Paradise Lost Context

Question 1

who wrote Areopagitica

Answer 1

Milton

Question 2

what was argued in Areopagitica

Answer 2

evil was allowed into the world in order for us to see good by contrast and by exercising our virtue in order to reject it. it also defended the freedom of the press

Question 3

when was paradise lost published

Answer 3

1667

Question 4

how long did it take Milton to write PL

Answer 4

at least 7 years

Question 5

how does Shelley (romantic) see Satan

Answer 5

perceived satan as the quintessential hero. it is in satan that Shelley finds the true embodiment of Milton’s personality and of his moral ideal.

Question 6

what genre of poetry is PL

Answer 6

epic poetry

Question 7

2 other examples of epic poetry

Answer 7

Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ and ‘Iliad’ and Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’ (precursors to PL even though they were written centuries before)

Question 8

how does PL and Milton challenge typical gender roles

Answer 8

Milton’s interpretation of Genesis hints at some of the problems of gender roles and ‘institutionalized misogyny’ that is part of Western tradition

Question 9

what was Milton’s view of divorce and what did he publish this in

Answer 9

Milton wrote 4 divorce tracts in 1643, claiming that failed marriages were not true marriages and should be legally ended.

Question 10

in his work ‘On Christian Doctrine’ Milton even considers that women may be…

Answer 10

wiser in marriage than the man

Question 11

what did Milton argue about Charles I in ‘Of the Tenure of Kings and Magistrates’

Answer 11

was written during the trial of Charles I and was one of the few contemporary publications to wholeheartedly endorse the revolutionary act of regicide (executing a king) which was considered treason by its opponents

Question 12

when did oliver Cromwell die

Answer 12

1658

Question 13

what was the restoration of the monarchy

Answer 13

when Charles II took the throne of England again after William Cromwell’s death- was asked to return by disaffected MPs

Question 14

when was the restoration of the monarchy

Answer 14

1660

Question 15

what was Milton’s view of the restoration of the monarchy

Answer 15

Milton felt the English had feebly given away their newly recovered freedom

Question 16

how did Milton use his dissatisfaction with the politics of present day England in PL

Answer 16

contains many allusions to the present day

Question 17

how does Satan reflect Milton’s views

Answer 17

Milton seems to have put into Satan’s mouth many of the aspirations against tyranny which he himself and his fellow republicans had fought for.

Question 18

explain Augustine’s theodicy

Answer 18

suggested that evil, rather than being an entity of its own, is instead a privation of good.

Question 19

what religion were most Christians before the protestant revolution

Answer 19

catholic

Question 20

what did martin luther argue for

Answer 20

luther disagreed with the power that the church held and developed the doctrine of Sola Fide (only faith)- by faith alone can mankind find salvation

Question 21

why was luther’s argument so powerful and influential

Answer 21

the invention of the printing press- meant their ideas were more accessible

Question 22

what religion was Milton and what did he oppose

Answer 22

was a radical protestant Christian opposed to Catholicism and the Anglican church which held power in England at the time

Question 23

explain the concept of hierarchy’s in protestant religion

Answer 23

there is not only a spatial hierarchy based on physical proximity to God (heaven, earth and hell) but also a spiritual hierarchy of how close creatures and things are to God.

Question 24

why is eve and satan’s disobedience so sinful- relate to hierarchy

Answer 24

to obey God is to respect the hierarchy’s, which is why Eve and Satan’s attempts to overthrow the hierarchy are so sinful

Question 25

why was the scientific revolution important for PL

Answer 25

Galileo changed the way that western science permanently operated - provided new theories about the operations of the universe that were previously unheard of. the effect on society was not lost on Milton and you are able to see this in PL with his emphasis on stars and space- shows he was influenced by what was happening at the time