Paradise Lost main characters. Dante's Divine Comedy - analysis. Satan's speaking ability

The Bible has become an inspiration for many geniuses. Many works are devoted to rethinking her plots. One of the most famous of them is Milton's poem "Paradise Lost". Let's find out more about this poem and its author, and also consider it summary and problems.

Who is John Milton and what is he known for

This name belongs to the famous British poet and politician of the 17th century.

This man was born into the family of a London notary, John Milton Sr. in 1608. He was quite successful in the profession, so he had sufficient funds to give his child an excellent education at the University of Cambridge.

The parents' money was enough to support the unemployed Milton. Therefore, after receiving his diploma, the poet spent almost 6 years idly at his parent's estate, entertaining himself with reading books and self-education. Milton later considered this period of his life the happiest.

In 1637, John Milton went to travel to Europe for a year. At this time, he lived mainly in Italy and France, where he was fortunate enough to meet many outstanding minds of that time.

In 1638 the writer returned to his homeland and began to live in London. Although he was still supported by his father, Milton finally found something to do - he became a home teacher. At first, John taught his nephews, and later gave private lessons to children from other wealthy families.

Active political and literary activity

Milton's time is far from the quietest period in British history. The closeness of Charles I's policy led to the beginning of the Episcopal Wars, which grew into the English Revolution of the 17th century.

These events did not leave Milton indifferent. As an ardent anti-Royalist, he wrote sparkling pamphlets in which he criticized the monarchy and defended civil rights and freedoms, and also opposed censorship.

After the execution of the king and the establishment of a parliamentary system of government, John managed to secure the position of government secretary for Latin correspondence.

Over the years in this position, John Jr. wrote dozens of pamphlets, and also made acquaintance with many of the great British writers of the time.

At this time, he married three times, but was never able to find happiness in family life. Biographers believe that financial difficulties were one of the reasons for this. Indeed, almost all his life Milton was supported by his father, but in 1647 he died, and the writer had to provide for himself, his wives and children. The poet, who had not previously bothered with such worries, now had to worry not only about his intellectual needs, but also look for various ways of earning money.

In 1652 the writer lost his sight and until his death in 1674 he lived in pitch darkness. In this state, he could no longer hold office in parliament, and with the restoration of the monarchy (albeit partial), Milton was deprived of benefits. He considered this period of his life the worst. But from the point of view of his legacy, this stage is the most productive. After all, already being blind, John Jr. wrote his greatest work - the poem "Paradise Lost".

John Milton put into this book all his knowledge, observations and created a truly masterpiece, which was equal not only to his contemporaries, but also to descendants, such as

Poem Paradise Lost ("Paradise Lost")

What was special about this piece? In addition to beautiful poetry, the use of colorful metaphors and comparisons, the author was able to refresh the biblical story of the fall of Adam and Eve.

In Paradise Lost, John Milton turned a centuries-old story about the creation of man and his expulsion from paradise into an exciting action game. Everything was here: the love story of Adam, and philosophical reflections on life, faith and his destiny, and a description of the war of angels with demons.

By today's standards, Paradise Lost doesn't seem to be anything special. But immediately after its publication in 1667, the readers of Milton's Paradise Lost received the most enthusiastic reviews. Tired of monotonous imitations of Homer and Dante, they were simply in love with the new poem.

Paradise Lost soon began to be translated into other languages \u200b\u200band published outside of England.

Sequel to Paradise Lost - Paradise Returned

The success of Paradise Lost helped Milton improve his financial situation and regain its former glory. On this wave, the poet writes a sequel and in 1671 publishes Paradise Regained ("Paradise Returned").

This book was artistically inferior to Paradise Lost. It was not only 3 times shorter, but it was also a moralizing treatise, so for many it was frankly boring.

Background to writing Paradise Lost

The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating about the Fall first appeared in John Milton during the revolutionary events in 1639. In those years, he made the first sketches and outlined a range of topics that could become a plot basis.

However, work in parliament, marriage and other concerns prevented the author from implementing his plans.

Only after losing his sight and hope, Milton decided to take up the pen. Of course, in a figurative sense, since he could not write on his own, and he dictated the texts of the poem to his daughters and close friends.

In this regard, some biographers sometimes question Milton's authorship, putting forward theories that one of the poet's daughters could have composed such a bold work. And her father only edited her composition and gave his name as more recognizable. It is also possible that there was a joint work with one of the unknown young talents.

In favor of these theories is evidenced by the fact that for 60 years of his life the writer for some reason was not interested in the genre of the epic poem, but was better known as the author of treatises and poems.

However, we still will not be able to find out the truth, so we can only admire "Paradise Lost" and the genius of its creator, whoever he really is.

Structure

John Milton's book Paradise Lost is written in blank verse and consists of 12 parts. Initially, there were only 10.

In later editions (beginning in 1647), its plot was finalized and redistributed into 12 chapters.

In this form, the book has survived to this day.

main characters

Before considering a summary of Milton's Paradise Lost, it is worth learning about the characters in the work.

One of the most talked about heroes of Milton's Paradise Lost is Satan. Contrary to the biblical original, this character is endowed with human qualities. At the same time, he is incredibly powerful, smart and vain. Desiring power and self-affirmation, Satan rebelles against God. Despite the defeat, he does not give up and decides to take revenge on the sly, seducing Adam and Eve. However, revenge does not bring him full satisfaction.

It is generally accepted that the prototype of Milton's Satan-rebel was "Prometheus" Aeschylus. Also, some literary scholars believe that in the character of the Lord of Hell, the poet collected the main features of his revolutionary friends, who at one time overthrew Karl, but could not retain power. And the described relationship between Satan and his demons is a veiled description of the working days of Parliament.

The image of the Lord in Paradise Lost is the embodiment of faith in Almighty God the Father. He sees the designs of the Devil, but admits them, realizing that in the end they will all bring good. Some researchers correlate this character with the embodiment of an ideal ruler and believe that by creating such a character, Milton was doing a "curtsey" to the restored monarchy.

Adam and Eve are heroes who are something between absolute Good and rebellious Evil. In Paradise Lost, they are not weak-willed toys, but have the right to choose. Moreover, unlike the Bible, these heroes are not only forbidden to eat the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge, but are warned about the intrigues of Satan. Because of this, their fall looks like a conscious decision. Moreover, the author portrays Eve as the main culprit. This heroine is shown to be weaker physically and intellectually. But at the same time she turns out to be more cunning and manages to manipulate Adam.

At the same time, her husband is too idealized. He is not only smart and noble, but also curious. Despite his free will, Adam is very obedient and not inclined to rebel. The rebel in their marriage is Eve. Only with the acquisition of knowledge (after the Fall) do these heroes taste true bliss, however, after that, bitter repentance awaits them.

The image of the Son of God is quite interesting in the poem. He is depicted not only as a noble, voluntarily sacrificing himself for the salvation of mankind, but also as an excellent leader, a brave commander (who helped the angels to defeat the demons). It is believed that in this hero Milton portrayed the features of an ideal ruler.

In addition to these characters, the angels Raphael and Michael play an active role in the book. They are the mentors of the human couple. Their looks are a bit boring as they are lusciously perfect and don't evoke much sympathy or admiration.

At the beginning of the poem, the action takes place in hell. Here the fallen demons voice their complaints to Satan. In order to somehow distract them from sad thoughts, the Lord of Hell arranges a review of the troops. At the same time, although he is proud of his power, he does not know what to do next.

On the council of hellish elders are considered different variants: to engage in the arrangement of the Underworld or to raise a rebellion against Heaven again.

Satan chooses a different tactic. Having learned about the creation of the New World and man, he decides to seduce people and thus take revenge on the Creator.

With the help of cunning, the Devil enters heaven. Here he is pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this place. However, the angels soon discover him and drive him away.

Realizing that the purpose of the Unclean One is to seduce people, the Lord sends Raphael to warn Adam and Eve. The Archangel tells Adam the story of the war with demons and the creation of the world by the Son of God. He also encourages a person to keep the commandments of the Lord.

Meanwhile, Satan sends a seduction dream to Eve. Impressed, the woman tells her husband about him.

In the future, the Devil enters heaven in the form of a fog and possesses a snake. Deftly manipulating the woman, he manages to convince her to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve likes the taste of the forbidden fruit so much that she persuades her and her husband to taste it. Adam, although he understands that he is doing wrong, loves his wife too much, does not want to be separated from her and agrees.

After eating the fruit, people experience carnal desires and satisfy them. However, when the passion cools down, they find insight and repentance.

The Lord knew about Satan's plan long before he entered heaven. But when Christ volunteered to become the atoning sacrifice, He looked to the future and realized that the ending would be successful. For this reason, God allowed the rascal to carry out his plan.

After the Fall, He commands the angels to bring sinners out of Paradise. Seeing their repentance, the Archangel Michael shows Adam the future until the coming of Christ to Earth and the destruction of Satan and his demons. People are leaving paradise, but their hearts are full of hope.

Analysis of the poem

Having considered the summary of Milton's Paradise Lost, it is worth analyzing the work.

Despite strict adherence to the biblical canon, the poet was able to describe in his book the life and problems that concern modern society.

Most literary scholars agree that in describing the relationship between the inhabitants of hell, the author depicted the reasons that led to the fall of his anti-royalist party and the restoration of the monarchy in England.

However, there are those who believe that by depicting the life of demons in hell, the poet ridiculed the basic problems of power in contemporary Britain. He veiledly showed how the government, instead of arranging the country, holds demonstration reviews, organizes wars with other states and is mired in intrigues.

At the same time, paradise is depicted as Utopia ruled by a wise and caring ruler and his faithful angels.

Other problems that Milton showed include family relationships. The author managed to outlive two of his three wives. Moreover, the first of them (Mary Powell, 20 years younger than the writer) fled from her husband to relatives a month after the wedding. Over time, John managed to get Mary back home, but their relationship did not improve.

The poet married other wives when he was already blind, so he needed them more as nurses and nannies for children from his first marriage.

It was based on the not very successful, but rich experience of family life that the author described the marriage of the first people. In his interpretation, Adam is an ideal father and spouse. He loves his wife immensely, and is ready to commit suicide to save future children.

Eve (in Milton's understanding) is the main root of all family troubles. In general, she is shown as a good heroine, but too lustful. It's hard to look at this without a smile. After all, for the first time the writer got married at 34, then at 48 and 55. Moreover, both of the last wives were 30 years younger than him. It is not surprising that the writer considered his spouses unnecessarily lustful, although in this case it was only the natural desires of young women.

Analyzing the "Paradise Lost" by John Milton, one cannot fail to mention the issue of world order. The poet was one of the most educated people of his era and, of course, was interested in the structure of the universe. At that time, there was a heated debate about which of the systems corresponds to reality: Copernicus (heliocentric) or Ptolemy (where the Earth was in the center of the universe). Since the answer has not yet been found, Milton leaves the question open in Paradise Lost, although it concerns him.

Summary of "Paradise Returned" by Milton

After reviewing the summary of Milton's "Paradise Lost" and analyzing it, you should find out what the continuation of the poem is about - Paradise Regained.

This book consists of only 4 chapters. They colorfully describe the story of the temptation of Christ by Satan and His victory.

Unlike the first book, this one was more like a religious treatise that Milton often wrote in his youth. By the way, it was her impressive dissimilarity to the boldness and lightness of Paradise Lost that gave rise to rumors that the author of Paradise Lost was someone else.

Selected quotes from Paradise Lost

One of the reasons for such an overwhelming popularity of the poem was not only its diverse plot and rich images, but also its beautiful syllable.

The following are some of the most famous quotes from Milton's Paradise Lost:

• "And even in hell, But it is still worth reigning, for it is better to reign in hell than to be a slave in heaven ...". By the way, this phrase is a free interpretation of the famous quote of Julius Caesar: “Better to be the first in the village than the second in the city (Rome).
• "Everywhere in Hell I will be. Hell - I myself."
• "Maybe we will gain new strength in hope, if not, despair will inspire us."
• "Whether in suffering or in struggle, woe to the weak"
• "Oh, human disgrace! Harmony reigns among the damned demons, but a man, a creature possessing consciousness, makes strife with his own kind."
• "So why desire something that we cannot achieve by force, but as a handout, we ourselves will not take it?"
• "But everywhere I see the same source of all human evil - women!"

I will cry for the earthly and in paradise,
I am old words when we meet again
I will not hide it.

Where hosts of angels fly harmoniously
Where are the harps, lilies and children's choir,
Where everything is calm, I will be restless
To catch your eye.

Seeing heavenly visions with a grin,
Alone in the circle of innocent strict virgins,
I will sing, earthly and alien,
Earthly tune!

The memory is too heavy on the shoulders
There will come a moment - I will not hide my tears ...
Neither here nor there - there is no need to meet anywhere,
And we will not wake up in paradise for meetings!

Analysis of Tsvetaeva's poem "In Paradise"

The early lyrics of Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva are uncompromising and categorical. She puts her own feelings above all else, the earthly is definitely dearer to her than the heavenly.

The poem was written in 1910. The poetess is 18 years old at this time, her debut collection has already been released, which attracted the sympathetic attention of V. Bryusov. It was he, by the way, who advised her to take part in the literary competition. By genre - love lyrics with philosophical overtones, in size - iambic with cross rhyme, 4 stanzas. The lyrical heroine is the author herself. The composition is circular. The intonation, as always, is rebellious. Nothing is known about any strong love interest of M. Tsvetaeva of that time, perhaps it was getting used to the image of a passionately loving woman, a mask that was almost adhered to the girl's face.

Each stanza contains a refrain with variations: "I will mourn for earthly things in paradise." Earthly, old, from mortal life - this is what she knows, understands, loves. Here and now. "Harps, Lilies and Children's Choir": a Catholic vision of paradise. However, she studied at a Catholic school in Europe for some time. Popular, sugary images. But is paradise to blame for being portrayed as such? "To catch your eye": a passionate nature eagerly seeks mutual absorption, dissolution in each other. The constant stubborn antithesis: everything is calm, I will be restless. "Seeing off the visions of heaven with a grin": she secured the superior world for herself, therefore she is impudent. He even believes that paradise is a courtyard where everyone is taken and everyone is left to themselves. “Earthly and alien”: why does she place herself here? Perhaps the heroine is sure that her chosen one will definitely be in paradise, which means that she is his beloved. "I will not hide my tears": it seems that her hero hurt her. Therefore - "there is no need to meet anywhere." The motive of death is like a dream. And the final chord: we won't wake up in paradise for meetings. What for? The poetess does not explain; she probably should have thought it over herself. Most likely, the hurt heart is simply speaking here. There is a curious parallel with K. Balmont's poem “I would not like to live in paradise”. Similar moods and views are presented, but the poet honestly names his own. Anaphora: lines 1 and 13, where. Epithets: innocently strict, slender. Metaphor: catch the eye. A couple of exclamations and a plaintive line with ellipses.

The work "In Paradise" by M. Tsvetaeva took part in a creative competition organized by V. Bryusov in 1910.

He dreamed of creating an epic poem that would glorify the English people. Initially, he thought of writing a religious epic. The very idea of \u200b\u200bthe poem was closely related to puritanical religious art.

In the 1630s, the plan for Milton's epic canvas changed. This reflects the ideological development of the poet: the concept took on a more concrete national character... Milton wanted to create "Arthuriade" - an epic that would revive the plots of the novels " Round table", Would praise the exploits of the legendary king arthur - the leader of the British tribes in their struggle against the Anglo-Saxon invasion.

However, neither in the 1630s nor in the 1640s, John Milton was unable to begin to implement the idea of \u200b\u200ban epic poem. Only the experience of the 1650s - 1660s helped him create (1658-1667) the poem Paradise Lost, which he thought about for many years.

John Milton. Portrait approx. 1629

The poem "Paradise Lost" analyzed here consists of 12 songs (Milton calls them books), it contains about 11 thousand verses. It was written in the so-called "blank verse", close to the Russian iambic pentameter.

In the 1660s, after the end of the English Revolution and the restoration of the Stuarts, Milton, with the whole concept of his poem, wanted to call not for an uprising against reaction, but for the collection of spiritual forces, moral, moral improvement.

Russian critic Belinsky called John Milton's poem "the apotheosis of rebellion against authority", stressing that the revolutionary pathos of the poem is most vividly expressed in the image of Satan. This was the contradiction of the poem: the rebel and proud Satan, defeated, but continuing to take revenge on God, had to become a repulsive character, had to cause the reader's condemnation, and he undoubtedly turned out to be the most powerful image of the poem. Milton wanted to poeticize the idea of \u200b\u200bmoral improvement, but Paradise Lost was perceived as a call to courage and continue to fight.

Milton's poem also has a peculiar sense of historicism. Milton shows that people, having left paradise and deprived of those idyllic happy conditions in which they lived before the "fall," entered a new, higher period of their development. The careless inhabitants of the "garden of God" have become thinking, working, developing people.

Milton Paradise Lost. Satan descends to earth. Artist G. Dore

Analysis shows that Paradise Lost is primarily a struggle poem. No wonder Milton at the beginning of the ninth book confidently says that he chose a plot more significant and heroic than any of his predecessors who turned to the epic genre. Indeed, Paradise Lost is a heroic epic created by a poet who, although he did not personally participate in the wars of his time, managed to show the formidable element of war, its terrible and bloody labor, and not only the ceremonial battles of heroes, glorified the courage and valor of his contemporaries ...

The epic features of Paradise Lost are not only in a lengthy description of the weapons and clothing of the warring parties, but also in the well-known hyperbolism (this applies especially to Satan), and in parallelism (God, his peers, his army - and Satan, his peers, his army ), and in the way Satan begins to speak three times, addressing the army, and is silent three times.

In Paradise Lost, the system of comparisons is also epic. Describing his characters, John Milton often resorts to detailed epic comparisons that are widely used in the poems of Homer and Virgil. So, in the second book of the poem, Satan is compared with the fleet, griffin, ship Argo, Ulysses (Odysseus), again with a ship.

But not only giant battle scenes fascinated Milton. For all their effectiveness, they were only ingenious versions of already existing battle scenes known from other epics. Bringing Paradise Lost to a decisive battle between good and evil in the ninth book, Milton abandoned epic battle poetics and showed this battle not in the form of a new cosmic battle, but in dialogues and monologues of people. The battlefield is the sunlit meadows of Eden, and it is not the trumpets of the seraphim, not the roar of rushing chariots, but the chirping of birds.

Moving from a cosmic scale to a description of human psychology, making the analysis of the spiritual world of the heroes the main object of the image, John Milton deduced Paradise Lost from the channel of the epic. Until now, as it should be in the epic, the events still prevailed over the characters. But a lot changes in the ninth book. An epic prehistory (for, after all, Raphael's story about Satan is only a prehistory) gives way to an acute dramatic conflict, during which the very essence of man changes. The hero of epics of the 16th - 17th centuries does not tend to change. It is a holistic, complete image, an expression of an established social tradition. But Milton is striving precisely to show how the heroes of the poem have changed as a result of the events taking place. Adam and Eve, expelled from paradise, rise to a new, higher level of humanity.

In the ninth and partly tenth books of Paradise Lost, the dramatic element prevails over the epic. The transformation of an idyllic man into a tragic hero, a way out of the pastoral to a harsh reality (and this is the main theme of Milton's epic) takes place here. At the same time, Milton pays special attention to describing the experiences of Adam and Eve at the time of an acute crisis.

The speech characteristics of the characters are closely related to the dramatic beginning of Paradise Lost. The presence of such characteristics makes Milton's portrait art even more distinctive.

Speaking about the oratory abilities of Satan, John Milton accuses him of deceitful sophistry of speech. This is evidenced not only by Satan's magnificent political philippics, purposeful and inspiring, but also by his conversation with Eve; the tempter's speech is clothed in an irreproachable secular form. Satan in every possible way emphasizes his admiration for Eve - a woman, a "lady". He surrounds Eve with mystical eroticism, calls her "the sovereign", "the heaven of tenderness", "the goddess among the gods", "the lady above all."

A well-known contrast between the oratorical and literary organized speech of Satan is Adam's speech in Paradise Lost - relatively poor in vocabulary, but laconic and expressive. In it, Milton tries to analyze the spiritual world of that sincere and yet inexperienced being, which was his man before the "fall."

But the special expressiveness of the speech portrait of Satan proves once again that, despite Milton's plan, it was Satan who was the most poetic character in the poem, and provided the author with material for creating a truly significant artistic image.

In Paradise Lost, it's not just humans who fight. The forces of nature constantly collide with each other.

When analyzing the poem, it is immediately striking that her poems and nature are closely related. The heroes are always keenly aware of nature: for example, Satan suffers in hellish fire and becomes even darker among the dull expanses and mountains of hell. Straining all his strength, he overcomes the cosmic spaces of chaos in order to defeat nature, and softens at the sight of Eden, whose beauty is constantly praised by the first people.

Nature in Milton's Paradise Lost is not just the backdrop against which the characters act; it changes along with the moods and feelings of the characters in the poem. Thus, in accordance with the chaos of passions seething in the soul of Satan, the world of chaos is revealed, which he overcomes on the way to Eden. The pastoral harmony that surrounds people still sinless is replaced by a tragic picture of turmoil and destruction that burst into the world after the "fall" of the first people - this is a cosmic parallel to the deplorable and humiliating strife between Adam and Eve, reproaching each other.

How varied and concrete in Paradise Lost are the gloomy landscapes of hell and the fantastic booths of paradise, so colorless are the scenery of the sky, against which the puritanical abstractions of God and his son move. No amount of astronomical or cosmogonic contrivances helped John Milton to make these sets majestic. Their artificiality becomes especially noticeable next to the picturesque darkness of hell and the lush abundance of Eden.

Along with the elements of epic and drama, the author's digressions play an important role in Paradise Lost. They express the personality of a poet, a participant in fierce class battles; they dissect the stream of epic descriptions, emphasizing the ideological significance of certain parts of the poem in the development of a general concept.

The poet's worldview was formed in the fire of the revolutionary struggle. The revolutionary era also determined the peculiarities of his epic: a variegated style, tending to the synthesis of genres. However, Milton's attempts to create a new synthetic genre were not crowned with complete success.

The religious and historical content of Paradise Lost is in irreconcilable contradiction. This is reflected in the sharp difference between images based on reality and allegorical images expressing a religious and ethical idea. The latter are close to the complex allegories characteristic of John Milton's analytical prose.

Taking care that the abstract concept would materialize as visibly and realistically as possible, Milton piled up the comparison in Paradise Lost for comparison.

So, for example, he found the comparison of the defeated armies of Satan falling from the sky with leaves torn off by the autumn wind insufficiently expressive, and he strengthened it by comparing it with the Egyptian hordes that died in the Red Sea. Satan himself is a comet, a thundercloud, a wolf, and a thief. The same Satan, having reached Eden and rejoicing at the end of the journey, makes several merry volts before descending - he tumbles before committing an evil deed! One of his sudden magical transformations is likened to the explosion of a gunpowder store.

John Milton is a famous public figure, journalist and poet who became famous during the 17th century English Revolution. His influence on the development of journalism is undeniable, but his contribution to culture was not limited to this. He wrote a brilliant epic poem where Satan was first depicted, whom one wants to sympathize with. This is how the archetype, extremely popular in our time, was born, beloved by directors, writers and their large public. It is known that John Milton was a believer and well versed in the Bible, but it should also be remembered that he interpreted the Bible texts in his own way. The poet did not completely alter the legends, he only supplemented them. Paradise Lost, in this respect, is the best example.

The name "Satan" is translated from Hebrew as "adversary", "to be an adversary." In religion, he is the first opponent of heavenly forces, personifies the highest evil. However, if the authors of the gospels portray him as an ugly and vicious demon for whom evil is an end in itself, then Milton endows his hero with reasonable and even just motives that inspired him to overthrow the Lord. Sataniel, of course, is vain and proud, it is difficult to call him a positive hero, but his revolutionary ardor, courage, frankness captivate the reader, makes him doubt the expediency of divine judgment. In addition, judging by the speaking name of Lucifer and the omniscience of God, we can conclude that the heavenly father specifically created a rebellious spirit in order to arrange a demonstrative reprisal and strengthen his power. Agree, it's hard to deceive the ruler, who knows everything about everyone, which means that this rebellion was planned by the Creator, and the Devil, as a victim of circumstances, is even more pity.

Milton, in Paradise Lost, addresses the topic of opposition, showing the antagonism of Satan. The writer often calls him the Enemy. It is well established in human consciousness that the stronger the enemy of the Lord, the more powerful the last of them. The writer represents the Archangel before his fall not only as the Archangel, but also as the greatest commander, capable of managing everything and everyone, including a third of God's troops. The author also emphasizes the power of the main opponent of the Almighty: "In anxiety, all his strength strained", "Straightening up to his full gigantic height," etc.

Milton, being a revolutionary, could not recognize autocracy, monarchy. He initially represents the Devil as the main fighter against the tyranny of the Creator, assigning the former the title of such a “hero”. In spite of everything, he goes to his goal. But the poet does not allow him to go beyond the clearly defined framework and reflect on other options for existence in this world.

Nevertheless, Milton's Enemy has human qualities, possibly remaining from the time of serving God: "Him to be executed the most bitter: to sorrow // About irrevocable happiness and thought // About eternal torment ..."

The prince of darkness, in spite of everything, acts according to the will of the Father, who knows everything that he will take three steps forward. But even when struck, the Lord of Shadows does not give up, so he deserves respect. Even after being overthrown into Hell, he says that it is better to be the ruler of the underworld than a servant in heaven.

Milton showed Evil, which, in spite of everything, will not betray its beliefs, even going forever into darkness. For this, the image of Satan was so liked by the creative intelligentsia, which again and again devotes outstanding works to him.

Satan Milton and Prometheus Aeschylus - what do they have in common?

Around 444-443 BC, the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus wrote the famous tragedy "Prometheus Chained". It told the story of a titan close to the throne of Zeus, who suffered at the hands of God because of his beliefs.

Drawing an analogy, we can say that Milton created Satan in the image and likeness of the hero Aeschylus. Being pinned to a rock, the eternal torment that a bird devouring the liver delivers to the body, overthrowing into tartare cannot shake the strength of the giant's spirit and make him come to terms with God's tyranny. Nectars, feasts, pleasure, life on Olympus have no meaning for the freedom-loving giant, because this is possible only on condition of absolute obedience to the Thunder God.

Titan is rebelling against the omnipotent and unquestioning power for the sake of freedom, like Lucifer in Paradise Lost. Unwillingness to submit to the Creator, striving for the will, pride that does not allow dominion over oneself - after all, all this was reflected in Milton's Devil. Both the Enemy and Prometheus, before their riots, were close to the Lord. Once overthrown, they remain true to their views.

Both characters, the majestic giant, the Archenemy, gain their independence in defeat. They themselves arrange heaven from hell, and from heaven - darkness ...

Biblical motives

Biblical motives are, in a way, the core for many literary works. At different times, they, one way or another, are interpreted, filled with new details, but their essence always remains the same.

Milton for the first time violates the interpretations of Old Testament subjects accepted in society, thereby deviating from church dogmas. The era of revolutions, changes in lifestyles, values \u200b\u200band concepts - all this and much more makes us look differently at good and evil, shown in the images of the Almighty and the Devil.

Oppositions: good - evil, light - darkness, Father - Lucifer - this is what Milton's play is based on. Scenes from the Garden of Eden are intertwined with the description of the war between the troops of the Enemy and the angels. The torment of Eve, seduced by the persuasion of the Evil Spirit, is replaced by a series of episodes in which the suffering of future people is depicted.

The poet dresses the Prince of Darkness in a snake, shows him angry and vindictive, pleasing the church, but at the same time he also emphasizes the majesty of his figure. Portraying the main enemy of the Creator, the poet goes beyond the biblical framework. Milton's God is not a positive hero, he stands for complete and unquestioning obedience, while Lucifer strives for freedom and knowledge, like the first people. The author changed the motive of seduction: in his opinion, it was not a deception that took place, but the insight of a person who also chose independence and knowledge.

In addition to the rebellion of Bes, Paradise Lost also features the story of Adam and Eve. In the center of the work is a picture of the successful seduction and fall of God's creation. But, despite the Demon's luck, the Almighty wins, giving people a chance for correction.

Outwardly, the poem looks like holy scripture. However, the images of the Archenemy and the Father, their battles are far from similar to the Old Testament legends. For example, medieval dreamers and Christians endowed Satan with disgusting features, which we cannot see in Milton.

In the Bible, the serpent, the most cunning of all animals created by the Lord, was engaged in seducing people, and in the poem this task was assigned to Satan, who turned into an animal.

Based on the foregoing, we can say that Milton took the Sacred plot as the basis of his creation and supplemented it with brighter elements.

The story of Adam and Eve

One of the main plot lines of "Paradise Lost" is the well-known story of the human fall.

Satan decides to destroy the purest and holy place on earth - the Garden of Eden, in order to subdue the first earthly people. Turning a snake, he seduces Eve, who, having tasted the forbidden fruit, shares it with Adam.

Milton, following the biblical story, believes that having tasted the fruit offered by Satan, mankind began its thorny path in divine forgiveness, but it is worth noting that the poet does not recognize sin in his deed. He puts a philosophical meaning into this story, showing life before and after sinning.

Grace in the Garden of Eden, purity and purity, lack of hassle, excitement, constant ignorance - this is how people lived before they tasted the apple of discord. After the deed, a new, completely different world opens up to a person. Being expelled, God's children discovered a reality familiar to us, in which cruelty reigns, and difficulties await at every corner. The poet wanted to show that the collapse of Eden was inevitable. He believed that paradise life is an illusion, it does not correspond to the truth of the essence of man. Before the Fall, their existence was incomplete, for example, they did not pay attention to their nakedness and did not have physical attraction to each other. After that, that love close to our understanding woke up in them.

Milton shows that in exile people acquired what they did not have before - knowledge, passion, reason.

The question of "free will" in the work

The Bible speaks of the Fall, as a violation of God's main commandment, the disobedience of man, which gave rise to the expulsion from Eden. Milton's reading of this story shows sin as the loss of immortality by people, but at the same time, the preservation of free thinking and reason, which often serve for evil to man. However, it is his right to turn them anywhere.

The work touches on the issue of human misfortune. Milton finds them in the human past, saying that he believes in independence and intelligence that will help people get rid of all troubles.

Adam in the work is endowed with beauty, intelligence, a rich inner world, in which there is a place for passion, feelings, as well as free will. He has the right to choose. It is thanks to this factor that a young man can share the punishment for disobedience with his beloved and receive complete free will.

Milton shows the Fall as the realization of the freedom of choice that God gave to people. By choosing a godly lifestyle, a person will be able to regain Paradise and atone for original sin.

Image of Adam

Adam was the first man created by the Almighty, and he is also the progenitor of all human race.

The author shows him to be courageous, wise, courageous and also charming. In general, the forefather in Paradise Lost is presented as a judicious and beneficent shepherd of Eve, who is weaker than him both physically and intellectually.

The poet did not pass by and inner world hero. He is a projection of divine harmony: an orderly and imperfect world full of creative energy. Adam even gives the impression of a bore, but he is unspoiled and correct: he listens to angels and knows no doubts.

Milton, unlike other writers, did not consider man to be a toy in the hands of God. The poet extols the protagonist's sense of "free will", saying that it helps people move forward.

However, next to celestial beings, the image of the "royal" progenitor of people, created by the Miltons, is lost. Talking to the angels, he is shown as an inquiring person, or, moreover, a voiceless person. The feeling of "free will" invested in the hero dissolves, and Adam is ready to agree with everything that the angels tell him. For example, during a conversation with Raphael about the universe, the archangel abruptly interrupts his questions, talking about his human nature and that he should not try to learn the secrets of the universe.

We see a person who contains all the best: courage, "free will", courage, charm, discretion. At the same time, he trembles before the mighty of this world, does not reiterate them and cherishes in his heart the readiness to forever remain a slave to illusions. Only Eve breathed into him the determination to resist the authority of the Creator.

The image of Heaven and Hell in the poem

In Milton's poem, nature plays a direct role in all its diversity. It changes along with the feelings of the characters. For example, during a calm and carefree life in Eden, harmony in the world is shown, but as soon as people transgress God's command, chaos and destruction come to the world.

But the most contrasting is the image of Paradise and Hell. How gloomy and gloomy is shown Hell, so impersonal and gray against its background Heaven looks. No amount of contrivance helped Milton to make the scenery of the kingdom of God bright and colorful.

However, it should be noted that the image of Eden is much more beautiful and more detailed than the description of the Heavenly Kingdom. Much attention was paid to the nature of earthly Paradise: tall trees intertwined with crowns, an abundance of various fruits and animals. And also, fresh air, "Which even the Ocean - the old man ... enjoys." The garden constantly demanded the care of its inhabitants, so the first people can claim the title of the first collective farmers in history: they, too, were not paid money and were given a salary with food. Such a vacuous and monotonous life abhorrent to the author, therefore he is hell for the liberation of people.

Milton portrayed a gloomy, but at the same time wonderful Hell, as well as a bright and no less magnificent Paradise. The naked eye can see how huge and immense the palette of colors contributes to the description of these two worlds.

The problem of personalization of the "devil" in world culture

The first mention of Satan dates back to about the 6th century, this is the image of the Devil on a fresco in Egypt. There he was shown as an ordinary angel, no different from others.

At the turn of the millennium, attitudes towards him changed dramatically. This happened due to the fact that intimidation was the simplest method to attach believers to their faith. The Church instilled hatred and fear towards the Demon, therefore appearance should have been disgusting.

In the Middle Ages, the life of a commoner, oppressed from all sides by the church and the government, one way or another, forced a person to rush into the arms of a fallen angel, to find, albeit an evil one, a friend or ally. Poverty, hunger, plague and much more led to the creation of the cult of the Devil. In addition, the servants of the church also contributed by not being pious.

This era was replaced by the Renaissance, which was able to destroy the already established image of the Enemy - a monster.

Milton delivered the Devil from horns and hooves, made him a majestic and powerful fallen angel. It is this idea of \u200b\u200bthe Enemy of God that the poet gave us that is firmly entrenched in the minds of people. Based on the Bible, the author calls him the "Prince of Darkness", emphasizing or even exaggerating his rebellion against God. Also, in the image of the Enemy, despotism, imperiousness, arrogance are emphasized. He was overwhelmed with pride and vanity. Satan rebelled against the Lord, but destroyed the entire human race. Although ... how to say? Milton believes that he killed that reptile and insecure collective farmer, who did not really live, but served as a goldfish in an aquarium. But he created the person whom we all know for ourselves: a multifaceted personality with a contradictory and complex character, capable of something more than agricultural labor.

The author humanized the Dark Lord, endowing him with human qualities: selfishness, pride, desire to rule and unwillingness to obey. So he changed the concept of Evil, laid down by the Church and theorists of religion. In addition, if we assume that the Devil is a victim of God's predestination, a whipping boy, then we already begin to empathize with him, since we feel the same deceived and abandoned. That is, the image of Lucifer became so real and human-like that it became close to writers and readers.

We all remember the charming and original Lucifers: Goethe's Mephistopheles, Devil's Advocate, Woland Bulgakov, Devil's Apprentice Bernard Shaw, Bryusov's Fire Angel, Aleister Crowley's Lucifer, Capital Noise MC, Henry Wilde's Lord. All of them do not inspire fear, rather, they attract and inspire their truth, and, moreover, very convincingly. Sometimes it seems to us that they are the true bearers of justice. Evil gives freedom of thought and fantasy, and it is much easier and more pleasant to approach its standards than kneeling in the status of a servant of God. The devil conquers with cynicism, undisguised pride and an eternal spirit of contradiction that captivates critical people. God, like everything positive and too limited by moral prohibitions, is less popular among the people, especially in the era of postmodernism, when unbelief has become the norm of life and is not persecuted, and religious propaganda has weakened. The problem of personification of the devil in world culture lies in the ambiguity of the interpretation of the image of Satan, in the human craving for the forbidden. Evil looks more attractive, more understandable and closer than good, and artists cannot get rid of this effect.

Interesting? Keep it on your wall!

Author of the poem, Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva, poet Silver Age, does not apply to any literary direction... The poem "In Paradise" was included in the second collection "The Magic Lantern" (1912). The story of the creation of the poem, recreated by Tsvetaeva herself and commented on by A. Sahakyants, is curious. "In Paradise" was sent to a competition organized by Bryusov (lines from Pushkin's "Feast during the Plague" were given as a theme: "But Jenny will not leave Edmond even in heaven"). As Tsvetaeva insisted, the poem was written before the competition was announced. But even if this is so, then, when sending her work to the competition organized by Bryusov, Tsvetaeva could not help but enter into a kind of dispute-dialogue with him.
Of course, one cannot be sure that Tsvetaeva remembered Bryusov's 1903 poem "To the Close", which, however, was also included in "Ways and Crossroads", but at the level of studying the similarities and differences in the poetics of two artists, it is possible to compare Tsvetaeva's "In Paradise" and the named poem by Bryusov. Both works - Bryusov in to a greater extent, Tsvetaevskoe in the lesser - go back to the genre of a love message. In both, there is a similarity in the theme: reflections on love that has stepped over death. The topic itself is not new for world lyricism, but a favorite of the Symbolists and Bryusov. In Bryusov's poem, the earthly appears as "the past", the soul - "transformed", "from all conditions of being ... detached." A traditional lyric situation arises: the lyrical hero, whose world is crowned with "bottomless heights", calls to his beloved and she answers the call from the abyss. So love and space are equal in size.
Tsvetaeva deals with this topic in a completely different way. If the lyrical hero of Bryusov "shakes off the past," then the past has not lost its power over the lyric hero Tsvetaeva: "Memories are too pressing on the shoulders, I will cry about the earthly and in paradise." Tsvetaeva declares her commitment to the earthly. And the ending of Tsvetaeva's poem is completely unexpected. Bryusov's thoughts on death were supposed to emphasize the power of love lyrical heroTsvetaeva stresses the tragic doom of love both in the earthly world and in a kind of non-existence: "Neither here, nor there - there is no need to meet anywhere, And we will not wake up in paradise for meetings!"
However, in its system of techniques "In Paradise" is in many respects similar to the Symbolist lyrics in general and to Bryusov's lyrics, in particular. This was reflected in the use of the repetition of the initial line from the first stanza in the last stanza ("The memory presses the shoulders too much ..."), and in the widespread light hand Bryusov's rhythmic interruption in the last line of the first three stanzas. Tsvetaeva resorts to cross-rhyming quatrains, but the second and fourth lines do not coincide, the last one seems to be truncated:

Where hosts of angels fly gracefully

Where are the harps, lilies and children's choir,

Where everyone is calm, I go restlessly

To catch your eye.

Subsequently, Tsvetaeva will do it, interrupting one of her most important techniques, thereby giving Russian "book" poetry a new quality, bringing it closer to folk versification, but genetically this technique will go back to Bryusov.

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