Submitted to:

Prof. Hunny Manzoor

Submitted by:
Alisha Butt
Roll no:
22101360027
Department:
BS-English
Section:
(B)
Course Code:
ENG-225 Classical Poetry

Topic:
“Paradise Lost”
Two questions (400-600 words)
 Question #1
How and why Milton has presented Satan as Protagonist of Paradise Lost?
As we can see that the Satan is the main reason why this whole story take place. Although John
Milton never said that Satan is the protagonist of this whole epic rather he shows the character of
Satan in a very heroic manner. However, Adam and Eve was the main protagonist of this epic
but many scholars agree with this face that somehow the Satan was also the protagonist of
Paradise Lost.
Moreover, if we get to see the speeches of Satan, the readers who does not believe in their
religion or the atheist, might found Satan the best hero or motivational speaker of their lives.
In first speech, the way he is inspiring his angels to stand and fight again by saying that
we may lost one war but many are on the way, we can see that he is the best leader to
motivate his group member. Although his aim is to corrupt the nation by putting the
doubts in hearts of nation.
In his second speech, where he is exchanging dialogues with bilzbeb, we can see that
Satan is determined towards his aim. The way he said that “To be weak is miserable” it
shows how biggest heroic spirit he has.
In his third speech, Milton really portrait Satan as protagonist of this epic. He says that
it’s all just a mind game. Even if you are in the hell but you stay positive you will feel
like you are in the heaven. He says make your own kingdom and live there, make your
own rules, do whatever you want to do. He says “better to reign in hell than serve in
heaven” it’s such a heroic and motivational line that it is better to rule over - be like a
king in hell than to serve somebody as a slave in heaven.
In this manner, the poet John Milton clearly shows that may the Adam & Eve was the real
protagonist but somehow Satan was also a protagonist. As Satan was the one who was a close
angel to God. He spent time with God, he surely knows how to handle, motivate, and lead any
group.

Question #2
Do you think Adam and Eve had free will according to Milton’s text?
According to the Aristotle: “free will and moral responsibility is determined by our
character.”
Milton ardently believes in the idea of Free Will and suggests that if mankind caused the Fall,
mankind can also redeem himself.
For most religions insist that God has given human beings free will and thus human beings can
choose right from wrong, and that (in some religions at least) wrongful acts are sinful and worthy
of divine punishment, while good acts are righteous and worthy of divine rewards.
As we read in the text that God gave Adam and Eve the free will to eat from wherever and
whatever they want, do whatever they want to, but by putting the tree of knowledge in the
heaven, God strictly alert them to not eat from that specific tree. Besides that, they can do
whatever they want to do, eat whatever they want to eat. Here comes the Satan in the form of
snake and put doubts in Eve’s heart which will end with Eve eating from that tree of knowledge
along with Adam. They got punishment for that because the disobeyed God’s order.
Paradise Lost tells the story of two falls. The first is the fall of Satan and his fellow
rebellious angels. Milton gives a detailed account of Satan’s rebellion and the war that ensued in
Heaven, as well as how Satan came to enter the Garden of Eden. The second is the fall of
humanity as rendered by Adam and Eve. Their fall occurs when the pair disobeys God and eats
of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Milton extrapolates on these stories from the bible
with specific attention to characterization. The reasons for Satan, Adam, Eve, and God’s actions
are explored. This reasoning is important to Milton because his goal is to “justify the ways of
God to men”
There is another part that God indeed knows what will happen, that Adam and Eve will disobey
Him. He somehow intended to put that Tree of knowledge in the center of the Garden. He
wanted to add some curiosity in the minds, He wanted to start the whole system of this world.
Because if Adam & Eve hadn’t eaten that fruit from the tree of knowledge, how was this world
going to start?