Paradise Lost Group

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shahbaz-usindh
Student
High School - 12th Grade

What is the conceptual background of Paradise Lost?

concept of paradise lost

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Posted by shahbaz-usindh on Monday September 28, 2009 at 1:07 AM and tagged with conceptual background.

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  1. kc4u Teacher
    College - Senior

    eNotes Editor

    The Biblical story of the Fall of Man has been the subject of many literary pursuits, Milton's epic Paradise Lost being the most outstanding among them.

    The parents of mankind, Adam and Eve, used to live in the Garden of Eden (Paradise) in a state of perfect natural bliss. They were granted all freedom except a solitary ban on the fruit of the tree of knowledge. It was Satan, God's arch-enemy & the embodiment of Evil, who first tempted Eve in her dream to eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge and thus disobey God. Eve, in turn, tempted Adam, and they disobeyed God to pertake of the fruit. As a punishment for this sin (original sin), Adam and Eve were expelled by God from Paradise. Thus mankind was unparadised to come down to earth in its fallen state.

    A devoutly Christian poet, Milton chose the story of 'man's first disobedience' for his epic venture, 'Paradise Lost'. Strongly opposed to the corruption of the institution of Catholic Church as well as to the absolutism of Monarchy, Milton worked upon the Biblical story to 'justify the ways of God to men'.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/paradise-lost

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    Posted by kc4u on Monday September 28, 2009 at 2:33 AM