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Paradise Lost

by John Milton, Gordon Teskey (Editor )

3.75 · rating details · 24,719 ratings · 1,100 reviews

Gordon Teskey's freshly edited text of Milton's masterpiece is accompanied by a new introduction and substantial explanatory annotations. Spelling and punctuation have been modernized, the latter, importantly, within the limits imposed by Milton's syntax. "Sources and Backgrounds" collects relevant passages from the Bible and Milton's prose writings, including se...more

Paperback, 624 pages

Published December 19th 2005 by W. W. Norton & Company (first published 1667)

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Jun 21, 2007

Meg rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: classics, had-to-for-college

in middle school i had seen this book lying around the house and for some reason it struck me as very impressive. i didn't ever want to read it but i wanted to give off the impression that i was the type of person who would read it. i did this with a few other books too (catcher in the rye, on the road, ect.) i carried it to school so that teachers would see it in my possession and prominently displayed it on my bedside table to let friends and family know.

after actually reading the...more

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Dec 07, 2010

Alex rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

There's all this debate over why Satan is so appealing in Paradise Lost. Did Milton screw up? Is he being cynical, or a double-secret atheist? And why is God such a dick?

No one ever asks that about Iago, though, to whom I think Milton's Satan owes a debt. No one asks whether Shakespeare screwed up in making Iago so much fun; they just give him credit for, y'know, writing an awesome villain. And that's all Milton's doing. Satan is tempting for us because Satan is tempting for us...more

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Apr 18, 2007

Patrick Oden rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, literary

Portions of this book were assigned for my Brit Lit class. I read about half of the assigned portions. I was distracted at the time by various events in life and wasn't yet a very good student.

My professor had done his PhD work on Milton and taught with a contagious passion. So much passion that I decided, after the discussion was over, to buy the whole book. During our five day Fall break in my sophomore year I sat on the front lawn of my college and read Paradise Lost. Nonstop...more

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Jun 19, 2007

Clint rated it

Recommends it for: People who like reading about the devil

Let's face it, John Milton was a closet devil-worshiper. Satan here is presented so sympathetically it's hard to think otherwise. He has the best lines, and even his actions would be laudable by most Christian standards (excepting, of course, starting a war in heaven). He never gives up, he fights for what he believes in, he's really clever, and he even pities humans for having to be his tools to get back at God. The good angels come off as such sissies and are always really smug and self-sa...more

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May 21, 2008

Brandon Pearce rated it

Shelves: classics

WOW! I had never read Milton until I was forced to in my Chaucer/Shakespeare/Milton class and I was blown away! I absolutely loved this epic poem! Milton was the best educated man in England at this time. He spoke or read every European language and even dabbled in Algonquin. He was part of the Cromwell government and wrote a lot of political tracts that contain the roots of much of the political philosophy that is the foundation of our country. In a scathing political pamphlet called The ...moreWOW! I had never read Milton until I was forced to in my Chaucer/Shakespeare/Milton class and I was blown away! I absolutely loved this epic poem! Milton was the best educated man in England at this time. He spoke or read every European language and even dabbled in Algonquin. He was part of the Cromwell government and wrote a lot of political tracts that contain the roots of much of the political philosophy that is the foundation of our country. In a scathing political pamphlet called The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, Milton wrote, “all men naturally were born free, being the image and resemblance of God himself…and they lived so until from the root of Adam’s transgression, falling among themselves to doe wrong and violence…they agreed by common league to bind each other from mutual injury." Milton believed very strongly that governments were necessary to protect men from their own vices, but that the “power of the Kings…is nothing else, but what is onely derivative, transferred and committed to them in trust from the people, to the common good of them all, in whom the power yet remains fundamentally." While this concept of executive power is widely accepted in western society today, it was far from the mainstream for seventeenth century England; where the prevailing philosophy was that the king’s right to rule came from God alone. One of the many purposes of Paradise Lost was a medium through which Milton could present his radical political views. In it he argues that men should ideally rule themselves in small familial groups, but because of men’s vices, they must set up stronger governmental systems. He uses Satan, whom he associates with Charles II, as the model of power unrighteously wielded, and sets up Christ as the model of proper authority.
In book four, Milton describes Adam and Eve’s character before the fall, “Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure / Severe, but in true filial freedom placed / Whence true authority in men." Eve is submissive to Adam (at first) and, because Adam is submissive to God, he rules gently and correctly over Eve. In this state, men are in a state of freedom. A natural hierarchy exists in the patriarchal order of the family. It is the “true authority of men” because it mirrors man’s relationship with God. Later, in book twelve, Milton makes this point clearer as Michael shows to Adam the decedents of Noah who “Shall spend their days in joy unblamed and dwell / Long time in peace by families and tribes / Under paternal rule." Milton sees this natural paternal order as the idyllic form of governing mankind, and the one that allows the most freedom and peace for the individual.
Of course this peaceful set up cannot last, and in the very next sentence Nimrod “arrogates dominion undeserved” to himself and becomes the first King. This new form of authority is a rebellion from the natural power structure of family rule. It makes the many people on the bottom of the hierarchy slaves to the few on top. While this argument could be brought against most rulers throughout history, Milton implicates Charles II specifically in this description of Nimrod by saying, “from rebellion shall derive his name / Though of rebellion others he accuse." This refers to the restoration of Charles to the throne after the Commonwealth collapsed, after which many of the leaders of Cromwell’s government were hanged as traitorous rebels.
Throughout Paradise Lost, Milton makes clear that he is not just critiquing monarchy, but Charles II in particular. He goes so far as to associate Charles with Satan himself. For example, in book one, Milton describes Charles’ heady lifestyle in connection with Satan's brood, “In courts and palaces he also reigns / And in luxurious cities where the noise / Of riot ascends above their loftiest tow’rs…witness the streets of Sodom." Although Milton surely disapproved of this sort of heady living, it is not the main reason that he condemned Charles’ authority. It is Charles’ claim to divine right that so irks Milton, and he uses Satan to show how spurious this claim is, “Me though just right and the fixed laws of Heav’n / Did first create your leader." Later, Adam counters this assertion with Milton’s sentiments, “But man over men / He made not lord, such title to himself / Reserving” (XII.69-71).
Book five shows that Satan assembled his crew of demons with the intent that they would help him get what he wanted. In fact, he assembled his leadership together under the false story that they were going to have a council on how best to “receive our King / The great Messiah. He has no thought of the wellbeing of those who follow him, but instead beguiles them with “counterfeited truth” to fight so that Satan can become as God. Satan does not serve them, they serve him; and follow him to their eternal damnation. For Milton, the real evil in monarchy is that inevitably the king will stop seeing himself as the servant of the people, and begin seeing the people as his servants. Compare this to the approach that The Son takes.
Christ willingly accepts the role as savior to mankind; knowing that it will mean his death as God’s sacrificial lamb. It is only after this acceptance to be the servant of men that God gives Christ his divine authority: “Therefore thy humiliation shall exalt / With Thee thy manhood also to this throne…All power I give thee." According to this model, an executive should have as his motivation the welfare of the people over whom he lords. It is only through his service to the people that he receives and maintains authority. This is the model that Milton would have earthly governments follow; and if the executive of the nation, whatever title he may bear, does not serve the good of the people, they have the right to select one who will.
Though the Commonwealth for which Milton argued so strongly eventually failed, he, like Christ, found a greater victory in defeat. Milton’s political views espoused in Paradise Lost eventually won over England and most of western society. Thomas Paine used very similar verbiage in his extremely influential political tract Common Sense “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices.” And then later he says. “Here then is the rise and origin of government; namely, a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world.” This is the philosophical bedrock of the concept of a limited government. The idea that powers of government ought to be limited to only that which the people cannot do themselves, and to let people govern themselves as much as possible, is one of the foundational philosophies of the Republican Party today. One can even read Milton in our Declaration of Independence, “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.” The reach of his work has far surpassed the “fit…though few” audience he envisioned for it. It is a part of our everyday lives. I can’t say whether this idea originated with Milton, but his inclusion of it in Paradise Lost, with its widespread sway in England and here in the US, gave it great influence; which we still feel today.

Beyond his political views I was astounded at his theology. I agreed with the vast majority of his doctrinal positions including a trinity of seperate indivduals; God the Father, Jesus Christ and The Holy Ghost (whom he invokes as the muse in good epic fasion). Jesus and several archangels make the earth under the direction of the Father. Satan rebels because of pride and attempts to usurp the Father's athourity, taking a third of the angels of heaven with him. Christ was chosen as the savior in a council in heaven. Men can only be forgiven through the stonement of Christ and through personal repentance...I could go on. He was so ahead of his time in this arena as well.
The last thing I wanted to mention was his use of Satan playing the classical hero. Satatn displays the atributes of a classical hero along the lines of Odysseus, and Achiles. Milton does this so that he can show what true heroism is; as modeled by Christ. For Milton the true hero was humble, a servant of the people (which was his ideal for a governmental executive), and found his stregnth in obedience to god's will. He shows throughout the book how the new Christian heroic model is superior to the old classical model of physical prowess, cunning deception, and courtly lover. (for more on this subject I recommend Steadman's Milton and the Renaissance Hero.)
It's to bad that Milton is no longer read today as much as it was from the time he wrote it to the twentieth century. It is a true classic, and contains so much that is foundational to our culture still today.
If you need help on all of the allusions and classical references in Pardise Lost I recommend this website sponsored by Dartmouth College http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading... It was very helpful with some of the obscure references.(less)

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Apr 24, 2008

Incendiaryrose rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: finished-classics

I hope no fan of Milton ever reads this review. And if you are a fan of Milton, go find one of many other reviews that will be a little better to your liking.

Had I read this book with the perspective of a student, or perhaps even as a potential instructor, I suspect my view of the twelve-book poem would have been far more favorable. As it was, I did not. Rather I read it as myself, a person who is rather sarcastic and critical of most things, but especially continuity errors.
...moreI hope no fan of Milton ever reads this review. And if you are a fan of Milton, go find one of many other reviews that will be a little better to your liking.

Had I read this book with the perspective of a student, or perhaps even as a potential instructor, I suspect my view of the twelve-book poem would have been far more favorable. As it was, I did not. Rather I read it as myself, a person who is rather sarcastic and critical of most things, but especially continuity errors.

I found myself stumbling not on the poetry, but on such things as the lengthy description of the pantheon of pandemonium being made with mined gold, wrought with comments on greed and how all those who look for such riches are doomed. This is impressed rather heavily, to be followed by the sun being made with gold and precious gems, heaven being full of similar wealth, and even Christ's chariot of 'sparkles dire' is studded with precious stones and capped with a sapphire throne (book six, line 750 starts you off on the description of the chariot).

Were I reading this as a student, I could probably make excuses for the different standards of wealth. I could probably even attempt to justify why Adam and Eve seem to gain absolutely nothing from eating the fruit of knowledge. Adam says often beforehand how working in the garden is good. They are told of Satan's presence in the garden and recognize this as being something to fear. Thus, they know of good and evil. After the fruit, the only alteration is a lustful interlude, to be followed by argument over it. Another angelic intervention where they are told everything to come, and they wander away in sorrowful hope. The Angels are thus the ones who are conveyors of knowledge, not the fruit of knowledge. And so, with Milton, it might as well be the Fruit of Lust and Damnation.

As it stands, and as I have read it, Paradise Lost was not what I would call an enjoyable work. I find no great epiphanies in it, or divine inspiration. I find a great deal of misogyny and even more references to classical myths that, if I didn't know it was perfectly fine in Milton's time to interweave Christianity and Greco-Roman myth, I would find a bit off. In total, it read like a rather bad biblical fanfiction with heavy crossover.

That being said, Paradise Lost is still a good work to read. For even if it strains my patience and sarcasm, it also gives an excellent perspective on quite a few quotes and characterizations that were to come after. In a way, the book is less important than what people have done with it over the years.(less)

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Oct 14, 2010

Venus rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: literature

one of the best...بهشت گمشده نام اثری است حماسی که توسط شاعر انگلیسی قرن هفدهم جان میلتون نوشته شده است. اولین چاپ این اثر در ده بخش و ده هزار بند مجزا در سال 1667 منتشر شد.
چاپ دوم کتاب که به نظم و قافیه در آن بیشتر توجه شده بود در دوازده بخش (به روش تقسیم بندی آئنید اثر ویرژیل) با بازنگری کلی و در سال 1674 منتشر شد. بخش عمدهٔ این اثر زمانی نوشته شده که میلتون بینایی خویش را از دست داده بوده است و این حماسه را برای نویسندگان بازخوانی کرده است.
این حماسه روایت مسیحی ست از سقوط انسان: وسو...more

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Aug 03, 2009

Michael rated it

In the beginning, there was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. Some time after that, there was John Milton. He took the written word, already beautiful in itself, and set it to the music of verse.

Paradise Lost is a poetic exegesis of the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. In it, Milton recounts the story of the two falls that marred the beauty of God's creation. First, the fall of Satan and his demons. Second the fall of Adam and Eve from si...moreIn the beginning, there was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. Some time after that, there was John Milton. He took the written word, already beautiful in itself, and set it to the music of verse.

Paradise Lost is a poetic exegesis of the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. In it, Milton recounts the story of the two falls that marred the beauty of God's creation. First, the fall of Satan and his demons. Second the fall of Adam and Eve from sinless perfection. Woven into the story are a number of threads that enhance both the beauty of the story and our understanding of it: the war in heaven and subsequent expulsion of Satan and his demons, the creation of the heavens and earth, the creation of Adam and Eve, their temptation and fall, and the promise of redemption. The major elements of the story come directly from Scripture. He fleshes them out with details that are imagined, but certainly not inconsistent with the Bible. Milton's was a redeemed imagination on the order of Dante, and somehow he was able to reflect some of the glory that might have been when our first parents walked naked and unashamed through the garden. His descriptions of Heaven, Eden, and the sinless state of Adam and Eve have inspired countless authors who have imitated and borrowed from him over the centuries.

Like all great works of literature, Paradise Lost is brilliant in its scope and execution. It was executed by a poet of the highest order, who was also an accomplished theologian. Milton chose as his models the great epic poems of antiquity with the intent of creating the first epic poem in the english language. For a lesser poet to aspire to such a lofty goal might be hubris. Milton not only aspired to it, he succeeded and in so doing established himself as one of the greatest poets of all time. The aesthetic excellence of this work is beyond question. Critics have praised it since its first publication. That he accomplished this feat while blind is hardly to be believed. To conceive of a poem on the scale of Paradise Lost, to organize one's thoughts, to recite, listen, edit, and complete this masterpiece required a strength and stamina that only comes with genius that has been cultivated over a lifetime.

Milton is one of the giants of literature on whose shoulders many have since stood.

Having said all of this, I must confess that there are a few things that I don't understand about PL. First is the reaction of those who claim that Satan is somehow either the hero or the most interesting character. From the beginning, it is clear that Satan is a hero only to himself and his sycophantic demons. He lies to everyone, including himself. Even the famous line about it being better to reign in Hell than rule in Heaven is a lie, since no one really reigns in Hell. Satan is as much God's subject in Hell as he was before his fall. His self-aggrandizing speeches have no foundation in reality. There is no question of his ability to mount a successful rebellion against God, as it does not exist. He and his demons were kept at bay by angels during the war in heaven, then easily dispatched to Hell by Christ, the second person of the Trinity. There is nothing noble about Satan, his lies, his delusions, or his successful attack on man. It takes an intentional mis-reading of the text to glean any admirable quality from Satan.

The second is the reaction of many toward Eve. I have heard Milton referred to as a misogynist, and seen PL used as evidence. Again, it seems to be a deliberate mis-reading of the text. Prior to the fall, Eve is as noble as Adam in every way. They have different, complimentary attributes, and are each perfectly suited to the roles for which they were created: Adam for dominion of the world, Eve for its domestication. It is not until after the fall that Eve is presented as inferior to Adam, and that comes primarily from Adam, who is now fallen, and cannot be trusted to speak truth. Yes, there is the discourse between Adam and Raphael wherein Adam speaks of Eve in a somewhat derogatory fashion. But even here, Adam is using hyperbole, and is rebuked by the angel for going too far. This also occurs after Satan has infiltrated creation and made his presence felt.

The Norton Critical Edition is wonderful. Mr. Teskey's introduction, explanatory notes, and supplementary reading material are quite helpful in understanding Milton's poem. I highly recommend this edition to anyone interested in exploring Milton's epic.(less)

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Sep 29, 2009

Richard rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, classic, abandoned

I can imagine folks reading this and enjoying it. But not me.

The story lying at the heart of Paradise Lost was one I really wanted to read. I've heard many times that Satan is portrayed as the sympathetic figure, that he's honest about the absurdity of rebellion against the ultimate power of God yet still so resentful at being created as a servant that he is steadfast to his doom.

Some of the subplots here have become recurrent and mythic elements in literature ever since....more

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Jan 08, 2010

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

· review of another edition

Unabridged audio.

I would have given this 5 stars for artistic content and it's ability to provoke thought, but it is in archaic language, so unfair as that is I dropped one star as it makes it a little more difficult for the modern reader (listener). Still this is a timeless poem/story and listening to it for yourself can clear up some misconceptions that have come to commonly accepted/

For example, Satan's statement "it's better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heave...more

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Feb 06, 2011

Michael Murray added it · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned, poetry, on-hold

Ok, his visual imagination was phenomenal; but then, with the remaining iconography of his age, stained glass windows etc... in pointed political reaction to Cromwell's Puritan austerity... the imagery was readily to mind.

But I am really having a struggle with the way he strangles language to fit it into his metrics. Inexcusable, really.

I started reading this in Nov - why's it logged as June? Que?

Will not be finishing this any time soon, if at all.

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Oct 03, 2009

مختار rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: arabic, own, dust-proof, poetry

عادة ما أقرأ النصين الإنجليزي والعربي سطرا بسطر .. يعجبني مجهود دكتور عناني جدا ... أحد الأسباب التي تجعلني لا أنتهي من قراءتها أنني دائما ما أبدأ قراءتها من الصفحة الأولي في كل مرة لفرط إعجابي.

النسخة العربية ربما لا تتجاوز 22 جنيها مصريا على ما أذكر

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Jun 12, 2009

Mariah rated it

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Milton is an absolute genius. The thought that he put into the creation of this book is absolutely astounding. Of course, it has it's bad stories too, not every writer beats his daughters if the story doesn't sound right to him. But with that ignored for the sake of sanity, I love paradise lost.

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Dec 16, 2010

Austin Ratner rated it

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Shelves: literature

Harold Bloom on Paradise Lost:

"What makes Paradise Lost unique is its startling blend of Shakespearean tragedy, Virgilian epic, and Biblical prophecy. The terrible pathos of Macbeth joins itself to the Aeneid's sense of nightmare and to the Hebrew Bible's assertion of authority. That combination should have sunk any literary work nine fathoms deep, but John Milton, blind and battered by political defeat, was unsinkable. There may be no larger triumph of the visionary will in We...more

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Sep 06, 2009

Manny rated it

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Shelves: too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, blame-jordan-if-you-like, parody-homage, why-not-call-it-poetry, mentions-twilight, story-review

(Joint review with JORDAN)

[A projection room somewhere in Hollywood. Two middle-aged men are looking at a screen, currently empty:]

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: [for it is he:] Okay Mike, now you've been playing this pretty close to your chest. Show me what you've got.

MICHAEL BAY: I'd love to.

[The film starts. We see the Garden of Eden. Nothing much is happening. The camera pans around and finally looks at some pretty KUROSAWA-inspired clouds. On the voiceove...more

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Jul 08, 2008

Aeisele rated it

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Shelves: poetry

Kierkegaard once said of Hegel's philosophic system that if at the end Hegel had said this was all a big thought experiment and joke, then Kierkegaard would have thought Hegel the most brilliant of philosophers. Of course, for Hegel it wasn't a joke, but I feel the same way about Milton's Christianity. This is really a caricature of Christianity, an imaginative attempt, perhaps, but laughable as a discussion of the realities. It was also one of the most misogynistic books I've ever read.
...more

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Jun 15, 2008

Brianne rated it

I am not Christian so I didn't have any of the guilt some readers might feel when they start to root for Satan at the start of this poem. He seems kind of dreamy in a tall, dark, handsome and...umm...evil sort of way. So yeah, if you believe in what the bible says, he really screwed things up for us. But if he hadn't, I probably wouldn't have so much fun when I drink. On the other hand, I am not a big fan of that whole sleeping with his own daughter, Sin and spawning Death and then Death sleepin...more

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Aug 31, 2007

John Wiswell rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Poetry readers, epics readers, classics readers, literary readers, religious readers

Normally I dislike poetry for its highly artificial language and deviations from quality storytelling, but some poets created true and undeniable beauty from the artform. Paradise Lost is such a work. It nails its subject matter, picking up after the fall of Satan, showing the first debate in the court of Hell, the original love of Adam and Eve, their fall, the new love between them once fallen, and most sweet of all, the love of Christ – it’s not a poem of original sin, but original emotion. Ev...more

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May 19, 2008

Shawn rated it

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As Dante's Divine Comedy is considered the greatest poem of the Italian language, I consider Paradise Lost to be one of the greatest works of English literature. There is an inexplicable sense of the sublime when reading a work of someone who completely commands a language. The cosmology of the universe as imagined by Milton is breath-taking, especially considering 17th century people didn't have a collective consciousness of the universe as we do with cinematic special effects and NASA photo ga...more

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Sep 13, 2007

Shaindel rated it

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When I was in undergrad, I actually wanted to be a Milton scholar... We won't get into why I changed tack here. "Lycidas" is still the most beautiful poem--Ever.

"Paradise Lost" is what epic poetry is meant to be. It's influenced our society more than most people realize. It was Milton who first characterized the "Forbidden Fruit" as an apple; who first coined the term "All Hell broke loose"--when the demons are wreaking havoc in Pandemoni...more

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Aug 09, 2011

Ryan Milbrath added it · review of another edition

An epic tale of the Fall of man and the first epic poem to contain the beginings of Romantic era themes (i.e. the anti-hero, inner conflict of values etc.). Milton's mangnum opus provides much more than a basic course on the book of genesis. Rather Milton's genuis stems from his character of Satan. Later to inspire the works of Byron and Shelly. Satan's pride and fall from grace represents a characterization which appears more relatable than those of the abstract God, Micheal, and the Son of ...more

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Feb 04, 2009

Trudi rated it

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Shelves: books-i-want-to-marry, angels-and-demons, classics, prose-that-sings, love-the-title

It's the war in heaven, it's the Fall, it's the banishment from Eden, it's Milton...just a few of my favourite things, not because I believe in all this stuff, but because I think it makes for such magnificent melodrama, especially in the capable hands of John Milton. Lucifer/Satan has always struck me as such a tragic figure, the classic anti-hero (Byronic ... Shakespearean even)...the ambitious over-reacher just before his figurative (and literal) fall. In this light, it's almost impossible no...more

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Jan 29, 2009

Mark rated it

My absolute favorite lines of poetry are the opening lines of book 4:

O, for that warning voice, which he who saw
Th’ Apocalyps, heard cry in Heaven aloud,
Then when the Dragon, put to second rout,
Came furious down to be reveng’d on men,
Wo to the inhabitants on Earth! that now, [ 5 :]
While time was, our first-Parents had bin warnd
The coming of thir secret foe, and scap’d
Haply so scap’d his mortal snare; for now
Satan, now first inflam’d wit...more

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Feb 01, 2012

Stefan rated it

· review of another edition

Historical significance and beautifully descriptive prose aside, I couldn't get into this book at all. Maybe it's too much familiarity with the plot or the inevitability of the impending doom of the ending, but I just found my mind wandering throughout reading Paradise Lost and would find that I had read 10 or 12 pages with absolutely no clue as to what was really going on in what I had just read and then I'd have to re-read it all over again. I can see why Milton's attempt to enlighten his audi...more

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Oct 31, 2011

Saly samih rated it

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بقرأه دلوقت المقدمة اللى كاتبها محمد عنانى ثرية جدا جدا
تالت مرة فى اقل من شهرين احس انى وانا بقرأ كتاب محتاجة اذاكره جدا وامسك ورقة وقلم واخد نقط مهمة واراجعها تانى وتالت
الكتاب الاول كان "كنت فى السودان" فيه كمية معلومات عن مشاريع اقليمية ودولية للسدود من العشرينات لحد الاربعينات رهيبة ومعلومات قيمة جدا عن السودان وبعض دول افريقيا وطبعا كل دة وعلاقة مصر وتاثيرها فيه وكذلك تأثرها به"
الكتاب التانى كان "اين تذهب طيور المحيط" لابراهيم عبد المجيد وفيه معلومات ح...more

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Oct 04, 2011

Lady Jane rated it

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"Here at least
We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n."

~Satan, Paradise Lost: Book 1 Lines 258-263

Pride may be catalyst to the hero's fall, but it is also what inspires an individual to aspire to freedom and dignity. Heaven is not worth if a master is so insecur...more"Here at least
We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n."

~Satan, Paradise Lost: Book 1 Lines 258-263

Pride may be catalyst to the hero's fall, but it is also what inspires an individual to aspire to freedom and dignity. Heaven is not worth if a master is so insecure that the hero has to walk on eggshells so as to not outshine him with the brilliance of Lucifer (the pun was intended). Down below in what is referred to as "Hell," Satan at least has freedom and choice to start his own congregation and have power over himself, is his aspiration in the book. The mythical characters God and Satan are symbols of the very common story in human history of parents versus children. Parents can be just as egotistical, petty, self-absorbed, insecure, rash, temperamental, whiny, and irrational as Yahweh (from the Old Testament) and God, from the aforementioned work by John Milton. Children, on the other hand, want freedom from such oppressive regimes that they are willing to move out on their own and practice what is granted by nature. Perhaps not freedom in the romanticized way that power-hungry politicians paint it when seeking one's vote, but freedom of choice between available options within nature's laws and man-made laws, both important to decently survive and even thrive in the current terrestrial mode of existence.

The relationship between the deity and its dark, Underworldly antagonist can be a symbol for other common human relationships as well where there is an imbalance of power due to the feeling of entitlement to power that one person may have because of age, financial status, gender, ethnicity, job title, and the like. It is the story of an administrative assistant versus a nouveau riche manager; it is the story of the proletariat versus their king, as in the case of the French and American revolutions-- and most recently, the North African Revolution. It can be any story whence an individual wakes up, decides to give up a little bit of comfort in exchange for dignity, and make a heaven out of what the oppressor calls "hell." Such a signfier can be ignored, for language is usually defined by the oppressor, and so it is safe to conclude that what means "hell" to the unjust tyrant is simply a means to control and hence, it does not logically follow that the same negative connotation will apply to the actual experience. One who controls a language controls a people, and by defining what each word ought to mean, God intended to control his angels.

The debate of whether Satan is the antagonist is ongoing in scholarly as well as in amateur communities. However, a being who tempts a gullible creation with the fruit of knowledge in exchange of a bit of discomfort cannot be considered evil once outside the Paradise of blissful ignorance.(less)

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Aug 21, 2011

Sue rated it

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Apr 02, 2011

Margaret Taylor rated it

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The English-language literati have been reviewing Paradise Lost for centuries, so I won’t go into that here. Is Satan a villain or a Byronic hero? Did Milton intend people to sympathize with the Devil, or is it just a product of our modern anti-tyrannical sensibilities? Was Milton using it as a vehicle for his anti-monarchist ideals? It’s all been covered before, and by people who actually know what they’re talking about.

Whatever your position on Christian doctrine, you’ve got to r...more

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Jan 06, 2011

Amber Tucker rated it

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Shelves: as-a-matter-of-courses, disappointments, meta-fantasy, why-is-this-classic-again, des-classiques, poetry

Three stars are for the badass emo Satan. The other is for some unbeatable iambic pentameter. Yet it doesn't dazzle me the way I expected it to. Paradise Lost! – no longer do I tremble with reverence at the title, and I wish I didn't have to say so. But that's my honest reaction. I wish there were more stars in this system so I could withhold points for misogyny, which I know is explainable by various factors, blah blah blah, but which still bothers me here. Perhaps I had higher poetic standard...more

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Jan 03, 2011

Dillon rated it

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This epic poem by Milton is written primarily through the eyes of Satan. It tracks events eluded to in other parts of the Bible concerning the Arch Angel's fall from Grace and the Legion of angels that fell with him. Milton took the tidbits of information found in various Books and wrapped them together in a neat narrative. Milton's unorthodox writing sheds a refreshing light on the story of Creation and offers a perspective that most readers might not have considered. If you're interested in th...more

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About John Milton

John Milton was an English poet, prose polemicist, and civil servant for the English Commonwealth. Most famed for his epic poem Paradise Lost, Milton is celebrated as well for his eloquent treatise condemning censorship, Areopagitica. Long considered the supreme English poet, Milton experienced a dip in popularity after attacks by T.S. Eliot and F.R. Leavis in the mid 20th century; but with multip...more

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Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained (Signet Classics)

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“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..” — 1,387 people liked it

“Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.” — 147 people liked it

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