"Paradise Lost" - simplified Flashcards
1
Q
Author =
A
John Milton
2
Q
Context =
A
Fully blind by 1642 - began writing PL in the 1650s
Dictated to his daughters but also had team of men and women to dictate to
Not a Cavalier
Had epic ambitions - “Lycidas” (1637)
Wanted to make PL the first English epic and to include the Bible
3
Q
Renaissance aspects =
A
Pastoral (scenes in Eden)
Revenge tragedy (Satan as revenging hero)
Epithalanium (poem to celebrate marriage)
4
Q
Epics =
A
Tales of war and empire Description of epic journeys Exploits of legendary heroes Emphasis on aristocratic AND/OR martial themes Epic catalogues/lists Lengthy invocations of the muse Supernatural powers Heightened rhetoric and diction - epic as highest Renaissance genre
5
Q
Themes =
A
Pastoral Fire Disobedience/obedience to God Hierarchy Light/dark Revenge
