Epic poetry is usually expressed in a form of an extensive poem that tells a tale of heroic adventures or historic legends. The English word “epic” originated as in the late 16th century. “Epic” was derived from the Latin word epicus, which formerly originated from Ancient Greek as the adjective epikos, from epos, meaning “word, story, poem” (1). Today, the English word “epic” is commonly used as an adjective to accompany the word “poetry” or “poem” in order to reflect the original meaning.

Paradise Lost by John Milton is an example of an epic poem, which illustrates key concepts of human ontology. Using the preconceived format of an epic poem, Milton recites a story about Adam & Eve, Satan and God as well as Paradise and the fallen in a series of ten books (2). The poem contains densely packed storytelling, which discusses some of the biggest topics of controversy to date such as justice, utopia, feminism and leadership. The epic poem has been read throughout generations and inspired a variety of ideas about the nature of human being.

The vast amount of dialogue and very limited biased narration leaves plenty of room for ambiguity. Paradise Lost acts as a clean slate for readers to gain independent interpretations. “From their perspective, Milton’s final poems form a perspective on history—on the politics as well as the poetry of a history seething with contradictions, yet rife with possibilities” (3). Creating a completely ambiguous statement is nearly impossible. However, Milton succeeds at forcing each reader to illuminate their individual ideas by breaking his own rules and cross-examining the actions of his heroes leading to more questions than answers.

Works Cited:

1. “Epic | Definition of Symbolism in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/epic.
2. Milton, John. Paradise Lost: 1677. Scolar Press, 1968.
3. Wittreich, J. “”Preface”.” Why Milton Matters: A New Preface to His Writings, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016, pp. xi-xxv.

The term “The Fall” is used to describe the fall from grace and the banishment from Eden that Adam and Eve suffer in the epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton (1). Satan tempts Eve to eat the Forbidden Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, and she in turn convinces Adam to do the same, even though God had specifically ordered them not to do just that. God, through Christ, punishes them by banishing them from Eden, and punishing them by bringing discord and suffering upon Adam and Eve and all of their descendants.

It is important to note that the narrator from Paradise Lost may not be the most reliable (See Unreliable Narrator) due to the inability to know anything other than from the perspective of after the Fall. Due to the tendency of history being rewritten by the victor in any outcome, it’s impossible to really know what Eden was like, and what happened in Eden, especially if the narrator seems to be partial to God.

The Fall may also be symbolic of a couple of different things. It can signify that an uneducated population cannot be expected to make good decisions and may fall to tragedy. It can also represent the vulnerability of the virtuous to temptation, or the idea that free thought is the enemy to tyranny. Even still, it may be somewhat symbolic of the process of growing up, the horrors and strifes of leaving ignorance and innocence of a utopian childhood.  There are many viable interpretations of Paradise Lost, and therefore what exactly the Fall stands to mean, and what it means for humanity, free-will, and being virtuous.

Works Cited

1.  Milton, John. Paradise Lost: 1677. Scolar Press, 1968.
2. Achinstein, Sharon. “Citizen Milton.” University of Oxford, 2007

Symbolism is the term for when natural objects (symbols) are used to represent more immaterial concepts or ideas (1). Symbols act as a more tangible manifestation of something that the reader would otherwise have trouble imagining an embodiment for, and allow the writer to convey a complex message through a form that appears on the surface to be much simpler than the concepts behind it.  Symbolism is widely used in literature because of this. (Also see Allegory and Metaphor)

John Milton’s Paradise Lost (2), his ideas about tyranny, free thought, revolution, and virtue play out through symbolic characters. God, with his divine legion of angels, rules without explanation, and dominion over Heaven and Earth, symbolizes monarchy. Satan, leading his own force of fallen angels and battling the system created by God, and leading Adam and Eve to self-awareness, symbolizes revolution, and perhaps free thought itself, and Satan’s own fall may in and of itself symbolize the return of monarchy to England (3). Adam and Eve were also symbols too. Before the Fall, they may be interpreted as symbols of innocence and virtue, vulnerable to temptation and easy to lead astray, but also perhaps like children, ignorant and blindly following a king (God) instead of thinking for themselves. After the Fall, they may be seen as the people of England, unable to maintain what Milton saw as the ideal society (See Utopia) of republican government, which is symbolized itself by Eden. Because the characters can embody such complex ideas, Milton can tell a very complicated and very up-to-interpretation version of the classic Adam and Eve tale from the Bible and apply it to contemporary politics in an extremely thought-provoking way.

Works Cited:

1. “Symbolism | Definition of Symbolism in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/symbolism.
2.  Milton, John. Paradise Lost: 1677. Scolar Press, 1968.
3. Achinstein, Sharon. “Citizen Milton.” University of Oxford, 2007