When it comes to writing an essay on John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, choosing the right topic is crucial. A good essay topic should be thought-provoking, engaging, and relevant to the themes and characters in the poem. In this section, we will ...Read More
What Makes a Good Paradise Lost Essay Topics
When it comes to writing an essay on John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, choosing the right topic is crucial. A good essay topic should be thought-provoking, engaging, and relevant to the themes and characters in the poem. In this section, we will discuss some recommendations on how to brainstorm and choose an essay topic, what to consider, and What Makes a Good essay topic.
When brainstorming for Paradise Lost essay topics, it's important to consider the themes and motifs present in the poem. Some of the key themes in Paradise Lost include the nature of good and evil, the fall of man, the role of Satan, and the concept of free will. Consider how these themes are portrayed in the poem and think about how you can explore them in your essay.
Another important factor to consider when choosing an essay topic is the relevance and originality of the topic. Avoid common topics that have been overdone and instead, try to come up with a fresh and unique angle to explore. Consider the characters, the structure of the poem, the use of language, and any historical or cultural context that may be relevant to the poem.
A good essay topic should also be specific and focused. Avoid broad or vague topics that are difficult to explore in depth. Instead, narrow down your focus to a specific aspect of the poem that you find particularly interesting or compelling. This will allow you to delve deeper into your analysis and provide a more nuanced and insightful discussion in your essay.
Best Paradise Lost Essay Topics
The role of Eve as a feminist figure in Paradise Lost
The portrayal of Satan as a sympathetic character in the poem
The use of language and imagery to convey the fall of man in Paradise Lost
The significance of the epic similes in Paradise Lost
The influence of classical mythology on Paradise Lost
The portrayal of God in Paradise Lost
The relationship between Adam and Eve in Paradise Lost
The use of irony in Paradise Lost
The concept of free will in Paradise Lost
The influence of the Renaissance and Reformation on Paradise Lost
The impact of Paradise Lost on later literature and culture
The role of sin and temptation in Paradise Lost
The portrayal of Eden in Paradise Lost
The significance of Milton's use of blank verse in Paradise Lost
The allegorical elements of Paradise Lost
The role of women in Paradise Lost
The relationship between power and authority in Paradise Lost
The impact of Paradise Lost on religious thought
The role of nature and the natural world in Paradise Lost
The portrayal of the afterlife in Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost essay topics Prompts
Imagine that you are a character in Paradise Lost. Write a diary entry reflecting on the events of the poem from your perspective.
Write a letter from Satan to God, expressing his thoughts and feelings about his fall from grace.
Create a modern-day adaptation of Paradise Lost, setting the poem in a contemporary context.
Write a short story that explores a minor character from Paradise Lost and their experiences in the poem.
Design a visual representation of a key theme or motif in Paradise Lost, using images, symbols, and text to convey your interpretation.
The battle between the need for structure and the creative freedom of chaos is one that sits at the heart much of great literature. They are never discussed as harmonious or complimenting; they must be in conflict and locked in eternal struggle. Literature has always...
In Metaphysics, Aristotle creates a series of dualities which are intrinsically “male” or “female.” Included in this original set of oppositions are light and darkness and good and evil – the former of each duo being inherently associated with the male, and the latter associated...
It is important to note that a hero is not always someone who is working for the sake of furthering a just cause and that he does not have to be admired by everyone, including the reader. In fact, John Milton presents his audience with...
In Paradise Lost, John Milton endows angels with magnificent qualities, both positive and negative. Through symbolism, he shows their greatness. In a meaningful shift from earlier ideas of his time, Milton’s angels are shown to possess full free will. This capacity makes them creatures of...
In Milton’s Paradise Lost, angels and men are arranged in a divinely established hierarchy based on their relative proximity to God. Through the course of the epic, characters develop different and often conflicting conceptions of the spiritual hierarchy, based on differing interpretations of the underlying...
Although God asserts otherwise in Milton’s work “Paradise Lost”, it seems certain that it was God’s will, and not the cunning endeavors of Satan, that provided for the inevitable fall of man. Aware that Satan was the physical manifestation of evil, God allowed Satan and...
Throughout both ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘Doctor Faustus,’ the authors draw upon the ideas of responsibility, free will, and blame. Marlowe, in ‘Doctor Faustus’, melds the conventional religious ideology of the Middle Ages with the comparatively new Renaissance and Reformation thought, thus creating an effective contrast...
John Milton once wrote that all of his writings were moved “solely by a sense of duty” to God which propelled him to continue writing despite the fact that for part of his life he struggled with his relationship with the Church of England and...
Being a devout Christian, reasonable freethinker and a popular writer with a political consciousness, John Milton took upon himself the ambitious task of writing a modern Christian epic in English, inspired by the classical pagan tradition of epic verse. Undeterred by his visual handicap, Milton...
The theme of betrayal can be found at the heart of both Milton’s Paradise Lost and Ibsen’s A Doll’s House yet interestingly, the answer to whether these betrayals deserve to be forgiven has changed through time. Where Milton and Ibsen’s contemporary audiences have been shown...
Mel Gibson’s recent film, The Passion of the Christ, opens with an ominous scene where Satan endeavours to dissuade Jesus from bearing the cross for the entire human race. What is peculiar about Satan’s temptation are the questions that he addresses to the Son: “Who...
Satan’s account Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts online Get my essay I 169: But see the angry victor hath recalled 170: His ministers of vengeance and pursuit 171: Back to...
Many people over the past centuries have been trying to determine who the main protagonist of Paradise Lost really is. The eternal battle that exists between the forces of good and the forces of evil is a central theme throughout much of the world’s literature....
Happiness is a luxury only the powerful can afford. In light of this view compare representations of happiness and power in Paradise Lost and A Doll’s House. Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences...
Satan is no longer to be feared: he is to be jeered, scorned, and mocked! At least this is the attitude shared by notable scholars like C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther, and Thomas More. Lewis devoted a whole book, The Screwtape Letters, to the cause; Luther...
Paradise lost is a great literary work of Milton. It is an epic. It is written in grand style. Milton had been planning to write it for years. During the years of political change he had been looking for a suitable subject and for a...
John Milton’s Paradise Lost is an epic that has influenced the Christian perception of God, Satan, sin, and the origin of mankind for centuries. His poetic account of the creation story, though, clearly expands on several aspects within the most fundamental Christian version of creation,...
“The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devil’s party without knowing it” (389). While this analysis by William Blake recognizes clear...
Before the Fall, the relationship Adam and Eve had was ideal. There were no arguments, and they worked as a team to tend to the Garden of Eden. However, after the Fall, their relationship disintegrated into something much less perfect. When Adam and Eve received...
The story of Adam and Eve is one of, if not the earliest tale of crime and punishment in the West. John Milton’s Paradise Lost retells the age-old fable, adding depth and emotion to the story, consequently revealing the very important, sometimes overlooked implications of...
The philosophy of Milton’s time focuses primarily on the idea of hierarchy. Hierarchy is necessary in thought because all the categories of being indicate how things are ordered and demonstrate degrees in all the dimensions (Kuntz 8). The ideas of Plato and Aristotle had a...
In Paradise Lost, Milton plays with the preconceived notions of his readers by presenting perspectives perhaps never before imagined. God is not strictly the protagonist and Satan is not strictly the antagonist, on the contrary Satan is presented in a triumphant, glorious manner though ironically...
Abstract In Milton’s Paradise Lost, particularly the publications that deal with Adam and Eve’s life before and after the fall, for each other, Milton proves to be more Arminian than Calvinist. The reason being that, grace is suggested for the entire human race, and in...
Paradise Lost explores the natural aspiration to stand alone and to be distinguished from the multitudes. Adam, Eve, Satan, even God himself strain to assert their superiority and godliness by attempting to wield the most visible proof of godly power: the ability to create. However,...
John Milton has a very distinct way of interpreting the Bible; he molds the story of the Bible into a rich and imaginative narrative story. The story reads like a legend or fairytale but rather than provoking the mind of the reader, it actually has...
Milton’s exploration of heroism in Paradise Lost has been the focus of much debate and controversy since the poem was first published. Critical attention has shifted through the years from Satanism to feminism, from the exultation of Adam to the Anti-Satanist redemption of the character...
The world of Milton’s Paradise Lost is a world of discourse, full of divine as well as human speech. When God creates Christ, he calls him “thou my Word, begotten son, by thee/ This I perform” (VII. 165-6). Indeed, the concept of the “Word” (Greek...
The writers of the early modern period often presented in their texts characters who struggled with a crisis of identity. Furthermore, these characters were unable to reconcile their identity with the role that they played within the fictional world they inhabited. In John Milton’s Paradise...
Since its first publication in 1667, Milton’s Paradise Lost has continued to exert its influence over literature, having particular resonance with the romantics, Wordsworth citing it as among ‘the grand store-houses of enthusiastic and meditative Imagination’. Milton took what Genesis had put forward in a...
John Webster explores the attraction of that which is forbidden in a plethora of ways. The nature of the attraction, and the powers that determine that which is forbidden vary throughout. However, the theme remains manifest in all the instances discussed in this essay. It...
The poem concerns the biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
Theme
The story of Paradise Lost is Biblical and theme falls into three parts: disobedience, manifestation of Eternal Providence, and justification of Divine ways. All these themes are complete and support each other.
Style
The poem tells the biblical story of the fall from grace of Adam and Eve in language that is a supreme achievement of rhythm and sound. The 12-book structure, the technique of beginning in medias res (in the middle of the story), the invocation of the muse, and the use of the epic question are all classically inspired.
Characters
Satan, Adam, Eve, The Son of God, God the Father, Raphael, Michael
Popularity
Paradise Lost is considered to be Milton's masterpiece, and it helped solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English poets of all time. Many other works of art have been inspired by Paradise Lost, notably Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation (1798) and John Keats’s long poem Endymion.
Quotes
“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..”
“Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.”
“Never can true reconcilement grow where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep...”
References
1. Fowler, A. (2014). John Milton: Paradise Lost. Routledge. (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315834726/milton-paradise-lost-alastair-fowler)
2. Steadman, J. M. (1976). The idea of Satan as the hero of" Paradise Lost". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 120(4), 253-294. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/986321)
3. St Hilaire, D. A. (2012). Satan's Poetry: Fallenness and Poetic Tradition in Paradise Lost. Duquesne University Press. (https://muse.jhu.edu/book/17581/)
4. Quint, D. (2014). Inside Paradise Lost. In Inside Paradise Lost. Princeton University Press. (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781400850488/html?lang=en)
5. Stevens, P. (1996). " PARADISE LOST" AND THE COLONIAL IMPERATIVE. Milton Studies, 34, 3-21. (https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/milton-studies/article-abstract/doi/10.2307/26395625/301551/PARADISE-LOST-AND-THE-COLONIAL-IMPERATIVE?redirectedFrom=PDF)
6. Fiore, P. A. (1981). Milton and Augustine: Patterns of Augustinian Thought in Paradise Lost. (https://philpapers.org/rec/FIOMAA)
7. Riebling, B. (1996). Milton on Machiavelli: Representations of the State in Paradise Lost. Renaissance Quarterly, 49(3), 573-597. (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/renaissance-quarterly/article/abs/milton-on-machiavelli-representations-of-the-state-in-paradise-lost/6D15F231D8A6217528FF8DC6ABECC639)
8. Barker, A. (1949). Structural Pattern in Paradise Lost. Philological Quarterly, 28, 17. (https://www.proquest.com/docview/1290958143?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true)
