Parallels between Genesis and Paradise Lost Essay Example

was more evident in the social as well as the political ideals of the liberties of each person and a less dictatorial and more democratic society (Milton and Gordon 79). According to Milton, this was not being sought. A pandemonium can mean hell; as this was John Milton’s view of the English society at the time. He was not in a space that could allow him to engage in his perception of being protestant. In addition, pandemonium can be described as a place that is in chaos, disorderly and in great confusion. According to Milton and Gordon (108) this was the image of English society at the time because there were multiple assorted camps fighting for relevance in the new dawning.
Paradise Lost by John Milton was published in the year 1667 for the first time. Just previously in the 1600s, Oliver Cromwell had managed to overthrow the English king and had brought in a new mode of government. However, in the year 1660, the heir to the king who had been beheaded during the civil war, Charles II returned to the throne of his father. Nevertheless, that incident did not normalize the situation in England.

Contextual background

The narration begins in hell. Here Satan together with his disciples is recuperating from the loss of the battle they had taken to God. In a certain castle that they have constructed, they are deliberating on whether to go back to war. However, they decide to go on an adventure with the aim of searching for the new universe that had been foretold to be made. Here, they project to undertake their mission of revenge in an easier manner. Before

embarking on the mission on his own, he encounters his children Death and Sin. They open the gate for him and he moves over the chaos beneath. Finally, he spots the new world hovering near heaven. Then God spots Satan moving in the direction of this new universe and predicts the downfall of mankind. God’s son who sits at abodes on the right side of his father suggests that he could offer to be sacrificed for the sake of mankind’s salvation. On the other side, Satan manages to penetrate into the new world where he goes to the sun and convinces Uriel, an angel, to reveal to him where man’s residence was located (Milton and Gordon 41).

Satan reaches the Garden of Eden, where he locates Adam and Eve. Instantly, jealousy fills him up. Adam and Eve are conversing about how god ad commanded them not to eat of the fruit that was forbidden and they are not aware that Satan was eavesdropping. Gabriel and his angels who were standing guard at the gates of paradise were informed of the presence of Satan. They arrest Satan and dispel him from the Garden of Eden. God, then instructs Raphael to go and warn Adam and Eve about the intentions of Satan. Raphael narrates to them how a favored angel in heaven decided to try and overthrow the authority of God in heaven due to jealousy. He was then thrown into hell with his angels by Messiah, the son of God. He informs them of how the universe was made so that in some time to come man would take the place of the rebellious angels.
Satan makes a

trip back to the new world and enters the body of a serpent. Eve, who is found alone by Satan, is convinced to partake of the forbidden fruit and Adam joins her in her endeavor. Immediately, they lose their innocence and discover that they have been naked all the while. Due to humiliation and panicking, they become unfriendly to one another and the Messiah comes down to the new universe to deliver his judgement.

He, however, is merciful and delays their punishment of death. Upon realizing that Satan had triumphed in his mission, Death and Sin construct a path to this new world which would be their new dwelling place. On returning to hell Satan does not hold a celebration withy his followers as they are all changed into snakes as a punishment. Adam and Eve mend fences, but and Michael is commissioned by God to go and take them out of paradise. However, before expelling them, he shows Adam the consequences arising from his action of disobeying God. Adam is not happy for what he is shown, but he has hope of the promise of a savior to come and redeem man.

Analysis/ Argument

John Milton’s Paradise Lost comes out just as a detailed depiction of the narration in Genesis from the Bible. In the two books, the story revolves around the same plot. For instance, Eve is accorded more ground to be tricked into tasting the fruit that they were prohibited from eating (The Holy Bible 11). This is evident in both books. In addition, she is portrayed as more obedient and thick headed. These attributes in fact groom her to be the easy target of

Satan for convincing (Doughe 120). From the onset, Eve is aware of the fact that she is somewhat subordinate to Adam. She is aware that she is from his ribs and he was made before her (The Holy Bible 5). Eve has no choice but to be acquiescing to Adam. This is seen in many instances in the poem. She says "O thou, from whom I was formed and without who am to no end, my guide and head (Milton IV. 132: 440-443). Eve is convinced that she is obliged to adhere to all instructions that Adam gives her. Eve still refers to Adam using the title, "pre-eminent by so many odds, while thou like consort to thyself cannot be found nowhere (Milton IV. 133:447-448)."
Looking at the characterization in both Genesis and Paradise Lost, it is clear that John Milton has utilized the same characters that are found in the Bible. For instance, Satan is the same cunning character in Paradise Lost who strives to get back at God by using Adam and Eve (Jacobus 17). This is similarly the case in the book of Genesis in the Bible. Messiah, in Paradise Lost is the equal of Jesus in the bible who was present in the creation period as God the son. He even sits at the right hand side of his father just as it is in the Bible. In addition, we see Messiah offering himself to be sacrificed for the salvation of man. In the Bible, although at later books, we also see Jesus coming to the world through birth with the ultimate intention of being sacrificed for the sins of man. Furthermore,

there are a number of Angels in Paradise lost that are also mentioned in the Bible. These angels are Michael and Gabriel. Adam and Eve also depicted as the first human beings in Paradise Lost as the same way it is in the book of Genesis in the Bible.
The settings that are used by John Milton in his poem, the Paradise Lost are similar to the ones found in the bible (Jacobus 30). We see Satan and his followers in hell. This is the same case in the Bible where Satan and his rebellious angels were cast into a pit of everlasting fire known as hell. In the Bible, when God created Adam and Eve, he put them in the Garden of Eden. Similarly, when Satan goes to Uriel and tricks him to show him the home of mankind, he is directed to the Garden of Eden where he finds Adam and Eve.

Critical thinking

Since its publication, Paradise Lost caught the attention of various rebellious commentators. Among the very first ones was the adaptation for screenplay by John Dryden in The State of Innocence of the year 1671 (Dryden 63). He seeks John Milton’s approval to include Paradise Lost in rhyme. Probably, he was not impressed by the opinions on the annoyance and restriction of rhyme in verse. Incredibly, his rendition sold more copies than the original up until the culmination of the 17th century (Dryden 19). As a result of Dryden’s political inclination towards the royals, he decided to act on the core of John Milton’s poem. Satan, who is the main character in the poem, fails to recognize authority and makes an attempt at

overruling the throne. Dryden consciously brings out Satan as the portrayal of Oliver Cromwell, who beheaded the king of England, in his rewriting (Dryden 85). In addition, he views Satan as the hero instead of Adam as a result of his position as the central character in the poem.
This did not appear as the only incidence of ambitious perception of the poem. Ordinary readers who may have had the notion that there was a hint of Sulphur concerning the unapologetic poet were not caught off guard by hearing similar utterances from the arch-fiend. In addition, there were some who were convinced that John Milton was renouncing his past position by relating it to Satan (King 221). Although reading does not do justice to the complicated form of the poem, it does single out a common theme in the responses that came in later. The interpretation of Satan as either the hero or the villain elicited a heated debate.

Conclusion

The poem Paradise Lost draws a lot of comparisons from the book of Genesis. This similarity comes in terms of the characters used as well as the setting of the scenes. In addition, the plot of the poem is identical to the flow of the book of Genesis in the Bible. Therefore, there is a lot of parallelism employed in the poem Paradise Lost with a comparison to the Bible. However,there are some aspects of Paradise Lost that are not consistent with the book of Genesis in the Bible.

Works cited

• Doughe, Jonn. Genesis: Fact or Fiction? Victoria, B.C: Trafford, 2004. Print.
• Dryden, John. The Works of John Dryden. 1st ed. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995. Print.
• Jacobus, Melancthon W. Notes,
  

Critical and Explanatory, On the Book of Genesis. 1st Ed. New York: Robert Carter, 1866. Print.