Paradise Lost
Author:
John
Milton
Publisher:
Penguin
Classics
American
release date: (reissue)
April 29, 2003
Format/Genre/Length:
Paperback/
Poetry/453 pages
Overall
Personal Rating: ★★★★★
A terrible battle has been waged, two
great forces arrayed against one another, both composed of angelic beings. But
the outcome is ordained, even before the first blow is struck. And the
vanquished are cast from Heaven—despite the fact that their number includes a
third of the heavenly host—to a new place, newly created by He who banished
them from His sight. A little place known as Hell.
The Fallen Angels lie dormant for seven
days, atop a burning lake, before they finally begin to come around. First to
recover is their leader, Lucifer himself. And from the moment he regains
consciousness, he is nothing but optimistic and determined.
The first order of business is... what
now? So Lucifer calls a counsel of those who were cast out with him and
presents what he sees as their options. One, they can stay where they are, and
accept Hell as their new home. “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.”
Secondly, they can crawl before God, ask
to be taken back into Heaven... and then what? Sing his hosannas for all of
eternity? And just exactly what will have changed? And why should they possibly
want to do that?
Or door number three... Lucifer’s
intelligence tells him that God has decided to replace those whom he has cast
aside, unhappy with what has occurred, and so he has decided to make a new
creature, one he can lord over and accept this new being’s songs and praises
and whatnots. And this creature will be known as man. And what God has wrought,
Lucifer can turn against him...
Paradise Lost is the story of
the fall of Lucifer and his followers, and what came after. Lucifer persuades
his followers that the third choice is the best, but of course, he cannot work
his wiles upon Adam and Eve from a distance, and they are locked in Hell. Being
Lucifer, he finds a way to flee his captivity. It doesn’t hurt that standing
guard at the gates of Hell are Sin (his daughter) and Death (his son/grandson).
From the moment he takes the stage,
Lucifer is the dominant character in this book, without a doubt. With his
take-charge, overcome everything attitude, he is the hero, despite any evidence
to the contrary. He persuades his followers to agree to his course of action, and
volunteers to be the one to go to Paradise and do what must be done, as no one
else seems to be too eager to accept the task. Lucifer, alone among them, knows
no fear, despite the fact that his path will be most perilous, even after he
manages to exit Hell.
Why did Lucifer choose to defy God?
Overweening pride? Hubris? Was it because he believed himself to be God’s
equal? Or was it a case of “sibling rivalry”, when God placed his son, Jesus,
at His side, as His right hand man, and instructed that everyone was to obey
Jesus as they would Him, paving the way for him to inherit everything?
Lucifer had to know, going in, that
everything was stacked against him, and yet he stood firm and he did it. That
shows a great deal of faith in himself, a strong will, and a fierce
determination. On the other hand, God knew everything beforehand, including the
outcome. And He allowed it to happen. What sort of Supreme Being does that? Certainly
not a loving one.
As Lucifer makes his way to Paradise, we
join Adam and Eve. Their story is, to me, less interesting, because they are
depicted as less interesting people. Adam is downright boring and Eve is too
caught up in being in his shadow and can’t seem to think for herself. The
couple receives visits from God and from some of the angels. They tend their
fruit. And they have sex. And Adam names animals. When Raphael visits Adam with
news of the Rebellion, he describes it to him, at Adam’s behest, in agonizingly
longwinded detail. Some of the details he relates should not even be known to
him, but even so, it is excruciatingly long and I felt like he’d never stop
talking. And then, just as he winds up his tale, Adam hasto go and ask for
more! I wanted to slap him! Then follows Adam’s own boring story. All told, this part of the book was of less
interest to me, despite being as well written as the other. But compared to
Lucifer’s story, all else pales in comparison.
And then, of course, comes the
temptation, as Lucifer enters into the serpent and beguiles Eve into eating the
tree of forbidden fruit. So, what was the point of putting that tree there to
begin with? If it was off limits, why place is there? To test them? He had to
know they were going to fail. And yet He permitted it. So it can be argued that God is as much the
architect of Man’s fate as Man is.
I loved this book from the beginning,
loved the language that Milton used. And I loved this Penguin edition for being
annotated, the notes serving to enhance the reading. It is beautifully written,
and I’m the first to admit that I’m not big on reading poetry, but I loved it.
There is strength and beauty in Milton’s words, and he brings the story alive. My
only complaint, other than being bored by Adam and Raphael, is that Lucifer’s
end in the story is almost an afterthought, and weakly written.
From the get-go, Lucifer makes no apology
for being the way he is, and shows no intention of changing. “...but of this be
sure, To do aught good will never be our task, But ever to do ill our sole
delight, as being the contrary to his high will, Whom we resist.”
He has a silver tongue and after allowing
the others to have their say, he uses his words to convince them that his way
is the best. Is there any doubt he would? That he would not suffer the judgment
of fools to hold sway?
I had so many questions while I read this
book, concerning God and Lucifer, and why each did what he did. Lucifer’s
motives are usually clearer than God’s. It often felt like a huge set-up, a
trap that mankind could not avoid, no matter what he did. There are those who
argued that Eve’s eating the apple was indicative of Free Will, that she and
then Adam, made their choices? But did they really? If God knew all along that
it would happen? Food for thought. You could debate the questions that arise
from this book for a long time to come.
I never studied this book in school, so
this was my first exposure to it, and I wasn’t forced to read it. I loved it, thoroughly
enjoyed reading it, and loved the insight it gave into familiar Bible tales.
Next stop—Paradise Regained!
