Paradise Lost - Study Guide - John Milton

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Liam

Study guide material centered on John Milton’s Paradise Lost, including author background, genre and narrative approach. It explains the religious and political context surrounding Milton’s radical Protestant stance, his views on monarchy, and evolving attitudes toward church organization and spirituality. The guide also summarizes the work’s treatment of themes such as women’s roles, divorce, companionship, and epic-poetry techniques, alongside key literary features like blank verse iambic pentameter and classical epic parallels.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Book Basics

In Context

Religion and Politics

Women

Epic Poetry

Plot Summary

Book Summaries

Quotes

Symbols

Themes

Suggested Reading

Paradise Lost Study Guide by Course Hero What's Inside j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1 d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1 a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 2 h Characters .................................................................................................. 3 k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 5 c Book Summaries ..................................................................................... 11 g Quotes ......................................................................................................... 19 l Symbols ...................................................................................................... 22 m Themes ....................................................................................................... 22 e Suggested Reading .............................................................................. 23 j Book Basics AUTHOR John Milton YEAR PUBLISHED 1667 GENRE Allegory PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR Paradise Lost is told by a third-person omniscient narrator. Readers learn that the narrator is the author, John Milton, when he inserts references to himself, as he does in discussing his blindness in Book 3: "these eyes, that roll in vain/To find thy piercing ray." TENSE Paradise Lost is told in the present tense. ABOUT THE TITLE Paradise Lost refers to the expulsion of the first humans, Adam and Eve, from the Garden of Eden after they commit sin by eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. d In Context Religion and Politics John Milton considered himself a radical Protestant Christian. He was deeply opposed to England's ruling Anglican church. Disdainful of the monarchy in general, he supported Oliver Cromwell, the English soldier who led parliamentary forces in the English Civil Wars and who overthrew Charles I to become England's Lord Protector. After the monarchy became restored, Milton fled and went into hiding to avoid being jailed or executed. Milton wrote many political pamphlets during his life, and he believed strongly in an individual's right to freedom. He distrusted the institution of marriage and thought that power led to corruption—for Milton, God was the only true king, and any human monarch was automatically a tyrant. He found many of England's leaders unworthy, and his political pamphlets reflected these arguments. Readers have long been interested in Milton's views on religion, given the religious subject of Paradise Lost. Milton considered himself a Presbyterian, an offshoot of the Anglican Church. He rejected Catholicism and the use of bishops and priests, whom he found to be corrupt. He believed that the separation of the Anglican Church into other Protestant groups was a good thing, and he encouraged his fellow Presbyterians to "be their own church." These views were too radical to be accepted by his contemporary churchgoers, so Milton abandoned Presbyterianism and did not belong to any church. His ideas continued to evolve until he felt all organized religions blocked people's access to spirituality. Women Contemporary readers tend to find Milton's view of women and their role problematic. His interpretation of the Bible on this subject is quite literal: women are inferior to men and must submit to them. However, this was the dominant view during Milton's time, and his stance would not have been considered unusual or insulting. However, Milton's Eve is not simply a temptress whose sexuality causes the downfall of humankind, which was the common interpretation of the biblical fall of man during this time. Instead, she is a complex being with the strong desire to acquire knowledge and be tak

FAQs

Who narrates Paradise Lost and what narrative perspective does it use?

Paradise Lost is told by a third-person omniscient narrator. Readers learn the narrator is John Milton through self-references, including a passage about his blindness in Book 3.

What is the significance of the title Paradise Lost?

Paradise Lost refers to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden after they commit sin by eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge.

How does Paradise Lost connect to classical epic poetry traditions?

The guide notes parallels to Greek epics such as Homer’s works and Virgil’s Aeneid, including echoes of warfare, heroes, villains, love, epic techniques like invoking a muse, beginning in medias res, and using extended similes and metaphors.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Liam