JohnMilton

(1608—1674)JohnMilton(1608—1674)

thegreatestEnglishrevolutionaryandpuritanpoetofthe17thcenturyHisLifeborninarichpuritanfamilyin1608AttheageoftwelveMiltonwaseducatedatStPaul'sSchool.FiveyearslaterheenteredChrist'sCollege,Cambridge.Aftergraduationin1632,hespent6yearsathisfather’scountryhomeonsolitarystudy.HetraveledinFranceandItalyandreturnedtoLondonin1639.AftertheRevolutionsucceeded,andcommonwealthwasestablished,MiltonbecameLatinSecretarytothecouncilofForeignAffairs.In1652,hebecametotallyblindduetooverwork.WiththeRestorationin1660,Miltonwasimprisoned.Afterhisrelease,hereturnedtothewritingofpoetry.Miltonwasmarriedthreetimes.Milton's

literarycareerTheearlypoeticworks:

L'Allegro,IlPenseroso,andtheelegyLycidas(1637)Themiddleprosepamphlets:

DefensioproPopulo

Anglicano,Areopagitica

Thelastgreatpoems:ParadiseLost(1667),ParadiseRegained(1671)andthepoeticdramaSamsonAgonistes(1671).

ParadiseLost

Introduction:-alongepicin12bookswritteninblankverseThestoriesweretakenfromtheOldTestament

Main

charactersGodtheFather,

GodtheSonSatan,thepowerful,proudangelwholedanunsuccessfulrebellionagainstGodAdamandEve,thefirsthumanbeingsBeelzebubandotherrebelliousangels,leadersinSatan’sarmyArchangel

Raphael

PlotLedbyfreedom-lovingSatan,therebelliousangelsriseagainstGod.SatanchoosestheGardenofEdenforhisbattlefield.HemakeAdamandEvetoolsinhisstruggleagainstGod'sauthority.Godlearnsofhisintentionandsendsthe.Arch-angleRaphaeltowarnAdamandEveofSatan'splan.SatanassumestheshapeofaserpentandpersuadesEvetoeatanapplefromtheforbiddentree.Adamalsoeatone.AdamandEvearebothdeprivedofimmortality,exiledfromParadise.Satan’srebellionagainstGod

SoAdamandEvefallfromgraceAdamandEveliveintheGardenofEdenhappily.

TheserpentgetsEvetoeattheforbiddenfruit.Adamdoesthesame.

TheplotGodcastsSatanintoHellHeturnsintoasnakeAlthoughcentredonthehumandramaofAdamandEve,theheroofthepoemisSatanwhosedescriptioninBook1,soonafterthefall,isreallygreatandpowerful.AlthoughcentredonthehumandramaofAdamandEve,theheroofthepoemisSatanwhosedescriptioninBook1,soonafterthefall,isreallygreatandpowerful.Themes

Maintheme

thestoryofman’sfallSecondarythemes

Pride

itleadstoSatan’sdownfall

Envy

comingfromSatan’sprideRevenge

itmakesSatantemptAdamandEveInfidelity

AdambetraysGodbysidingwithEveDisobedience

AdamandEvedisobeyGodRepentance

AdamandEverepentRedemption

ManisgrantedeternalsalvationthankstothesacrificeoftheSonofGod

Theme

“asserteternalProvidenceandjustifythewaysofGodtoman”Traditionalidea:-MiltonisexposingGod’styrannyandsingingpraiseofSatan’srevoltagainsttheunjustGod.

-Satanistherealheroofthepoem.Presentidea:

TherebelliousspeechbySaranwasanoutpouringofthepoet’spersonalhatredfortherestoredmonarch.Onthewhole,Satanandhisfollowersarecondemnedintheepic.Therealheroismankind.AdamandEvearecreatedaspersonsoffleshandblood.Theyarefullofpassionandhavebothvicesandvirtusofhumanbeings.SamsonAgonistes

力士參孫SamsonwasthemoststrongestoneoftheIsraelites.Hestoodastheirchampionfightingforthefreedomoftheircountry.Buthewasbetrayedbyhiswife.blindedbyhisenemiesthePhilistines.Hemaderevengeuponhisenemiesbypullingdownthetempleuponthemanduponhimself.

失樂園（第1章）

打敗了又有什么并不是一切都完了。不屈的意志，復(fù)仇的決心，永恒的仇恨，決不低頭認(rèn)輸?shù)墓菤猓紱]被壓倒，此井還有什么?，他發(fā)火也好，用武也好，卻永難從我身上奪得勝利的光榮．前不久我這里壯臂高舉，震撼了他的帝座，難道現(xiàn)在我卻要低聲下氣，屈膝求饒，把他的權(quán)力奉為神圣，那才是卑鄙，才是比打敗仗更丟人的恥辱，，既然天神的力量和神仙的體質(zhì)命窟不滅，又經(jīng)過這場大變的教訓(xùn)，武器依舊，見識(shí)卻大為增加，勝利的希望更大了，只要我們下定決心，用武力或計(jì)謀同大敵進(jìn)行水下調(diào)和的戰(zhàn)爭，盡管他瑰在得意洋洋，一人稱霸，把持了天堂的權(quán)柄．哀失明

想到了在這茫茫黑暗的世界里，

還未到半生這兩眼就已失明，

想到了我這個(gè)泰倫特，要是埋起來，

會(huì)招致死亡，卻放在我手里無用，

雖然我一心想用它服務(wù)造物主，

免得報(bào)賬時(shí)，得不到他的寬容；

想到這里，我就愚蠢地自問，

"神不給我光明，還要我做日工?"但"忍耐"看我在抱怨，立刻止住我：

"神并不要你工作，或還他禮物。

誰最能服從他，誰就是忠于職守，

他君臨萬方，只要他一聲吩咐，

萬千個(gè)天使就趕忙在海陸奔馳，

但侍立左右的，也還是為他服務(wù)。"

(殷寶書譯)SummaryInthissonnet,thespeakermeditatesonthefactthathehasbecomeblind.HeexpresseshisfrustrationatbeingpreventedbyhisdisabilityfromservingGodaswellashedesiresto.Heisansweredby“Patience,”whotellshimthatGodhasmanywhohurrytodohisbidding,anddoesnotreallyneedman'swork.Rather,whatisvaluedistheabilitytobearGod's“mildyoke,”totoleratewhateverGodasksfaithfullyandwithoutcomplaint.Asthefamouslastlinesumsitup,“Theyalsoservewhoonlystandandwait.”ThemeItaddressestheChristianperspectiveofhowtoacceptonesdisabilities.Thewriteriseffectiveindoingso,asheutilizesBiblicalallusions,figurativelanguageandcolorfulconnotation.“OnhisBlindness”wasmeanttobeaninspirationalpoemforthosewhohavedisabilities.

formanItaliansonnetTheoctavepresentedaquestionbytheblindpoetandinthesestetPatienceansweredthepoet'squestion.rhythms