Milton's Paradise Lost: Untainting the Legacy

Abstract

Paradise Lost is Milton’s major work, and it cemented his place in literary history. However, whilst Paradise Lost may initially strike the uninitiated as a thoroughly religious and orthodox work that expanded upon the Biblical story of the Fall of Man, the religious content of Milton’s magnum opus has been a continuous cause for debate in academic circles. Milton’s De Doctrina Christiana, whilst it is merely attributed to him, is one of the main sources of this debate, since in it, Milton’s personal views on theology are brought to light, and they are anything but orthodox. The main accusation against Milton is that he allegedly supported Arianism, an unorthodox Christian movement which did not believe in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which asserted that Jesus is the son of God, begotten from the Father, but distinct from the Father and therefore hierarchically ranked below him. Whilst this belief, or at least Milton’s variation of it, can clearly be identified in De Doctrina Christiana, opinions have varied on whether Paradise Lost should consequently be considered an Arian work as well. A comparative analysis of Milton’s De Doctrina Christiana and Paradise Lost is provided in an effort to prove their dissimilarities. In addition to this, Milton’s stylistic choices regarding his portrayal of God the Father and Satan have also been a frequent topic of discussion. Milton’s God is claimed to be plain, dull and at times even cruel and tyrannical, whilst Milton’s Satan is remarkably charismatic, sympathetic and he is given extraordinary depth throughout Paradise Lost by Milton. This thesis interprets and attempts to explain Milton’s stylistic choices regarding his depiction of the Father and Satan in order to preserve the religious legacy of Paradise Lost.