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How exactly does Milton justify the ways of God to man as revealed in Paradise

Lost

Humanity as a fundamental tenet of man's behavior toward other men is another

definition of humanism. Despite its hostility to medieval religious doctrine, humanism during the

Renaissance was its successor in many ways since ancient philosophy and Christianity shared

several characteristics, the most significant of which was the idea that people are the essential

thing in the universe. Because of this, humanists did not idealize a "natural" man who lacked

knowledge and moral instruction and saw in people only the potential to become "true" men. It

was a statement that moral and social ideals and the advancement of man were both necessary.

This essay aims to demonstrate that Milton's defense of God's methods to humans provides a

vivid and emotional portrait of human life.

Although the concepts of justice and humanity, which form the foundation of this theory,

have been evolving since antiquity, the name "humanism," as it is well known, first appeared and

was asserted during the Renaissance. Humanism has been evolving for ages, the particular

system of viewpoints incorporating numerous perspectives on the problem of man. Humanism is

typically described in terms of many vital meanings. One of these interpretations of the term

"humanism" is that it refers to a particular form of philosophical ideology that places the human

being as a unique entity with goals and aspirations as well as abilities and inclinations

characteristic of his nature at its core.

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As mentioned in the previous sentence, humanist concepts can be found in Renaissance

literature. Additionally, the writers who began writing in the seventeenth century and represented

Neoclassicism carried on with their thoughts on humanism. One of these writers was John

Milton, who emerged from the Renaissance and classical tradition. He was the first English

revolutionary poet of the seventeenth century and the greatest Puritan poet.

The poet's primary goal in writing Paradise Lost was to defend God's ways to men and

give a dramatic voice to the Genesis-related events by asserting God's mystique. The poem goes

much deeper, and critics have interpreted it in numerous ways, including as a political tale

concerning liberty problems. As a predestination thesis, a study of the epic hero in a Christian

setting, and a picture of the Christian God and his treatment of humanity, all of which Milton

was concerned about during the Revolution. Critics who are interested in the work's political

aspects have interpreted it in a variety of ways. Some interpret it as Milton's commentary on the

developments leading up to and following the English Revolution. Milton, a supporter of a just

cause who witnessed that cause being undermined and corrupted by evil forces, laments the loss

and searches for redemption not in this life but in the next.

For instance, some readers have viewed Satan as "an unsuccessful Cromwell" and have

drawn comparisons between Satan's failed uprising and Oliver Cromwell's. The poem contains

many well-known Biblical themes, such as regeneration, fall, and triumph of good over evil. The

hope of regeneration is highlighted by references to light, while scholars have noted that images

of darkness underscore the poem's theme of loss. The Son leads the angels into battle while

displaying the greatest love through self-sacrifice. Other themes include the interaction of male

and female aspects (the sun's rays against the earth are a model for Adam and Eve's union), the

relationship between love and war, the infinity of God's power and capacity (depicted in the
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repeated references to and sense of vastness in the poem). Also, pride (embodied in Satan); and

the loss of innocence (often seen in the nature imagery) are depicted.

Paradise Lost's claimed the goal was to "justify the ways of God to man," according to

Milton. (Line 26 of Book 1 of Paradise Lost) The definition of obedience, free will, and just

authority was crucial to this evolution. Satan is God's adversary, contrasting God's rightful and

natural dominion in heaven; hell has an illegitimate kingdom. Satan frequently makes strong

arguments, such as how the angels are free in hell if not comfortable and how the heavenly

echelons are wrong. While asserting humanity's free choice concerning God, the contrast forces

readers to discern the true nature of liberty and the trustworthy source of power and encourages

them to distinguish between genuine freedom and mere lawlessness or chaos.

One of these tropes concentrates on the lofty topics of love, bravery, and conflict. The

conflict among the good and bad angels is described in Book 6; the latter's defeat leads to their

banishment from the sky. In the conflict, Jesus Christ attacks Satan and his allies with

unstoppable force. Milton, however, emphasizes Son's compassion for humanity more than his

prowess as a warrior. The Founder, in their celestial conversation, foresees Adam and Eve's

depravity, and the child decides to become embody suffering in order to save them. Adam and

Eve are informed of Jesus' future redeeming career, the perfect example of selfless love before

they are expelled from Eden, even if his position as the Savior of the fallen human race is not

played out in the epic. The Son's love is unselfish, unlike the heroic figures in the classical epics,

who are known for their valor on the battleground but are usually driven by pride and vainglory.

Their power and prowess on the field, as well as their ability to seize the profits of war, are

mostly motivated by hatred, fury, retaliation, greed, and envy. While the heroes in Classical

epics are lauded for their strong passions, even vices, the Child in Paradise Lost is an example of
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Christian valor both via his humility and magnanimity as well as through his forbearance and

fortitude.

By setting the action in the present tense, Paradise Lost also explicitly references classical

epics. The aftermath of the conflict in heaven, briefly described in Book 6, is recounted in Book

1. The ejection of the fallen angels from heaven and ascent into hell, a region of eternal agony,

are some of the effects of the war's defeat. Milton tells how and why the fallen angels disobeyed

in later books after the fallen angels' punishment has already been mentioned early in the epic.

Raphael's training of Adam and Eve, who are urged to remain obedient, especially in

Books 6 and 8, brings disobedience and its repercussions to the forefront. Milton places this

section of his story near Eve's temptation by addressing the depravity of Satan in both thinking

and deed. This arrangement helps Milton to emphasize how and why Satan, who assumes the

form of a serpent to tempt Eve in Book 9, causes her to develop the excessive pride that led to

his fall. When Eve eats the forbidden fruit, an act of disobedience, Satan causes her to be in a

similar frame of mind.

After Satan tempts Eve to disobey, Milton's epic returns to the dreadful pit where it

started. Milton stresses the blackness of the underworld in keeping with Classical representations

of it because the ashen-gray fires of hell cause suffering but do not shed light. Hell's torments

(described as being "on all sides round") may also refer to a place with an active volcano.

According to the mythology of the Classical era, Typhon, who rebelled against Jove, was

imprisoned beneath Mt. Aetna in Sicily. He was imprisoned by a thunderbolt and tortured by the

flames of this active volcano. To accommodate this Classical parallel to his Christian

perspective, Milton represents hell primarily following biblical tales, especially those found in
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the book of Revelation. A descent into the underworld is another epic convention referenced in

the poem's descriptions of hell.

Milton employs a grand style fitting for the elevated subject matter and tone throughout

Paradise Lost. Milton refers to the poem's meter in a preface as "English heroic verse without

rhyme," which is similar to "that of Homer in Greek, and of Virgil in Latin" (Paradise Lost, page

3). Milton wants a measure that is not end-stopped, so he can use enjambment (run-on lines) with

"the sense variably stretched out from one verse into another," rejecting rhyme as "the jingling

sound of kindred endings." He writes in a significant style that uses unrhymed iambic pentameter

and resonant rhythms that continue from one verse into the next. By structuring his biblical epic

in this measure, he encourages comparison to works by Classical antecedents. Milton also

constructs voluble units of rhythm and idea that go much beyond the restrictions he observed in

rhymed poetry without utilizing punctuation at the end of many verses. Milton, most notably in

epic similes, also uses other grand style components.

The word "like" or "as" is frequently used to make clear analogies throughout Paradise

Lost. Milton frequently makes lengthy comparisons one after the other. As a result, in a lengthy

chapter in Book 1, Satan's shield is compared to the Moon as seen through Galileo's telescope,

his spear is more significant than a ship's mast, and the fallen angels, who are stretched out on

the lake of fire after being expelled from heaven, "laid captivated." Thick as the fallen leaves of

autumn that cover the brooks of Vallombrosa. The Egyptian cavalry that pursued the Israelites

into the split Red Sea, where the collapse of the water walls inundated the Egyptians and left the

pharaoh's chariots and charioteers weltering like flotsam, is another way that the fallen angels

resemble the Egyptian cavalry.

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In this way, Paradise Lost adheres to the core principles of neoclassical humanism.

Nevertheless, regarding neoclassical humanism, Paradise Lost is idiosyncratic in handling

Christian notions of the will. Neoclassical humanism developed as a study of the human

situation, leaving the study of the will to the study of divinity. Paradise Lost is notable not for its

epic treatment of divinity but rather for its ability to portray Christian teachings of the will in a

way that makes them relevant to the study of man. Paradise Lost appears to be exceptional in this

regard.
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Work Cited

Milton, John, Edward Francis Willoughby, and Francis Storr. Paradise lost. London: S.

Simmons.