and subsequent trials that were faced in England at the time of Oliver Cromwell. That the failure of Puritanism was as a result of the people not accepting God’s will in the ruler ship of England. The conclusion of the poem is based on Milton’s belief that absolute obedience to God will lead to order and sanity in the society and the world at large. According to John Milton, Paradise Lost is a parallel to the civil wars in England and the English Reformation that led to the emergence of the Puritans.