Paradise Lost: The Invocation Ishan Marvel College

Being a devout Christian, reasonable freethinker and a popular writer with a political consciousness, John Milton took upon himself the ambitious task of writing a modern Christian epic in English, inspired by the classical pagan tradition of epic verse. Undeterred by his visual handicap, Milton came out with the first edition of Paradise Lost in 1667, in the Restoration era. Given his skill, commitment, and the sheer quality and diverse connotations of the poem, Milton was accordingly granted his due as one of the most important literary figures to have emerged out of the seventeenth century, such that, for the purpose of academic classification, a considerable portion of the age is named after him.

Paradise Lost emulates the epic tradition by starting the poem with an invocation, which also serves as an introduction to the twelve-book poem with a succinct overview of its premise, themes and objectives. Herein, and through the entire poem, Milton is seen to constantly emphasize the novelty and superior nature of his subject, intent and character; asserting the sentiment that set apart Paradise Lost from its predecessors in the epic style. This could be taken as due conceit on the part of the poet, for after all, unlike the...