"Paradise Lost" is John Milton's poem about the fall of Man from the Garden of Eden. It begins with casting the rebellious angels, led by Satan, from heaven into hell, where Satan begins his next plan, to ruin God's most precious creation (man).
The poem is based almost entirely on Genesis. However, Milton depicts Satan in a much better light than would be expected. At the same time, there is little doubt left that obedience to God is important, and the reason Satan continues to fail is because he fails to realize both God's strength and compassion.
There is a free online study guide for "Paradise Lost" at PinkMonkey.com. See related link below.
http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/paradis.asp
One of the most important things to recognize in "Paradise Lost" is how Satan is humanized. This is probably to point to humanity's tendency to err, and to draw some sort of sympathy for the devil. As the person above me points out, though, Milton's overriding point is that obedience to God is imperative. The sympathetic aspects of Satan, however, is one of the most significant achievements of this work.
Conversely, it could be argued that the ease with which a reader can sympathize with Satan actually illuminates one of Milton's over-arching themes, namely, that we are all sinners. Milton states very early in his text that he will attempt to "justify the ways of God to men." And, in the reader's struggle to understand God's ways, she reveals to herself her error. The attempt to understand God's will misses the point; God's will ought to be obeyed, whether understood or not. So, as the previous commentors have stated, yes, Milton goes to great lengths to humanize Satan. But looking at it another way, one could say that Milton, in fact, "Satanizes" his human readers.
The main themes of Paradise Lost include the struggle between good and evil, the consequences of disobedience or rebellion, the concept of free will, the complexity of human nature, and the nature of redemption. Milton explores these themes through the characters of Satan, Adam, and Eve.
theme of the paradise of thieves by g.k.chesterton
A Lost Paradise was created in 1997.
The ISBN of A Lost Paradise is 4770023243.
The elaborate theme and plot of Paradise Lost no doubt was conceived years back but the actual writing was done only after he went blind. This epic poem was dictated to his daughter for writing.
A Lost Paradise has 372 pages.
"Paradise Lost" by John Milton was first published in 1667.
John Milton is the author of the epic poem Paradise Lost.
Lost Paradise - album - was created in 1989.
Paradise Lost - band - was created in 1988.
A Preface to Paradise Lost was created in 1942.
Satan in book 1 and 2 after this... his character begins to fade and ADAM is the true hero of paradise lost.
The duration of Lost in Paradise - film - is 1.72 hours.