Paradise Lost critical quotes (ao5) Flashcards
Satan - Shelley
“Milton’s devil as a moral…”
Milton’s devil as a moral figure is arguably far superior to his God
Satan - Broadbent
“the real motive now is not hope…”
the real motive now is not hope but naked self-consuming hatred
Satan - Barbara Lewalski
“describes Satan as beign surrounded by epic…”
describes Satan as being surrounded by epic matter and motivations, making him the true hero of the text
Satan - Forsyth
“this complicated, private and deeply…”
this complicated, private and deeply reflective Satan who needs to talk himself back into hate
Satan - A.N.Wilson
“Milton could scarcely write about rebelion…”
Milton could scarcely write about a rebellion, it is thought, without secretly being on the side of the rebels
Satan - A.N.Wilson
“Satan is cast down to Hell by a vindictive and smiling…”
Satan is cast down to Hell by a vindictive and smiling God and comes before us with heroic magnificence
Satan - David Loewenstein
“Milton gave us a nuanced potrait of Satan and his ambiguous…”
Milton gave us a nuanced portrait of Satan and his ambiguous political and heroic behaviour, exploring his motives for revenge and tyranny, while showing us the potential for tragic feeling
God - Empson
“Milton is struggling to make his God…”
Milton is struggling to make his God appear less wicked than the traditional christian one
God - Ramos
“God is tyrant who only obeys his own whim…”
God is a tyrant who only obeys his own whim and thus there can be no true liberty under such a tyrant
Adam - Voltaire
“in all other poems love is presented as…”
in all other poems love is presented as a vice; but in Milton’s a virtue
Adam - C.S.Lewis
“Adam fell by…”
Adam fell by uxoriousness
Adam - David Reid
“error is a lapse of…”
error is a lapse of the mind, and like nonsense, it can’t be understood
Adam - Tillyard
“Milton fails to convince us that Adam and Eve are happy…”
Milton fails to convince us that Adam and Eve are happy, they are in the hopeless position of old age pensioners enjoying perpetual youth
Adam - Roger’s
“Adam represent the nervous…”
Adam represents the nervous voice of the poem’s orthodoxy
Eve - Collier
“Milton’s portrayal of women vividly…”
Milton’s portrayal of women vividly reflects the sexist attitudes of his time
