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Characters · 10
Adam
Adam is the first man and co-protagonist of Paradise Lost, created by God from the dust of the earth and positioned as the sovereign lord of Eden alongside Eve.
character
Beelzebub
Beelzebub is Satan's right-hand angel in John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), acting as the chief lieutenant whose main role is to bolster Satan's authority while pushing the story toward humanity's downfall.
character
Death
Death is a symbolic figure in John Milton's Paradise Lost, introduced in Book II as the monstrous child of Satan and Sin.
character
Eve
Eve is the second human created by God and serves as the emotional and moral center of Paradise Lost's tragic narrative.
character
God the Father
God the Father is the all-knowing, all-powerful ruler of Milton's universe, seated above the crystal spheres in the Empyrean.
character
Michael
Michael is an archangel and one of Heaven's top military commanders in John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667).
character
Raphael
Raphael is the "sociable Spirit" and divine messenger sent by God to Eden in Books V–VIII to warn Adam and Eve about Satan's presence and to share the story of the War in Heaven and the Creation.
character
Satan
Satan serves as the central anti-hero and primary antagonist of the epic, once an archangel whose pride and envy of God's authority spark the war in Heaven and propel the entire narrative of Paradise Lost.
character
Sin
Sin is a symbolic character in John Milton's Paradise Lost, representing the physical manifestation of transgression.
character
The Son (Christ)
The Son (Christ) is the second figure in the divine hierarchy in John Milton's Paradise Lost.
character
Key quotes · 12
“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n.”
This bold statement is made by Satan in Book I of John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), where he rallies his fellow fallen angels on the fiery lake of Hell after their disastrous defeat and banishment from Heaven.
Satan · Book I
“The world was all before them, where to choose their place of rest, and Providence their guide.”
These closing lines of Paradise Lost come from the epic narrator, reflecting on Adam and Eve as they leave the Garden of Eden after their expulsion in Book XII.
Epic Narrator · Book XII
“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”
This bold statement is made by Satan in Book I of John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), directed at his fellow fallen angel Beelzebub while they lie vanquished in the fiery lake of Hell after their failed revolt against God.
Satan · Book I
“The childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day.”
This line comes from the archangel Michael in Book XII of John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667).
The Archangel Michael · Book XII
“What hath night to do with sleep?”
This line is spoken by Comus, the villainous sorcerer, in John Milton's masque-like epic Paradise Lost.
Comus (reflective of Satan's voice in Paradise Lost) · A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle (Comus), line 122; thematically echoed in Paradise Lost
“Awake, arise, or be for ever fall'n.”
This powerful command comes from Satan in Book I of John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), directed at his fellow fallen angels who are left defeated and dazed on the burning lake of Hell after being cast out of Heaven.
Satan · Book I
“Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.”
This line is spoken by Satan in John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), located in Book II as Satan prepares for his dangerous journey out of Hell toward the newly created world.
Satan · Book II
“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great! She who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
This quote doesn’t actually come from John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667).
An angel (second angel) · Revelation 14:8 (Bible)
“Of Man's first disobedience, and the fruit of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste brought death into the world, and all our woe.”
These lines introduce John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (1667) and are delivered by the epic narrator (Milton himself, following the classical tradition of invoking the muse).
Epic Narrator (Milton) · Book I
“Revenge, at first though sweet, bitter ere long back on itself recoils.”
This line is spoken by Satan in John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), specifically in Book IX.
Satan · Book IX
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”
This quote is often mistakenly attributed to John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), but it doesn't actually appear in that epic poem.
Misattributed — likely John O'Donohue, not John Milton
“They also serve who only stand and wait.”
This line is actually the closing line of John Milton's sonnet "On His Blindness" (Sonnet XIX, c. 1655), not from Paradise Lost.
John Milton (the poetic persona) · Sonnet XIX – "On His Blindness"
Symbols · 6
Light and Darkness
In Paradise Lost, John Milton's epic poem, light and darkness serve as the main moral and theological symbols throughout the work.
Satan's Armor and Weapons
In Paradise Lost, Satan's armor and weapons reflect the empty grandeur of pride and the self-defeating nature of rebellion.
The Forbidden Fruit
In Paradise Lost, John Milton uses the forbidden fruit to represent the dangerous appeal of unchecked ambition, disobedience, and the human urge to push beyond the limits set by God.
The Garden of Eden
In John Milton's Paradise Lost, the Garden of Eden represents perfect innocence, divine order, and a harmonious relationship between humanity and God.
The Scales of Heaven
In Paradise Lost, the Scales of Heaven — the golden balance that God hangs in the sky — represent divine justice, cosmic order, and the inevitable failure of Satan's rebellion.
The Tree of Knowledge
In John Milton's Paradise Lost, the Tree of Knowledge symbolizes forbidden wisdom, divine authority, and the tricky line between obedience and freedom.
Literary devices · 12
Epic Poem
Paradise Lost is the defining epic in English, intentionally placing itself alongside the works of Homer and Virgil.
Blank Verse
Milton writes exclusively in unrhymed iambic pentameter, which he defends in his prefatory note as 'English heroic verse without the bondage of rhyme.'
Extended Metaphor
Milton's extended metaphors, known as conceits, draw comparisons that stretch over several lines.
Simile
The Homeric or epic simile stands out as Milton's most recognizable stylistic feature.
Enjambment
Milton employs enjambment throughout his work to convey meaning through the movement of lines.
Allusion
Paradise Lost is rich with allusions to classical, biblical, and historical themes, adding depth to the poem's moral landscape.
Personification
Milton brings abstract forces to life as vivid characters.
Imagery
Milton's imagery is strikingly visual, a fact that seems almost ironic given his blindness.
Apostrophe
Satan's soliloquy in Book IV starts with him directly addressing the sun: 'O thou that with surpassing glory crowned / Look'st from thy sole dominion like the God / Of this new world.'
Paradox
Paradox plays a crucial role in Paradise Lost, extending beyond mere decoration to a theological dimension.
Motif
The motif of falling—both literal and metaphorical—runs through every book.
Irony
Milton uses dramatic irony with striking effectiveness.
Vocabulary · 28
darkness visible
A paradox describing a kind of light so faint it reveals only suffering rather than anything hopeful — just enough illumination to see how terrible the surroundings are.
phrase · Chapter 1
reign
To rule as a king or supreme lord over a place or people, holding absolute power and authority.
verb · Chapter 1
revolted
Having risen up in armed rebellion against a ruler; here describing the angels who turned against God and fought on Satan's side.
adjective · Chapter 5
Coeternal
Existing from eternity alongside something else, with no beginning and no end — used here to describe holy Light as equally eternal with God.
adjective · Chapter 3
unblam'd
Without incurring blame or sin; the poet asks whether he may speak of holy Light without committing an act of presumption or impiety.
adjective · Chapter 3
foreknew
Knew something before it happened; God's knowing in advance that the angels would rebel, without that knowledge being the cause of their choice.
verb · Chapter 3
Foreknowledge
The divine ability to know future events before they occur; in this poem it is distinguished from predestination — knowing an act is not the same as causing it.
noun · Chapter 3
Account me
Reckon or count me as; the Son asks God to treat him as a human being so that he can stand in for humanity and bear its punishment.
phrase · Chapter 3
Imparadised
Placed in a state of perfect bliss, as if enclosed in paradise; used here to describe Adam and Eve so absorbed in each other's embrace that they form their own paradise.
verb · Chapter 4
Diurnal Sphere
The daily-revolving sky visible from Earth — the observable heavens that complete one full turn every twenty-four hours, as opposed to the infinite cosmos beyond.
phrase · Chapter 5
rapt
Carried away or lifted up to a higher realm, as if snatched there by divine force; the poet says he sings from Earth rather than being transported above the heavens.
adjective · Chapter 5
sublime
Lofty, exalted, and majestic in the highest degree; here describing the Son riding high and gloriously through the heavens on a cherub's wings.
adjective · Chapter 6
crystalline sky
In the Ptolemaic cosmology Milton uses, one of the transparent, glassy spheres that surround the Earth and carry the heavenly bodies in their orbits.
phrase · Chapter 6
verge
The extreme edge or brink of something; here the very rim or boundary of Heaven from which the defeated rebel angels hurl themselves downward.
noun · Chapter 6
delineate
To describe or represent something in clear detail; Raphael says he will sketch out things beyond human senses by comparing them to physical, bodily forms.
verb · Chapter 7
corporal
Relating to the physical body and material world, as opposed to what is spiritual or immaterial; used to describe the bodily forms Raphael uses as comparisons.
adjective · Chapter 7
Embryon immature
An undeveloped, unformed mass still in its earliest stage; Milton describes the newborn Earth as an embryo not yet fully shaped, still wrapped in water.
phrase · Chapter 7
Matin
A morning song or hymn of praise; here the music sung at dawn on the sixth day of Creation, welcoming the morning and celebrating God's work.
noun · Chapter 7
surmounts
Goes beyond or exceeds the limits of something; here it means lying above and outside what human senses are capable of perceiving or understanding.
verb · Chapter 7
lowly wise
Wise in a humble, modest way — knowing only what is necessary and proper for one's own condition, without reaching ambitiously after forbidden or excessive knowledge.
phrase · Chapter 8
transported
Carried completely out of one's normal self by an overwhelming emotion; Adam describes being so overcome by passion for Eve that his usual self-command vanishes.
adjective · Chapter 8
Rural repast
A simple meal eaten in a country or garden setting; Milton refers to the easy, familiar meals God or angels once shared with Adam in Eden before the Fall.
phrase · Chapter 9
forgo
To give up or do without something valued; Adam asks how he could possibly live without Eve's company and love if she were to die from eating the fruit.
verb · Chapter 9
Enmity
Deep, lasting hatred and hostility between two parties; God declares an eternal state of mutual hatred between the serpent's offspring and the woman's descendants.
noun · Chapter 10
solicit
To ask or beg for something earnestly; Adam protests that he never asked or pleaded with God to create him and give him life.
verb · Chapter 10
degenerate
To decline from a higher to a lower moral or physical state; Michael warns Adam that future generations will fall away from virtue into corruption.
verb · Chapter 11
deprav'd
Morally corrupted and wicked; describing humanity as having sunk into a state of deep moral ruin after abandoning justice, temperance, truth, and faith.
adjective · Chapter 11
Providence
God's guiding care and foresight over human affairs; the force that will direct Adam and Eve's path through the world after they leave Eden.
noun · Chapter 12