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What Do I Read Next?
(Epics for Students)
Paradise Regained (1671) is the sequel to Paradise Lost, in which Milton explores the temptation of Christ in the wilderness in order to show how redemption is achieved through the reversal of Adam's disobedience by Christ's obedience.
Bitterly disappointed in his own first marriage, in 1643 Milton published The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, arguing that poor marriages should be dissolved. This essay provides an interesting contrast to the view of Adam and Eve's conjugal bliss in Paradise Lost.
Of Education (1644) is a treatise in which Milton explores the contribution of education to mankind's ability to withstand temptation, examining many of the issues which resurface in the treatment of the temptation in Paradise Lost.
Areopagitica (1644) is a treatise calling for freedom of the press and the removal of censorship. Here Milton develops many of the ideas concerning reason and knowledge developed in Paradise Lost, particularly the interdependence between the knowledge of good and evil and the folly of considering any knowledge "forbidden."
Samson Agonistes (1671) is a verse drama in which Milton portrays the story of Samson and Delilah in true tragic style. The author presents Samson as engaged in a heroic conflict in which he conquers despair and triumphs over his foes.
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein (1818) is deeply influenced by Paradise Lost, as she explores the problems of justice and the responsibility of the creator towards his creature through Victor Frankenstein's abandonment of his creature and the creature's subsequent "defense."