Paradise Lost

Melton's magnum opus, the blank-verse epic poem Paradise Lost, was composed by the blind and impoverished Milton from 1658 to 1664 (first edition) with small but significant revisions published in 1674 (second edition). As a blind poet, Milton dictated his verse to a series of aides in his employ. It has been argued that the poem reflects his personal despair at the failure of the Revolution, yet affirms an ultimate optimism in human potential.

The extract from Paradise Lost ids mainly talking about: Mammon who was the least erected spirit that fell from Heaven, discovered and robbed wealth with evil and greed from earth to build his paradise. When he was in Heaven, he was preferred gold and pavement other than admiring holy and bright side. This time, Mammon educated people to be greed and evil. He led a group of people to seize treasure from the mother of earth. With spade and pickax, all the miseducated men were devoted to trenching a field or casting a rampart. Soon his group had opened the hill into a spacious wound and gained ribs of gold. Meantime, another team digged many caves, magic flames under caves melted the gold and then pured all those with somewhat magic thicks. At the same time, the third groups had finished various models for architecture. Still with magic power, all the gold in boiled liquid flowed followed pipes of the buildings. It sounds like a pleasure beautiful music. Quickly and unexpected, a resplendent and magnificent palace was just stood there.

The story wants to show that the roots of human’s disasters. People tends to be emotional and easy to be on the wrong path due to lack of rational, strong will. That’s why people would always break regulations when influenced by various factors from the outside of the world. So is paradise lost. The author criticised those attitude and ill-mind. He affirmed people’s gumption, negated infinite hedonism. And also he affirmed people’s sense of pride, negated the breeding pride and ambition. Just like the least erected spirit Mammon, he was too evil and greedy, and mislead the delicate human to be the same ones. They destroyed the earth, plundered the wealth resources of earth. All these com from their easily broken will. People there build up the resplendent and magnificent palace, hoping eternally lived in easy and comfortable without worries and danger.

In the extract of Paradise Lost, Milton shows excellent means of artistic expression. Dazzling and lyric figure of speech. Such as veins of liquid fire, as in an organ from one blast of wind, rose like an exholatior, or build like a temple. He also use the manner in which Latin is used in speaking or writing. Furthermore, he used canorous tone which expressed the sweet of tonality. For example, too many arow of pipes the sound-board breathes anon out of the earth a fabric huge of dulcet symphonies and voices sweet. There is also a part of argument by Milton in the extract, let none admire that riches grow in hell. That soil may best

deserve the precious bane. And here let those who boast in mortal things, and wondering tell of Babel, and the works of Memphian kings. Learn how their greatest monuments of fame, and strength, and art, are easily out-done by spirits reprobate, and in an hour what in an age they with incessant toil and hands innumerable scarce perform.

Features of Milton’s works.

(1) Milton is one of the very few truly great English writers who is also a prominent figure in politics, and who is both a great poet and an important prose writer. The two most essential things to be remembered about him are his Puritanism and his republicanism.

(2) Milton wrote many different types of poetry. He is especially a great master of blank verse. He learned much from Shakespeare and first used blank verse in non-dramatic works.

(3) Milton is a great stylist. He is famous for his grand style noted for its dignity and polish, which is the result of his life-long classical and biblical study.

(4) Milton has always been admired for his sublimit of thought and majesty of expression.