In his neoclassical work An Essay on Criticism, Alexander Pope says that nature is in the manner of expression of the artistic work. Nature is to stick to the ordinary, the usual and the commonplace. He says that an artist should portray the world just as it is and the basic rule of art is to stick to and follow nature. He notes that human nature is always the same and artists who possess the genius and operate within the limits of his desires and intentions.
The Lost Paradise by John Milton presents a unique understanding of the fall of man, a story taken from the first chapter of the book of Genesis from the Bible. Milton presents the simple biblical tale and blends it with his thoughts. Lucifer who became Satan when he was thrown to hell challenged the supremacy of God and led some of the angels into contention with God. After he lost the battle, he was thrown out into hell in a burning Lake of fire. The story indicates that Lucifer and his companions were thrown in a Lake of fire for nine days but fails to address the significance of the fire. In nature, the fire is meant to purify or destroy, but the author leaves the impact of the fire on the devil unmentioned even after being in it for nine days.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In the Lost Paradise, Milton justifies the fall of man and God’s punishment. God gave man free will to choose what to do between good and evil. God gives instructions, but it is upon man to want to obey or ignore the commands. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve are both tempted with the different desires that reside in man. This happens because they fail to use reason. Milton explores the sin that caused the fall of man, and he notes that by nature man is noble, but given that he has free will, he is free to choose what he does. He, therefore, points out that God was justified in leaving Adam and Eve prone to sin since they had reason and free will and would have chosen to do the right thing other than fall for the lies of the serpent. The purpose of his text is to justify the way of God to men and to assert the eternal providence that God gives to man.
Milton portrays human beings as supreme beings who have within their jurisdiction the ability to do what is right by use of reason but fail to do so because of lust and disobedience. When a person’s reason is clouded, they make wrong decisions, and they have to face the penalty of their disobedience just as Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden and had to toil. Milton does not believe in the idea that God decides everything and that a man’s destiny is decided from birth. Milton is humanistic and pins his argument on the supremacy of man to make decisions concerning his fate. Milton is true to the nature of humanity as it is. From all around, men are entitled to make decisions concerning their lives but are made responsible for the consequences of their actions.
Milton presents an Orthodox idea of the redemption of man when they Christ redeems and raises them to an excellent Paradise. Milton describes the Paradise that Adam and Eve lived in before the fall, as a prison since it kept man underdeveloped spiritually. Obedience to God in that state was meaningless since they were held from knowledge. To Milton, sincere obedience is when man can control their passions and obey God out of choice. The redemption of man promises an eternal Paradise that is better than the original Paradise. To Milton, the sinful act by Adam was useful for it secured man a better place. Milton supports the idea of the end justifying the means. Man has all the power within himself to bring out the best in him, and the fall of man provided man with an opportunity to discover who they are.
Milton presents his narrative as a true tale of Christian morality. He portrays God as all-powerful and one who cannot be defeated by the Satan. Milton does not question the authority of God and justifies His actions towards man for he believes that His power is supreme and His actions unquestionable. His critics, however, think that he paid much attention to the antagonist Satan. Milton was known for his criticism and was labeled an anti-monarchist. Therefore, his take on the supremacy of heaven and God has left his critics with questions as to what he stood for. However, Milton is true to nature as he does not oppose the common place. God is thought to be supreme, and as much as Milton opposed the monarchy system, he wrote in support of the normal. One of his critics says that Milton is peculiar and is well acquainted with his genius and knew what nature had bestowed upon him. He displayed the splendid and the awful in the best way possible.
