John Milton’s Paradise Lost is an epic poem in twelve books that tells the story of Satan’s fall from Heaven and man’s fall from Eden. Milton’s purpose for writing the poem was similar to that of Homer’s Odyssey, for that epic justifies the ways of men to each other and the gods while in Milton’s own words, Paradise Lost is an attempt to “assert Eternal Providence / And justify the ways of God to men” (Milton 24-25).
The structure and layout of the poem greatly reinforce its theme and narrative. It is perfectly balanced with the beginning and end mirroring each other, a balance that moves toward the center of the work. For example, Books I-III detail the adventures of Satan and provide a balance for Books X-XII which cover the history of mankind. Books IV and IX are also balanced with the former being the account of Satan’s entry into Paradise while the latter reveals man’s loss of Paradise. The remaining four Books are also balanced. Books V and VI which portray the war in Heaven are balanced against Books VII and VIII which explain Creation and the issues necessary to understand it.
As with most works of literature, they are produced and shaped by their author but also by their era. This is also the case with Paradise Lost. In Paradise Lost we see Satan resist the powers of God. In Milton’s time, Protestant Christians like Luther and Calvin proposed various arguments for who and under what circumstances the power of kingship could be opposed. Milton, himself, believed that the right to challenge the king belonged in the hands of the people since a king is in power to serve in their best interests and only they have the power to remove him. Others argued that magistrates and princes were the only select few who could under some circumstances have the right to resist the king. Satan often calls his minions princes, potentates, and powers and he implies that the heavenly princes have power that...