Paradise Lost Evening ClassesParadise Lost Evening Classes

Paradise Lost Evening ClassesParadise Lost Evening Classes

1. Paradise Lost B y John Milton 1667 Poetry

2. John Milton (1608 –1674) was an English poet with religious beliefs emphasizing central Puritanical views. He served as a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious flu ق and political upheaval as he expressed his despair over the failure of the Puritan Revolution against the English Catholic Church. Milton considered himself a radical Protestant Christian and supported Oliver John Milton John Milton was the representative of the puritans literature. He spent most of his life studying Latin and other languages. He wrote many pamphlets defending the ideas of puritans (religious, dogmatic, zealous people). Since he spent many years of his life studying and because of his work for Cromwell his eyesight began to weaken, at the age of 44 he went completely blind but that didn't prevent him from writing it was only an inspiration to write more. After becoming blind he wrote his famous masterpiece, one of the classics of English literature "Paradise Lost ", he used to recite it and one of his daughters would write for him.

3. Paradise Los t Paradise Lost It was first published in 10 books (10-11 thousand lines) 1667. The second version was in 12 books 1674. Genre : the poem is an epic. The epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject told in highly elevated and formal style centered on a heroic figure on whose action depends the fate of a tribe, nation, or the human race. General meaning: The poem is a literary epic in blank verse about the biblical story of the Fall of Man, Man's first act of disobedienceusell, the temptation elelof Adam and Eve and the expulsion-a of Satan from the Garden of Eden. Intention: to justify the ways of God to Man and to tell the story of their fall. Line 26 "justify the ways of God to Man."

4. Paradise Lost: Book 1 (1674 version) BY JOHN MILTON BOOK THE ARGUMENT This first Book proposes, first in brief, the whole Subject, Mans disobedience, and the loss thereupon of Paradise wherein he was plac't: Then touches the prime cause of his fall, the Serpent, or rather Satan in the Serpent; who revolting from God, and drawing to his side many Legions of Angels, was by the command of God driven out of Heaven with all his Crew into the great Deep. Which action past over, the Poem hasts into the midst of things, presenting Satan with his Angels now fallen into Hell, describ'd here, not in the Center (for Heaven and Earth may be suppos'd as yet not made, certainly not yet accurst) but in a place of utter darkness, fitliest call'd Chaos: Here Satan with his Angels lying on the burning Lake, thunder-struck and astonisht, after a certain space recovers, as from confusion, calls up him who next in Order and Dignity lay by him; they confer of thir miserable fall. Satan awakens all his Legions, who lay till then in the same manner confounded; They rise, thir Numbers, array of Battel, thir chief Leaders nam'd, according to the Idols known afterwards in Canaan and the Countries adjoyning.

5. To these Satan directs his Speech, comforts them with hope yet of regaining Heaven, but tells them lastly of a new World and new kind of Creature to be created, according to an ancient Prophesie or report in Heaven; for that Angels were long before this visible Creation, was the opinion of many ancient Fathers. To find out the truth of this Prophesie, and what to determin thereon he refers to a full Councel. What his Associates thence attempt. Pandemonium the Palace of Satan rises, suddenly built out of the Deep: The infernal Peers there sit in Councel We are going to take 1-26 the prologue and invitation 1 OF Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit 2 Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste 3 Brought Death into the World, and all our woe, 4 With loss of Eden, till one greater Man 5 Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat, 6 Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret top

6. 7 Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire 8 That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed, 9 In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earth 10 Rose out of Chaos: or if Sion Hill 11 Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook that flow'd 12 Fast by the Oracle of God; I thence 13 Invoke thy aid to my adventrous Song, 14 That with no middle flight intends to soar 15 Above th' Aonian Mount, while it pursues 16Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime. 17 And chiefly Thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer 18 Before all Temples th' upright heart and pure, 19 Instruct me, for Thou know'st; Thou from the first 20 Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread 21 Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss 22 And mad'st it pregnant: What in me is dark 23 Illumin, what is low raise and support; 24 That to the highth of this great Argument 25 I may assert Eternal Providence, 26 And justifie the wayes of God to men.

7. Lines 1-5: 1 OF Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit 2 Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste 3 Brought Death into the World, and all our woe, 4 With loss of Eden, till one greater Man 5 Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat, The poem opens with an invocation, the poet calls upon his muse asking it to sing about man’s first disobedience and the fruit of the forbidden tree whose fatal taste brought death into the world and caused mankind’s woe and the loss of Eden, until Christ restored us, and regained Heaven, Milton opens Paradise Lost by declaring his poem’s subject: humankind’s first act of disobedience toward God, and the consequences that followed from it. The act of disobedience is Adam and Eve’s eating of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, as told in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Summary

8. In the first line, Milton refers to the outcome of Adam and Eve’s sin as the “fruit” of the forbidden tree, punning on the actual apple and the figurative fruits of their actions. Milton asserts that this original sin brought death to human beings for the first time, causing humanity to lose its home in paradise until Jesus, the Messiah, comes to restore humankind to its former position in paradise Q/ What does the word "fruit" mean ? Ans/ Pun :1- it may be the apple 2- it may be the consequences and the results of the act of disobedience Line 2-3 Woe > suffering Q/ What is the fruit (result) of the first act of disobedience ? Ans/ death, suffering, loss of heaven. Line 4-5 Q/ Who is the "Man"? Ans/ It is Jesus Christ , who will once again restore our place in heaven.

9. Lines 6-11: 6 Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret top 7 Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire 8 That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed 9 In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earth 10 Rose out of Chaos: or if Sion Hill 11 Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook that flow'd O Divine Muse, sing, that on Mount Sinai inspired the shepherd Moses, who first taught the Jews in the beginning how the heavens and earth came out of Chaos, or, if Mount Zion appeals more to you, and the spring near the Temple where Christ cured a blind man. Milton’s speaker invokes the muse to sing about these subjects through him, but he makes it clear that he refers to a different muse from the muses who traditionally inspired classical poets by specifying that his muse is a heavenly muse who inspired Moses to speak to the Israelites and inspired him on the top of mount Oreb to receive the Ten Commandments and write Genesis.

10. Line 10 Sion hill : it is a hill and on it was the temple of king Solomon. Q/ Is the muse that he calls upon from Greek mythology ? Ans/ No, it's a heavenly muse not classical. Q/ Which muse ? Ans/ It is the same muse of the secret top of mount Oreb. Oreb : it's a mountain where God spoke to Moses. Sinai : the highest peak on that mountain (Oreb). Line 7-8 The shepherd (Moses) : he is the prophet of the Jews. Q/ Who are the chosen seed? Ans/ the Jews. Q\Which muse did Milton invoke ? Milton invoked the same heavenly muse that inspired Moses on mount Oreb to receive the 10 commandments and write the genesis(first book of the bible) and teach the Jews... Q/ Why does Milton invoke a muse ? Ans/ 1- To follow the conventional and traditions of Greek epic 2- Milton was blind, he needed the help of muse to help him write 3- he invoked a muse to inform him about the creation of the

11. Lines 16_13 13 Invoke thy aid to my adventurous Song, 14 That with no middle flight intends to soar 15 Above th' Aonian Mount, while it pursues 16Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime Mount Aonaim: mount Helicon The poet asks for the muse’s aid to his epic poem, that intends to soar over the Helicon, the home of the classical muses and surpass Homer and Virgil in my attempt to do things as of yet not done in prose or rhyme.” Milton invokes his muse asking to help him with his adventurous song. Milton considers writing his poem an adventure. Milton’s muse is the Holy Spirit, which inspired the Christian Bible, not one of the nine classical muses who reside on Mount Helicon—the “Aonian mount”. He says that his poem, like his muse, will fly above those of the Classical poets and accomplish things never attempted before, because his source of inspiration is greater than theirs. Milton uses Biblical mountains and streams to replace the favorite resorts of the classical Muses.

12. Lines 20_17 Then he invokes the Holy Spirit, who prefers above all temples the righteous and pure heart, asking it to fill him with knowledge of the beginning of the world, because the Holy Spirit was present l spreading its wings, and was the active force in creating the universe. 17 And chiefly Thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer 18 Before all Temples th' upright heart and pure, 19 Instruct me, for Thou know'st; Thou from the first 20 Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread

13. The Holy Spirit appeared as a dove, a divine bird-like creature, both powerful and gentle, moving on the faces of waters and which made chaos pregnant. Milton invites us to imagine the Holy Spirit copulating with the unformed matter of Chaos ("the vast Abyss"). In Milton's monism, distinctions between spirit and matter are not absolute. He associates his Muse with the Holy Spirit, which is part of the Trinity. He asks that his perception be corrected from what is wrong so as to best explain God to mankind. He asks for this divine inspiration to illumine him and show him the right path and support him in his argument so that he might “assert Eternal Providence, / And justify the ways of God to men.” 21 Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss 22 And mad'st it pregnant: What in me is dark 23 Illumin, what is low raise and support; 24 That to the highth of this great Argument 25 I may assert Eternal Providence, 26 And justify the ways of God to men. Lines 26_21

14. Line 21 Here we have a metaphor : Here the speaker compares the holy spirit to a dove out spreading her wings , sitting on the vast abyss. Abyss >> faces of water it's written in the genesis that the holy spirit moves upon the faces of water permitting life to it. " Dark " why ? because the poet is blind Line 23-24 Illuminate : enlighten and support me with knowledge, this knowledge concerns our main argument which is disobedience. Line 26 *the intention of the poet :

15. Theme In Book 1 of Paradise Lost, Milton reveals the central theme of the work: to justify the ways of God to man. Justifyhere means to explain and defend, and ultimately to vindicate, God's course of action in dealingwith Adam and Eve after they succumbed to the temptation of Satan and ate forbidden fruit.

16. علي منتظر علي غسان حسين نايف اسيل شاهميراد نورين صبري جبر ضحى تحسين مجيد هند مهند محمد صالح غسق اسهيل غدير ناجي حنان صادق اسراء طالب SUBMITTED BY: أ.م.د .أمل ناصر افراك Supervised by ENGLISH POETRY