Page 594
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2026 6:18 pm
Books 5–9: The Fall — Eve eats the forbidden fruit; Adam follows her out of love.
They come to know shame.
Book 10: God expels Adam and Eve from Paradise. Satan boasts of his victory, but
the demons are transformed into snakes.
Books 11–12: The Archangel Michael shows Adam the future of humanity: wars,
the flood, the coming of the Messiah, and the hope of redemption.
Main Themes:
Free Will: God gave man a choice, otherwise love would not be genuine.
Rebellion vs. Obedience: Satan prefers freedom in Hell to service in Heaven.
Love and Sacrifice: Adam eats the fruit not out of weakness, but out of love
for Eve, unwilling to live without her.
Redemption: Through Christ, humanity can return to Paradise.
Famous Quotes:
“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n” (Satan, Book 1).
“Reason is also choice” (Milton on free will).
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Reference
to the Book of Isaiah; in Milton, the tragedy of the fall).
Interesting Facts:
Milton wrote the poem while blind — he dictated it to his daughters.
The work strongly influenced Romanticism: Byron, Shelley, and Blake saw Satan
as a rebel hero.
Satan is considered the most charismatic and vivid character in the poem
(according to many critics).
In the USSR, Paradise Lost was banned as religious propaganda.
Final Idea:
Paradise Lost is not just a story about Hell and Paradise, but a reflection on why
we fall (due to sin and freedom of choice) and how we can rise (through faith
and redemption).
They come to know shame.
Book 10: God expels Adam and Eve from Paradise. Satan boasts of his victory, but
the demons are transformed into snakes.
Books 11–12: The Archangel Michael shows Adam the future of humanity: wars,
the flood, the coming of the Messiah, and the hope of redemption.
Main Themes:
Free Will: God gave man a choice, otherwise love would not be genuine.
Rebellion vs. Obedience: Satan prefers freedom in Hell to service in Heaven.
Love and Sacrifice: Adam eats the fruit not out of weakness, but out of love
for Eve, unwilling to live without her.
Redemption: Through Christ, humanity can return to Paradise.
Famous Quotes:
“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n” (Satan, Book 1).
“Reason is also choice” (Milton on free will).
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Reference
to the Book of Isaiah; in Milton, the tragedy of the fall).
Interesting Facts:
Milton wrote the poem while blind — he dictated it to his daughters.
The work strongly influenced Romanticism: Byron, Shelley, and Blake saw Satan
as a rebel hero.
Satan is considered the most charismatic and vivid character in the poem
(according to many critics).
In the USSR, Paradise Lost was banned as religious propaganda.
Final Idea:
Paradise Lost is not just a story about Hell and Paradise, but a reflection on why
we fall (due to sin and freedom of choice) and how we can rise (through faith
and redemption).