1、,II OBJECTIVES:A) Introduction to John Milton and his works B) About Paradise LostC) Study of the text1. The main idea from Line 84 to Line 1242. Key pointsD) Discuss the image of Satan.E) Comment on John Miltons literary achievements, Paradise Lost and Satan.F) Assignment,I TOPIC: John Milton and P
2、aradise Lost （Excerpt）,John Milton,Topic 1Introduction to John Milton, Milton is one of the very few truly great English writers who is also a prominent figure in politics, and who is both a great poet and an important prose writer. The two most essential things to be remembered about him are his Pu
3、ritanism and his republicanism., Milton wrote many different types of poetry. He is especially a great master of blank verse. He learned much from Shakespeare and first used blank verse in non-dramatic works., Milton is a great stylist. He is famous for his grand style noted for its dignity and poli
4、sh, which is the result of his life-long classical and biblical study. Milton has always been admired for his sublimity of thought and majesty of expression., In his life, Milton shows himself a real revolutionary, a master poet and a great prose writer. He fought for freedom in all aspects as a Chr
5、istian humanist, while his achievements in literature make him tower over all the other English writers of his time and exert a great influence over later ones., Belinsky wrote: “The poetry of Milton is obviously the product of his age: he himself, without suspecting the fact, depicted in the person
6、 of his proud and somber Satan an apotheosis of rebellion against authority, though his intention had been quite different.”, John Miltons literary achievements can be divided into three groups: the early poetical works, the middle prose pamphlets and the last great poems.,Miltons viewpoints1. Milto
7、n is allied to the humanists in his passionate belief in free will, his zeal for knowledge, and his respect for truth. He was greatly influenced by classical Greek and Latin authors. He especially showed his humanism in the way he handled the scriptural materials. He believed they could be interpret
8、ed by individual judgment and treated them freely. Miltons God represents not only power and love, but also the rule of reason in the universe (the macrocosm) and in the soul of man (microcosm). His emphases on religion and virtue in the discipline of the moral judgment conformed to the chief end of
9、 Christian humanism.,2. Miltons humanism was crossed by a respect for the conscience acting in pursuing those things that it knew were right. He wished to “contribute to the progress of real and substantial liberty, which is to be sought for not from without, but from within”.,Miltons works：,1. Lyci
10、das（1637）Lycidas is Miltons first attempt to justify the ways of God to himself and to men. It was an elegy composed in honor of a fellow student of Miltons at Cambridge. The drowning of a virtuous and promising young man brought home the whole enigma of life and death, of the rightness of things in
11、 a world where such events could happen. Lycidas is considered by many to be one of the finest elegies in English.,2. Paradise Lost （1666, 1667）Paradise Lost, the greatest poem by Milton, is a long narrative epic divided into 12 books. The stories of the poem were drawn from the “Genesis” of the Bib
12、le and from various elaborators of the Bible.,3. Paradise Regained（1671）The companion epic of Paradise Lost, Paradise regained is a four-book “brief epic” composed also in blank verse. Based loosely on the Gospels, it shows Christ in the wilderness withstanding Satans temptations, thereby proving hi
13、s fitness for ultimate trial and, in his human role, showing what humankind might achieve through strong integrity and humble obedience to the divine will. It has all the fire of Miltons religious and moral passion and his reverence for true heroism.,4. Samson Agonistes（1671）Composed partly in blank
14、 verse and partly in unrhymed choric verse of varied line length, it depicts Samson, betrayed by Dalila（Delilah）and blinded by the Philistines, defeating his captors at the cost of his life. Milton employed the Old Testament story to inspire the defeated English Puritans with the courage to triumph
15、through sacrifice.,Special features of Miltons works：,1. Miltons style is distinguished by its rich and complex texture, the multiplicity of its classical （Biblical and mythological）reference, its wealth of ornament and decoration. 2. Miltons subjects are lofty and magnificent. The theme of Samson A
16、gonistesthe agony and the final triumph of the blinded Samsonis tragic and sublime. The conflict between Satan and God in Paradise Lost is one that is basic to all religious thought.,Topic 2 About Paradise Lost,Paradise Lost, the greatest poem by Milton, is a long narrative epic divided into 12 book
17、s. The stories of the poem were drawn from the “Genesis” of the Bible and from various elaborators of the Bible. The poem was a triumph of soaring imagination and far-ranging intellectual grasp in his most forceful and exalted style. The epic is composed in blank verse, which permits the narrative s
18、weep Milton needed for his subject.,The great epic, Paradise Lost, which resounds with the grandeur and multiplicity of the world, is also a poem, the central actions of which take place inwardly, at the core of mans conscience. Adams fate culminates in an act of passive suffering, not of active her
19、oism. He picks up the burden of worldly existence, and triumphs over his guilt by admitting it and repenting of it. Being an epic, Paradise Lost undertakes to encompass the whole life of mankindwar, love, hatred, religion, Heaven and Hell. It is a poem vastly capacious of worldly experience.,Theme,I
20、t is the tragedy of the fall of man, from which Christ redeems him.,The main plots of Paradise Lost,1. The creation of universe 2. The rebellion in Heaven of Satan and his fellow-angels. 3. Their defeat and expulsion from Heaven. 4. The creation of the earth and of Adam and Eve. 5. Satans temptation
21、 of Eve. 6. The departure of Adam and Eve from Eden.,The purpose of the epic,It is to justify the ways of God to man, i.e. preach submission to the Almighty. But, strangely enough, Milton was perpetually on the side of the rebels, though his intention had been quite different.,Stylistic features of
22、the epic,1. The epic is composed in blank verse, which permits the narrative sweep Milton needed for his subject. 2. The style is distinguished by its rich and complex texture, the multiplicity of its classical （Biblical and mythological）reference, its wealth of ornament and decoration.,3. Parallel
23、and contrastThere is “architecture” in the careful parallel and contrast of scene, and in the handle of material connected with the theme. The central conflict and contrast between good and evil are reflected and intensified in the contrasts between heaven and hell, light and darkness order and chao
24、s, love and hate, humility and pride, reason and passion. In the council in hell, Satan alone volunteers for the perilous journey to earth to bring about the Fall of Man; in the council in heaven, the Son alone volunteers to suffer on earth for mans salvation. Satan unlooses the destructive anarchy
25、of war; the Son creates the world. When God tries to bring good out of evil, Satans angels will pervert His ends and bring evil out of good. Eve and Adam reenact the sin and fall of Satan.,4. Miltons frequently Latinate syntax and diction may be this means of achieving the elevation required by a lo
26、fty theme. This means is intermixed with pure simplicity. His use of Latinate syntax or structure and his freedom in the placing of phrases and clauses greatly enlarge and enrich his range of emphasis and his use of economy, contrast, suspension, all the devices of forceful utterancedevices often re
27、ally colloquial.,5. Other functional elements of the grand style include historical and mythological allusions, the use of specific geographical names (which gives the poem enormous scope in space), periphrasis and epic similes.,Topic 3 Study of the text,1. The main idea from Line 84 to Line 124：Sat
28、an and other angels rebel against God, but they are defeated and driven from Heaven into Hell. Satan addresses to Beelzebub a speech of proud rebellion. God may have proved Himself the stronger, but Satan will not repent, nor will he cease to defy God. In spite of the great loss they have suffered,
29、Satans forces are still strong and still immortal. And their experience has made them wiser. The speech of his defiance of God manifests his egoistic pride, his false conception of freedom, and his alienation from all good.,2. Key points 1) “If thou best he”： “If you were he” . Here Satan is talking
30、 to Beelzebub, his chief follower in rebellion against God. “He” refers to Beelzebub before his fall from heaven. 2）“how changed/From him”： “Him” refers here to Beelzebub before his fall from heaven when he was yet an angel and had not joined Satans rebellion against God and been thrown into the hel
31、l. 3) “what is else not to be overcome?”: what else does it mean not to be beaten?,4) “That glory”: The glory of hearing Satan confess himself overcome. 5) “since by fate the strength of godssubstance cannot fail”：The essence of Satans fault is his claim to the position of a god, subject to fate but
32、 to nothing else. His substance is heavenly, and cannot be destroyed; but, as he learns in the poem, it can be confounded by Gods greater power and weakened by its own corruption and self-contradiction. “fail”：perish. 6) “Sole reigning holds the tyranny of Heaven”： The accusation is bold, but one of
33、 the aims of the poem is to show that Satan is a tyrant and God is not. The next two lines start this dramatic process by suggesting that Satans brave exterior is merely a front.,Topic 4 Discuss the Image of Satan,Satan is one of the supreme figures in world literature. Satan has, on a superhuman sc
34、ale, the strength, the courage, and the capacity for leadership that belong to the ancient epic hero, but these qualities are all perverted in being devoted to evil and self-aggrandizement. In his first grand speech to his lieutenant Beelzebub, Satans defiance of God manifests his egoistic pride, hi
35、s false conception of freedom, and his alienation from all good; and his other public orations reinforce and amplify our sense of power that is religiously and morally corrupt and blind.,Against the background of hell, Satan maintains the false magnificence of his “heroic” stature, but outside of he
36、ll he loses even that. In his soliloquy addressed to the Sun, he reveals, like Dr. Faustus or Macbeth, his despairing consciousness of his own evil and damnation, a consciousness that gives him potentially tragic dimensions. Thus Satan and his fellows are enveloped in dramatic irony becausethough th
37、e corruption of man is achievedthey fight and scheme in ignorance of the unshakable power of God and goodness.,According to the logic of the argument that Milton gives at the outset of “Paradise Lost”, Satan is the spirit of evil. He is a rebel, a plotter. Yet in spite of himself, Milton was in deep
38、 sympathy with Satan. Milton was a rebel too, challenging alike the authority of King and Church, “resolved not to repose upon the faith or judgment of others” and “determined to lay up as the best treasure of a good old age the honest liberty of free speech.”,Topic 5 Comment on John Miltons Literar
39、y Achievements,John Milton is a versatile writer. He wrote sonnets, elegies, long narrative poems, short lyrics, and prose works. As a master poet and a great prose writer, Milton holds an important place in the history of English literature.,Miltons literary achievements are divided into three grou
40、ps: his early poetical works, middle prose pamphlets and last great poems. In the early poems, “Lycidas” stands alone, it is a collection of elegies written to mourn the untimely death of a friend of his who got drowned.,When he devoted himself to his revolutionary works, Milton, in his middle perio
41、d, still found time for his writing. “Areopagitica”, a great plea for freedom of the press is his most memorable prose work. But, Miltons highest achievements were made in the final period of his writing career.,In the last period, he wrote three poetical works: “Paradise Lost ”, “Paradise Regained”
42、 and “Samson Agonistes”.Paradise Regained, a long narrative poem, tells how man, in the person of Christ, withstands the tempter and is established once more in the divine favor.,In Samson Agonistes, a verse drama modelled on the Greek tragedy, Milton presents to us a picture of how Samson, the Isra
43、els mighty champion, brings destruction down upon the enemy at the cost of his own life.,Paradise Lost, the only generally acknowledged epic in English since Beowulf, is Miltons highest achievement. The poem narrates the process of the Fall of Man and traces its cause back to Satan. In the writing,
44、Milton successfully introduces blank verse into and makes it an admirable tool for non-dramatic verse.,Topic 5 Comment on Paradise Lost,Comment 1:The epic is the masterpiece of John Milton. The story is drawn from the Old Testament of the Bible, which tells how Satan, after being defeated in his reb
45、el against God, tempts Adam and Eve to eat the apples from the Forbidden Tree, and causes the Fall of Man.,Satan, in the image of a rebel, still determines to fight back against God when he and his fellowers are cast into the Hell. The features of the character include his boldness, unbending ambiti
46、on and his “unconquerable will”.,The poem, as in other writings by Milton, is full of biblical and classical allusions, and is in a Latinized style with one sentence running perhaps across several lines. But the majesty of expression suits well the sublimity of the poets thought.,Comment 2:Milton ha
47、ndled the epic with powerful originality：the poem was a triumph of soaring imagination and far-ranging intellectual grasp in his most forceful and exalted style.The epic is composed in blank verse, which permits the narrative sweep Milton needed for his subject.,The decision to explore his chosen th
48、eme in an epic rather than a tragedy gave Milton license to range over vast tracts of human experience. Thus the poem extends chronologically from the exaltation of Christ before the creation of the universe through human history to the Second Coming of Christ. Geographically the poem ranges over th
49、e entire world, and Milton delights in cataloguing place-names culled from contemporary atlases, the Bible and Biblical commentaries, and the works of classical antiquity.,Assignment,1. Make a brief comment on John Miltons literary achievements. 2. How much do you know about Paradise Lost, the greatest epic by Milton. 3. Discuss the image of Satan. 4. Discuss the main idea from Line 84 to Line 124. 5. Preview Daniel Defoe and Robinson Crusoe（An Excerpt from Chapter IV）.,
