What epic conventions does Milton follow in the writing of his Paradise Lost, Book 1, and with what effect?
Or
Discuss those traditional prescriptions of the epic form which are
illustrated in Book I of Paradise Lost.
Or
Bring out the features of Paradise Lost which entitle it to be called an epic poem. Does it suffer from any shortcomings in this respect?
"Epic" is the name given to narrative poetry which deals, in dignified and elevated style, with some important action, usually heroic. (An epic is a narrative poem, of considerable length, of exalted style, celebrating heroic adventures, mythical or historical). The great examples of classical epics are the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer, which are unmatched in any other language. In Latin, the Aenied by the ancient poet, Virgil, is almost equally famous. The Iliad, a poem in twenty-four books, has as its central theme the wrath of Achilles. The Odyssey, also a poem in twenty-four books, deals with the adventures of Odysseus. Aeneid is a poem in twelve books: it is a national epic, designed to celebrate the origin and growth of the Roman empire, the ground-work of the poem being the legends connected with Aeneas.
Paradise Lost can properly be classed among epic poems. It is undoubtedly one of the highest efforts of poetical genius and, in one great characteristic, majesty and sublimity, it is fully equal to any known epic poem, ancient or modern. It has the Graeco-Roman form of the epic which follows ancient models. Its aspect, its divisions, and its style are those of the Iliad or the Aeneid. It depicts a unique event, which is the fall of man. The subject is derived from the Old Testament and it is astonishing how, from the few hints given in the scripture, Milton was able to raise so complete and regular a structure. The subject is one for which Milton alone was fitted and, in the conduct of it, he has shown a stretch both of imagination and invention, which is perfectly wonderful. Besides, the
nature of this theme is such as to give the poem a universal character. Following the classical precedent of Homer and Virgil, Milton indicates the theme of his poem at the very outset:
The subject thus is the transgression committed by Adam and Eve in eating the fruit of the forbidden tree and their subsequent expulsion from Paradise. Curiously enough, Milton makes no mention in his opening statement of Satan's first disobedience, of the generation of Sin and Death, or of Hell's infernal plot, all of which occupy the first three Books.
The statement of the theme in the first four or five lines is followed by an invocation to the Heavenly Muse. This form of invocation was established in epic poetry by Homer in his Iliad, and followed by Virgil in his Aeneid. These classical poets would also call the Muses to their aid at intervals, when they had something especially important to relate. Milton too invokes the Muse once again in the course of Book I when he seeks her aid in enumerating the fallen angels. It is noteworthy that Milton's Muse is not one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology who dwelt on Mount Olympus and inspired all forms of art and learning. Milton gives to his Muse the name "Urania" (though he does so not here but in one of the later Books). She is the Heavenly Muse, or the Muse of religious poetry who inspired the poets and prophets of Israel as well as all Christian learning and poetry. Milton's Muse will take him higher than the Aonian Mount which represents classical poetry. In other words, he hopes to be filled with a higher inspiration, and therefore deal with higher things, than the classical poets whose inspiration came from the Muses of ancient mythology. While the invocation of the Muse is an epic convention, its significance here lies in Milton's choice of the power to be addressed. She is the Heavenly power who inspired Moses on Sinai and on Oreb. In other words, Milton associates himself with Moses as a shepherd-prophet-poet. It may also be pointed out that the invocation in the case of Milton is no mere form. Milton actually believed that he was aided in his sacred task (of justifying the ways of God to men) by divine inspiration. Furthermore, Milton is not satisfied with invoking the Heavenly Muse. He goes on to invoke the Holy Spirit. He does so because he wants now to emphasise the creative aspect of his Muse. When addressing the Holy Spirit, he says: "For thou knowest"; he is using a phrase which Homer had used in the Iliad (Book II). This invocation is followed by the motive which Milton has in writing his poem. His object is to "assert Eternal Providence, and justify the ways of God to men". Thus in the first twenty-six lines we have the statement of the subject of the epic, Milton's motive in writing his poem, and two invocations. It is clear that in following the epic conventions (of the statement of the subject and the invocation) Milton expands, or improves upon, them.
The characters in a classical or traditional epic are generally portrayed as men of heroic proportions, because only such characters can stir our imagination and rouse our sympathies. Not only the hero, but also his associates, are expected to show heroic powers and capacities. In Book I Satan is undoubtedly cast in a heroic mould. His vast Leviathan-like dimensions, his huge shield and spear, his supreme self-confidence and the courage never to yield or submit, his unwavering resolve, his sympathy for his fallen comrades are all heroic qualities. (That does not, of course, entitle him to be called the hero of Paradise Lost or even of Book 1).
Then there are the epic or Homeric similes of which we have quite a number in Book I. Milton follows the practice of Homer, Virgil, Statius, Lucan. Spenser, Tasso, and others in introducing similes of this kind, and even borrows in some cases similes already employed by his epic predecessors. Where he is original in employing a simile, the materials of his comparison may be derived from a simple observation of Nature, from myth and legend, from history, from travel, etc. Superficially the essence of the long-tailed or epic simile is that it develops a comparison at such a length that it seems to become ultimately almost independent of its point of departure. If this impression of an independent, self-contained picture were not given, the device would be pointless. At the same time, at the heart or centre of the simile there must be some point of exact resemblance to the first term of the comparison. The first epic simile employed by Milton in Book I is the comparison of Satan's huge bulk with the sea-beast, Leviathan. This comparison, elaborated in seven lines, while dominantly concerned with size, produces also other impressions such as trickery, the falseness of appearances, the lack of caution on the part of man when close to danger, all of which are associated with Satan and will be amplified later in Paradise Lost. (Subsequently Eve is deceived by the Serpent, even as a sailor might be deceived by Leviathan). Milton gives us a series of similes to convey the idea that Satan's followers are innumerable. Satan's legions, we are told, lie stunned "thick as autumnal leaves that strow the brooks in Vallombrosa". This simile produces not only the impression of the vastness of numbers but also the confusion in which they lie and the diminished glory of the angels suggested by the adjective "autumnal" used with "leaves". Close on the heels of this simile come two others, comparing the fallen angels to the masses of sea-weed floating on the Red Sea and the wrecked Egyptian army pursuing the Israelites. Both these similes, again, produce the impression, not only of the vast number, but also of confusion. Next, the fallen angels are compared to locusts called up by Moses. Here the impression produced is not only of vast numbers but also the evil which is associated with locusts and which is the chief characteristic of the followers of Satan. The vast numbers and the inherent evil of Satan's forces are further emphasised by their being compared to the northern barbarians who descended upon the south and destroyed the Roman civilization. In order to convey to us the diminished glory of Satan after his defeat, Milton compares him to the newly-risen sun seen through a mist, or the sun in eclipse. The evil that an eclipse is believed to portend is suggestive of the evil in Satan. In some cases, Milton borrows a simile from Homer or Virgil and adapts it for his own use. Homer and Virgil frequently used comparisons from trees to express the stature or the falling of a hero, but none of them are applied with such variety and propriety of circumstance as the one employed by Milton, when he conveys to us the withered glory of the fallen angels by comparing them to forest oaks or mountain pines struck and burnt by lightning. The simile of bees in spring-time is another, established in Greek and Roman epics. Milton adapts it to the special situation of the fallen angels. Homer used the comparison for the Greeks crowding from their ships and tents to assemble in council. Virgil applied it to the workmen building Carthage and the fleeting swarms of ghosts in the under-world. In Milton's case the swarming bees are appropriate not only to the rustling, murmuring sound made by the assembled angels, but to their being crowded together on the threshold or outer hall of Pandemonium, and also their having come together to discuss their "state affairs". Virgil had attributed cities, laws, and a model social order to bees.
Then there are other echoes of classical epics in Book I. The first physical attribute of Satan as he emerges from the burning lake and goes towards the shore is his enormous size. Following classical tradition, Milton does not describe him in detail but emphasises two objects which he carries. His shield is compared to the largest round object human eyes had ever seen the moon seen through Galileo's telescope. This is reminiscent of Homer's description of the shield of Achilles. Satan's spear is depicted as being bigger than the tallest pine tree. Milton magnifies Satan's spear by exaggerating an established epic comparison: Homer in his Odyssey makes the club of Polyphemus as big as the mast of a ship, and Virgil gives him a pine to walk with. Satan's comment on the great change, that has come over Beelzebub as a result of the fall from Heaven, is comparable to Aeneas's comment on the ghost of Hector in the Aeneid. Milton also mentions the Titans and the Giants several times in connection with the rebellious angels. Milton's phrase "that small infantry warred on by cranes" is a reference to the pygmies of Greek legend mentioned by Homer in his Iliad. Similarly, the use of the numbers "three" and "nine", and the repetition of such numbers, is a classical rhetorical device which occurs in both the Iliad and the Aeneid. Elaborate speeches, another feature of the traditional epics. are also to be met with in Book I. Such are the speeches of Beelzebub and those of Satan. In these speeches, the characters reveal and explain their thoughts, feelings, motives, doubts, hopes, etc. At the end of a speech we get such words as "Thus Satan"; "So Satan spake": "He spake". This form also follows the traditional epic manner. Again, Milton follows Homer's example when (in Line 33) he asks the question: "Who first seduced them to that foul revolt ?" and gives the reply: "The infernal Serpent". A similar question and answer are found in the Iliad (Book I, Line 8).
The use of epic similes and invocations has been objected to by some The critics on the grounds of strict relevance. But, in reply to this, it may be pointed out that though the invocations and some of the similes have a very limited relevance, none of them seems undesirable or unwanted. Dr. Johnson regarded the invocations as superfluities but he also said: "Superfluities so beautiful who would take away ?" The same defence can be put forward in the case of similes. Almost all of these similes are so rich and so highly imaginative that one cannot accept the criticism sometimes made of them, namely that, though a traditional part of the epic, they are part of a poor tradition.
Finally, Milton followed the epic convention of writing his poem in a style that is truly elevated. In speaking of the style of Paradise Lost, it is difficult to use temperate language. Paradise Lost is a "divine" epic. Accordingly Milton strove for the untrammelled expression of the imaginative development of his inspiration, and therefore rejected "the troublesome and modern bondage of riming". And Milton used blank verse in a manner that lent distinction to this form of writing. "No one," says a critic, "has ever attuned our language to such mighty harmonies as Milton." The chief characteristic of Paradise Lost may be summed up in the word "sublimity". The poet's imagination is lofty, and his style grand, majestic, and sonorous. The meaning of the words, the syntax, the division of sentences, and the use of ablative absolve, constantly remind the scholarly reader of classical authors. The periodic style and the unrhymed line with its beauty dependent only on its cadence and its inversions, have a severe solemnity, an unbending energy. As examples of Milton's grand style, one may refer to the following passages in Book I: (1) the opening sentence which is an example of a "suspended" passage; (2) the first sentence of Satan's first speech to Beelzebub, also an example of "suspension"; (3) Satan's speech on surveying the infernal regions; and (4) the description of Satan's shield and spear.
[Note. Dryden, in spite of his sense of Milton's greatness, declared that Paradise Lost was no "true epic". He said that the poem did not have war as its chief subject and was therefore not heroic enough, that it ended unhappily while a true epic had a happy ending, and that, unlike the traditional epics, it had only two human characters, the others being "heavenly machines". Addison made a suitable reply to these objections but even he did not claim that Milton's poem was wholly regular. In fact Addison pointed out some defects in the poem. The fable, according to him, is defective, being that of tragedy rather than of epic. Some of the incidents have not "probability enough for an epic poem." The digressions and the allusions of heathen fables in a Christian poem "sin against the canon of unity". To other critics even these reservations were unacceptable. They said that Milton was not to be judged by the neo-classical code. Hehad invented a new type of poem, the divine epic, superior to anything in antiquity]
Important Questions with Answers
- Analyse and comment on the opening of Paradise Lost (Book I).
- What picture of Satan do you get from Book I of Paradise Lost?
- Discuss those traditional prescriptions of the epic from which are illustrated in Book I Paradise Lost.
- What purpose is served by the epic similes in Book I of Paradise Lost?
- On the basis of your reading of Book I of Paradise Lost, brig out Satan's qualities of leadership.
- What picture does Milton present of the angels in revolt?
- Analyse the speeches of Satan in Book I of Paradise Lost to show that Milton does not intend us to sympathies with Satan.
- "To admire Satan, then is to give one's vote not only for a world of misery, but also for a world of lies and propaganda of wishful thinking of incessant autobiography". Discuss in the light of this remark some of speeches by Satan or statements made by the poet about him in Paradise Lost Book I.
- How is Milton's personality reflected in Paradise Lost, Book I?
- Write an essay on Milton's style as revealed Book I Paradise Lost.
- Explain how Milton's poetry weds the puritan spirit with that of the Renaissance.
- What is blank verse? Discuss Milton's handling of it in Book I of Paradise Lost.
