Paradise Lost

“OF man’s first disobedience, and the fruit

Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste

Brought death into the world, and all our woe,

With loss of Eden, till one greater Man

Restore us, and regain the blissful seat.”

This quote establishes the story John Milton sets out to tell. Although the epic is more complicated than these few lines, they concisely introduce the main subject of Milton’s exploration and argument.

“The mind is its own place, and in itself

Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” 

This quote demonstrates a deep psychological undertone prominent throughout Paradise Lost. The idea that our mindset can dictate how we perceive our environment is an advanced concept, one that demonstrates that we can’t escape who we are inside. Wherever Satan goes, he will carry Hell with him.

“Peace is despair’d,

For who can think submission? War then, war

Open or understood, must be resolv’d.” 

Satan resolves himself to his future of war. He refuses even the possibility that one day he may repent and ask for forgiveness, to find peace. This attitude will later be referenced by God as the difference between the fallen angels and humans. The humans open themselves up to the possibility of mercy, whereas Satan cannot imagine a life of submission.