Friday 27 July 2012

Paradise Regained by Milton

Following on from Paradise Lost, Milton describes Man's redemption through Jesus Christ. Paradise Regained is comprised of four books and is essentially a lengthy dialogue between Christ and Satan who intends to tempt Jesus away from God. 
This epic poem lacks the introductory arguments that accompany each book of Paradise Lost however the brevity of the work means the reader can follow the story without explanatory summation. Milton posits many theological questions in this work all of which are answered through the character of Christ and voices of Heaven. The notion of Paradise being regained stems from Jesus' claim that He will lead man from sin and excess and instead teach him to be wealthy of morals and love for God. There is a modern message here in this work, that man should be less concerned with building reputation and wealth and instead live a life of moderation and piety to secure a place in heaven. 
Milton's language in this poem maintains its heroic tone but is arguably more subdued as the action is centered around the dialogue of Jesus and Satan. Nevertheless, the poem remains a worthy sequel to Milton's magnum opus, the fulfilling conclusion in which Satan is cast back to Hell after failing to tempt Jesus, leaves the reader both satisfied in terms of narrative structure but also morally resolved. Paradise is regained by Jesus' refusal of temptation and although man is not permitted to re-enter, he may aspire through a life of virtue to a paradisaical after-life. 
Milton is one of the greatest poets of the western canon, on par with Dante and Shakespeare. By reading these tales of Paradise the reader may experience their own vision of utopia, such is the vividness of Milton's narrative.

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