1. The Fall of Satan from Paradise Lost By: John Milton Page 440

2. Two Truths and a Lie On a piece of paper write down two truths about you and a lie about you. The object is to have people guess which one is the lie, so make it believable.

3. Two Truths and a Lie I used to have 2 dogs, 2 cats, a turtle and a horse. I had surgery on a heart defect during my freshman year of college. My hair is naturally straight.

4. Warm-up List everything you know about Adam, Eve and the Fall Write down any questions you want to know. We may refer to these as we read the text

5. John Milton 1608-1674 Early in life resolved to be a poet because he believed he would leave something great behind. Epic Paradise Lost is one of the most brilliant achievements in English poetry. Perhaps it is the richest and most intricately beautiful poem in the world.

6. John Milton Indulged by his parents. They supported him throughout his education – continued his education for 8 years after college. Traveled and met Galileo. Wrote and published a collection of poems in 1645 known as Milton’s “Minor Poems”.

7. Famous for Lycidas and Comus. Lycidas is an elegy for Edward King; a fellow student of Milton’s In Comus Milton dramatizes the idea that “human beings have been given the ability and freedom to choose between good and evil, and so long as they choose the good they will remain strong and free.”

8. Political Activity 1640 – struggle between King Charles and Parliamentary Party. Milton published prose (sometimes insulting) in favor of the Parliamentary Party. Disliked kings and bishops. Advocated for divorce for incompatible married couples.

9. Political Activity Argued press should be free from government censorship and interference. Served in government under Oliver Cromwell after the Parliamentary Party took over and executed King Charles. Latin secretary to the Council of State – responsible for correspondence with foreign countries.

10. Political Activity 1660 – England recalled the king’s son from exile and crowned him King Charles II. Milton was stripped of all his possessions and arrested as a traitor. He lived in seclusion for the rest of his life with his third wife and three daughters. (Son and other wives died.)

11. Inspiration for Paradise Lost Milton felt great poets imitated great writer’s of antiquity (Homer and Virgil) He wanted to draw from King Arthur and the round table but felt there was too much fiction in those stories. He decided to draw from the Bible for his subjects.

12. Inspiration for Paradise Lost Milton rejected religion but was very religious. He believed religion involved God, the Bible, and each individual. Published twice – once in 1667: ten book version / once in 1674: twelve book version. For further reading and review, see pages 436-439

13. Paradise Lost: Milton’s Epic

14. Background Milton wanted his epic to sum up and surpass those epic poets that came before him. Difference between his epic and others – his deals with Creation and others deal with earthly matters. Milton asserts that God is not responsible for crime, poverty, war, etc – Adam and Eve are because of their disobedience of God.

15. Background Read selections of Genesis Chapter 3 Whose fault was it?

16. Background Turn to page 441 The poem is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter (copied from Shakespeare) Most sentences are long and are not in the normal word order. Milton believed “goodness was not goodness unless it resulted from a struggle to overcome evil.”

17. Homework Write for 5 minutes on what qualities, characteristics, actions, etc. you think makes someone “good.” Define “goodness.” Give an example of someone you know, a book or movie character, or someone you look up to. Be prepared to share tomorrow

18. “The Fall of Satan” from Paradise Lost By: John Milton

19. Getting Ready to Read In your notes, respond to the following questions: Why does evil exist? What is the source of its power and fascination? The struggle of good vs. evil is central in Paradise Lost. Review homework on goodness.

20. Surveying the Text What do you notice about the length and structure of the text? What do you know about the piece based on the title?

21. Vocabulary: Find the vocabulary word in the epic and copy the sentence. Decide what the word means based on its context in the sentence. –Eternal providence (25) –Impious (43) –Transcendent (86) –Subterranean (231) –Sovereign (246)

22. Vocabulary Eternal providence (25) Impious (43) Transcendent (86) Subterranean (231) Sovereign (246) Everlasting protection of God. Irreligious; disrespectful To go beyond the ordinary limits Hidden or secret A supreme ruler

23. First Reading Reading Skills and Strategies p. 440 Watch out for omitted words, inverted syntax, and context clues. Glossary and side questions will help you.

24. First Reading While you read, consider the following questions: What is Milton’s purpose in writing this epic story? (Group 1) What question does he ask about Adam and Eve? (Group 2) What torments Satan in Hell? (Group 3) How has Beelzebub, Satan’s former comrade, changed? (Group 4) What details in Satan’s speech show that he feels that he and God are opposing generals of two armies? (Group 5)

25. Group lines 1: 1 thru 26 2: 27 thru 49 3: 50 thru 74 4: 75 thru 94 5: 95 thru 124

26. Homework Read lines 242 – 270. Write 4 - 5 sentences answering the following question. Do you think Satan was justified in his anger and in making his decisions? Why or why not? Cite specific lines that support your view.

27. Homework Example I feel that Satan had a good excuse for rebelling because he felt like he was a slave. In lines 146-149 he says, “Have left us… (insert significant parts of the line).” In Satan’s perspective, he was being restricted in his position in Heaven and his glory and he wanted more glory than anyone else.

28. Reading Quiz 1.Satan had been one of God’s favored angels. (T/F) 2.Satan was very ugly, with red skin and horns. (T/F) 3.When Satan says, “Farthest from him is best” he means that the rebels can do as they please when away from God. (T/F) 4.Satan rebels because God made him a slave. (T/F)

29. Reading Quiz - Answers Switch papers with someone close to you. Write “corrected by” at the bottom of the paper and correct the quiz. Make sure your corrections are accurate. T F T F

30. Rereading the Text Lines 1-26: What is Milton’s purpose? How would you paraphrase his purpose? Lines 28-44: What questions does Milton ask and how does he answer them? - To state the reasons behind God’s actions. - Why Adam and Eve disobeyed and who lured them into doing so. Satan tricked them out of envy, revenge, and thwarted pride.

31. Rereading the Text Lines 44-47: How does alliteration make this statement vivid to the reader? Lines 54-56: What torments Satan in Hell? Lines 61-74: Which aspects of Hell would be most difficult to bear? - Repeated “h” sound emphasizes the sudden explosive quality of the event. - The thought of lost happiness and eternal pain.

32. Rereading the Text Lines 84-91: How has Beelzebub, Satan’s former comrade, changed? Lines 93-124: What details in Satan’s speech show that he feels that he and God are opposing generals of two armies? Does Satan admit defeat? - He was bright and glorious; now ruined and miserable.

33. Rereading the Text Lines 90-96: Satan starts his speech expressing sympathy and then shifts to say he will not repent or change. What does this rapid change in subject suggest about Satan’s personality? - He cares only for himself and is obsessed with anger.

34. Rereading the Text Lines 105-110: Satan introduces “the unconquerable will,” a theme that colors his speeches throughout the poem. What does Satan suggest about God’s will compared to his own? - God’s will is not as strong as Satan’s, for God was shaken (Satan believes) and doubted the outcome of the battle in heaven.

35. Rereading the Text Line 128-155: What does Beelzebub think of their situation? How is Beelzebub different from Satan? Line 159-162: What does Satan vow? Would you say this is the essence of evil? Explain. -Rebel angels maintain their spirit even after defeat. He wonders if God deliberately left them their spirit so they might suffer more. He doesn’t have Satan’s pride and ego. - To do only evil forever and always oppose God. Since God is the essence of Goodness, Satan is the essence of evil.

36. Rereading the Text Lines 170-180: What does Satan’s description indicate about the way in which his troops left heaven? Now that the moment has passed, what does Satan seem to believe about the power that God displayed? They were driven over the edge of Heaven and fell into Hell. God has stopped showing His rage and power because He is worn out.

37. Rereading the Text Lines 169-191: Satan thinks of himself merely as a defeated general. What does he now propose? Lines 190-197: How does Milton seem to shift the reader’s visual vantage point as be begins this new section? Satan now proposes that the rebels rest, reassemble, take council, repair their losses, and take on new resolve. Before – focused on Beelzebub’s head; now – reminded of Satan’s size and to see the fallen angels around him.

38. Rereading the Text Lines 209-220: What are God’s plans for Satan? Why do you think Milton intrudes into the story in such an omniscient fashion here? Humanity is showered with grace; Satan continues to damn himself with his evil plans, making him remain eternally crushed by God’s vengeance. Some readers would be attracted to the image of Satan and he wanted to put the character in perspective.

39. Rereading the Text Lines 254-255: How would you paraphrase what the proud Satan says in these lines? Line 263: What do you make of this declaration? What do you predict Satan will do next? It doesn’t matter where you are physically; the mind can create a wonderful or miserable place for you to dwell in mentally. He reasserts his enormous pride, tries to convince himself that evil is good, and plans to rule the empire of evil.

40. Rereading the Text How does the proverb “misery loves company” apply here? Satan is eager to rally his forces so that they may “share with us their part/In this happy mansion.” He needs support to seek revenge against God; He may also believe that sharing the torment with others will alleviate his own pain.

41. Analyzing the Structure What images in the story helped you to see and smell Hell? How do lines 210 – 220 contribute a level of dramatic irony to Satan’s ringing assertion of freedom in his final speech lines 242-270? Reread lines 53-74. How is Hell both a psychological state and a physical place?

42. Connecting to the Text Perhaps the most famous verses of this passage are in Satan’s last speech (lines 254-255): The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven In your experience, is this an accurate description of what the mind can do?

43. Option 1: Paraphrasing Choose one of the following speeches. –Satan – lines 84-124 –Beelzebub – lines 128-155 –Satan – lines 157-191 –Satan – lines 242-270 Write a prose paraphrase of the speech. You’ll have to supply words that Milton omits and use normal English syntax.

44. Option 2: Perspective Write a 1 page journal entry as an observer of what happened in Heaven, or as Satan himself. Ask yourself: How do you feel? Scared, shocked, angry, sad? Use descriptive language to describe the scenes. State your view of Satan’s actions and those who chose to follow him.