POETRY-1 (ENG403) LECTURE – 21

RECAP OF LECTURE 20 Invocation (1-26) o Heavenly Muse o Holy Spirit Theme o Man’s disobedience o Loss of Heaven

RECAP OF LECTURE 20 Contents of the poem (27-83) o Cause o Temptation of serpent o Satan’s revolt against God o Expelled with his followers o Satan lying in hell with his followers Satan’s First Speech (84-124) o Unconquerable will o Determination o Advises them to sustain rebellion

RECAP OF LECTURE 20 Beelzebub’s Reply ( ) o Recognizes his determination o expresses grief on their fall o Discontent of the contest Satan’s Second Speech ( ) o Servitude o Irritate the Almighty Satan Recommends to Summon His Followers o Gather courage from this respite

RECAP OF LECTURE 20 Description of Satan ( ) o Comparisons Satan is Permitted to Rise Satan and Beelzebub Fly to Land Hell is Described Satan’s Speech ( ) Beelzebub’s Reply ( ) Description of Satan on Shore ( ) o Bid them to rise

RECAP OF LECTURE 20 Rebel angels rise ( ) o Lost heavenly names Plentiful: o Leaves o Locusts o Barbarian Hordes Description of Rebel Angels ( ) o Syrian & Arabian Deities o Gods of Greece

RECAP OF LECTURE 20 Satan’s speech ( ) o Fatal but not inglorious o Who could have anticipated defeat o Recovery of loss Influence of Satan’s Speech ( ) Building of the Pandemonium o Mammon Rumour of the creation of New World Council Summoned ( ) o Bees swarming/Size o Council began

STYLE OF PARADISE LOST Indomitable personality Sublime Conformity with theme Careful selection of words Suggestive & compact Solemn & sonorous quality Full of splendor Majesty Allusiveness Vast imagination

EPIC An epic is long narrative poem about a hero containing the following elements: o “in media res” o an invocation to the muse o Battles o Romance o Supernatural elements o Journeys o Lists o Descent to the Underworld o Epic Similes

LONG NARRATIVE POEM Long Narration Story Contains Books & Parts

ABOUT A GREAT SOLDIER/HERO a great leader who possesses great character qualities: “larger-than-life” loyalty, valor/ courage, sense of justice, dignity, persistence, and many other traits of his culture and time.

“IN MEDIA RES” literally means “in the middle of things” The epic begins in media res and then flashes back to events that took place before the narrator’s current time setting Paradise Lost begins in the middle. Later the reader comes to know what had happened and why Satan & other angels are lying in Hell.

INVOCATION TO THE MUSE Seek help from gods or goddesses Milton invokes the Heavenly Muse Seeks help from the Holy Spirit

BATTLE/ DEEDS OF VALOUR does great deeds in battle or undertakes an extraordinary journey or quest. Satan undertakes the Battle against Almighty Adam’s Battle against Satan. Journey of spirits

SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS gods or other supernatural or fantastic beings take part in the action of the story. Inclusion of spirits Angels Satan

JOURNEYS The setting is broad and often includes supernatural realms, especially the land of the dead. Journey Underworld journey

EPIC SIMILES elaborately extended comparisons relating heroic events to simple, everyday events using like, as, so, and just as Comparison of Fallen angels to: Leaves Locusts Barbarian Hordes Description of Satan

PARADISE LOST AS AN EPIC (1) Theme: Universal “things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme” Unity of Action Beginning, middle and end of Paradise Lost Invocation Characters have heroic qualities Speeches of Elaborate length Illustrate from classical epics o Incidents, metaphors, similes, turns of phrases

PARADISE LOST AS AN EPIC (2) Lofty Style/elevated/grand Narration of human actions – Disobedience of Adam & Eve Human Interest Sublimity Moral Tone

OBJECTIONS TO PARADISE LOST Not heroic Main theme is not war It ends unhappily Only 2 human characters

SATAN’S SPEECHES Depict the Character of Satan Five Speeches in Book 1 – Determination – Resolution

MORAL OF PARADISE LOST Thesis of Paradise Lost: “That to the highth of this great Argument I may assert Eternal Providence, And justifie the wayes of God to men.”

EPIC SIMILES IN PARADISE LOST Description of Satan o Briareos- 100 hands/50 heads o Typhon- 100 serpent heads o Leviathan- sea beast o Eclipse Description of His Shield o Orb of moon Description of Rebel Angels o Leaves o Locusts o Barbarian Hordes

ELEMENTS OF THE RENAISSANCE Spirit of Adventure Love for Beauty Love for Richness & Magnificence Revival of Old Classical Literature o Aristotle, Plato, Virgil, Ariosto & Tasso Classical mythology Seriousness, moral earnestness Tradition to Write in Epic form

ELEMENTS OF THE REFORMATION Religious Movement Revolt Against the Authority of Church Protestants rose against Roman Catholic Church

DEFECTS OF MILTON’S POETRY Lack of Human Interest Lack of Humour Lack of the Element of Love Uses complex diction & syntax o Twisted sentences o Elaborate similes o Profusion of allusions o Unnecessary detail

REVIEW OF LECTURE 21 Paradise Lost Style of Paradise Lost Paradise Lost as an Epic Elements of Renaissance Elements of Reformation Defects of Milton’s Poetry