大學(xué)英語(yǔ)課件paradia

1、精選文檔Book I, lines 126Summary: Lines 126: The Prologue and InvocationMilton opens Paradise Lost by formally declaring his poems subject: humankinds first act of disobedience toward God, and the consequences that followed from it. The act is Adam and Eves eating of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of K

2、nowledge, as told in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. In the first line, Milton refers to the outcome of Adam and Eves sin as the “fruit” of the forbidden tree, punning on the actual apple and the figurative fruits of their actions. Milton asserts that this original sin brought death to human b

3、eings for the first time, causing us to lose our home in paradise until Jesus comes to restore humankind to its former position of purity. Miltons speaker invokes the muse, a mystical source of poetic inspiration, to sing about these subjects through him, but he makes it clear that he refers to a di

4、fferent muse from the muses who traditionally inspired classical poets by specifying that his muse inspired Moses to receive the Ten Commandments and write Genesis. Miltons muse is the Holy Spirit, which inspired the Christian Bible, not one of the nine classical muses who reside on Mount Heliconthe

5、 “Aonian mount” of I.15. He says that his poem, like his muse, will fly above those of the Classical poets and accomplish things never attempted before, because his source of inspiration is greater than theirs. Then he invokes the Holy Spirit, asking it to fill him with knowledge of the beginning of

6、 the world, because the Holy Spirit was the active force in creating the universe.Miltons speaker announces that he wants to be inspired with this sacred knowledge because he wants to show his fellow man that the fall of humankind into sin and death was part of Gods greater plan, and that Gods plan

7、is justified.AnalysisThe beginning of Paradise Lost is similar in gravity and seriousness to the book from which Milton takes much of his story: the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. The Bible begins with the story of the worlds creation, and Miltons epic begins in a similar vein, alludi

8、ng to the creation of the world by the Holy Spirit. The first two sentences, or twenty-six lines, of Paradise Lost are extremely compressed, containing a great deal of information about Miltons reasons for writing his epic, his subject matter, and his attitudes toward his subject. In these two sente

9、nces, Milton invokes his muse, which is actually the Holy Spirit rather than one of the nine muses. By invoking a muse, but differentiating it from traditional muses, Milton manages to tell us quite a lot about how he sees his project. In the first place, an invocation of the muse at the beginning o

10、f an epic is conventional, so Milton is acknowledging his awareness of Homer, Virgil, and later poets, and signaling that he has mastered their format and wants to be part of their tradition. But by identifying his muse as the divine spirit that inspired the Bible and created the world, he shows tha

11、t his ambitions go far beyond joining the club of Homer and Virgil. Miltons epic will surpass theirs, drawing on a more fundamental source of truth and dealing with matters of more fundamental importance to human beings. At the same time, however, Miltons invocation is extremely humble, expressing h

12、is utter dependence on Gods grace in speaking through him. Milton thus begins his poem with a mixture of towering ambition and humble self-effacement, simultaneously tipping his hat to his poetic forebears and promising to soar above them for Gods glorification.Miltons approach to the invocation of

13、the muse, in which he takes a classical literary convention and reinvents it from a Christian perspective, sets the pattern for all of Paradise Lost. For example, when he catalogs the prominent devils in Hell and explains the various names they are known by and which cults worshipped them, he makes

14、devils of many gods whom the Greeks, Ammonites, and other ancient peoples worshipped. In other words, the great gods of the classical world have becomeaccording to Miltonfallen angels. His poem purports to tell of these gods original natures, before they infected humankind in the form of false gods.

15、 Through such comparisons with the classical epic poems, Milton is quick to demonstrate that the scope of his epic poem is much greater than those of the classical poets, and that his worldview and inspiration is more fundamentally true and all-encompassing than theirs. The setting, or world, of Mil

16、tons epic is large enough to include those smaller, classical worlds. Milton also displays his worlds superiority while reducing those classical epics to the level of old, nearly forgotten stories. For example, the nine muses of classical epics still exist on Mount Helicon in the world of Paradise L

17、ost, but Miltons muse haunts other areas and has the ability to fly above those other, less-powerful classical Muses. Thus Milton both makes himself the authority on antiquity and subordinates it to his Christian worldview.The Iliad and the Aeneid are the great epic poems of Greek and Latin, respect

18、ively, and Milton emulates them because he intends Paradise Lost to be the first English epic. Milton wants to make glorious art out of the English language the way the other epics had done for their languages. Not only must a great epic be long and poetically well-constructed, its subject must be s

19、ignificant and original, its form strict and serious, and its aims noble and heroic. In Miltons view, the story he will tell is the most original story known to man, as it is the first story of the world and of the first human beings. Also, while Homer and Virgil only chronicled the journey of heroi

20、c men, like Achilles or Aeneas, Milton chronicles the tragic journey of all menthe result of humankinds disobedience. Milton goes so far as to say that he hopes to “justify,” or explain, Gods mysterious plan for humankind. Homer and Virgil describe great wars between men, but Milton tells the story

21、of the most epic battle possible: the battle between God and Satan, good and evil.Book I, lines 27722Summary: Lines 27722: Satan and HellImmediately after the prologue, Milton raises the question of how Adam and Eves disobedience occurred and explains that their actions were partly due to a serpents

22、 deception. This serpent is Satan, and the poem joins him and his followers in Hell, where they have just been cast after being defeated by God in Heaven.Satan lies stunned beside his second-in-command, Beelzebub, in a lake of fire that gives off darkness instead of light. Breaking the awful silence

23、, Satan bemoans their terrible position, but does not repent of his rebellion against God, suggesting that they might gather their forces for another attack. Beelzebub is doubtful; he now believes that God cannot be overpowered. Satan does not fully contradict this assessment, but suggests that they

24、 could at least pervert Gods good works to evil purposes. The two devils then rise up and, spreading their wings, fly over to the dry land next to the flaming lake. But they can undertake this action only because God has allowed them to loose their chains. All of the devils were formerly angels who

25、chose to follow Satan in his rebellion, and God still intends to turn their evil deeds toward the good.Once out of the lake, Satan becomes more optimistic about their situation. He calls the rest of the fallen angels, his legions, to join him on land. They immediately obey and, despite their wounds

26、and suffering, fly up to gather on the plain. Milton lists some of the more notable of the angels whose names have been erased from the books of Heaven, noting that later, in the time of man, many of these devils come to be worshipped as gods. Among these are Moloch, who is later known as a god requ

27、iring human sacrifices, and Belial, a lewd and lustful god. Still in war gear, these fallen angels have thousands of banners raised and their shields and spears in hand. Even in defeat, they are an awesome army to behold.Satans unrepentant evil nature is unwavering. Even cast down in defeat, he does

28、 not consider changing his ways: he insists to his fellow devils that their delight will be in doing evil, not good. In particular, as he explains to Beelzebub, he wishes to pervert Gods will and find a way to make evil out of good. It is not easy for Satan to maintain this determination; the battle

29、 has just demonstrated Gods overwhelming power, and the devils could not even have lifted themselves off the lake of fire unless God had allowed it. God allows it precisely because he intends to turn their evil designs toward a greater good in the end. Satans envy of the Sons chosen status led him t

30、o rebel and consequently to be condemned. His continued envy and search for freedom leads him to believe that he would rather be a king in Hell than a servant in Heaven. Satans pride has caused him to believe that his own free intellect is as great as Gods will. Satan remarks that the mind can make

31、its own Hell out of Heaven, or in his case, its own Heaven out of Hell.Satan addresses his comrades and acknowledges their shame in falling to the heavenly forces, but urges them to gather in order to consider whether another war is feasible. Instantly, the legions of devils dig into the bowels of t

32、he ground, unearthing gold and other minerals. With their inhuman powers they construct a great temple in a short time. It is called Pandemonium (which means “all the demons” in Latin), and the hundreds of thousands of demonic troops gather there to hold a summit. Being spirits, they can easily shri

33、nk from huge winged creatures to the smallest size. Compacting themselves, they enter Pandemonium, and the debate begins.AnalysisThroughout the first two or three books of Paradise Lost, Satan seems as if hes the hero of the poem. This is partly because the focus of the poem is all on him, but it is

34、 also because the first books establish his strugglehe finds himself defeated and banished from Heaven, and sets about establishing a new course for himself and those he leads. Typically, the hero or protagonist of any narrative, epic poem or otherwise, is a person who struggles to accomplish someth

35、ing. Milton plays against our expectations by spending the first quarter of his epic telling us about the antagonist rather than the protagonist, so that when we meet Adam and Eve, we will have a more profound sense of what they are up against. But even when the focus of the poem shifts to Adam and

36、Eve, Satan remains the most active force in the story.One important way in which the narrator develops our picture of Satanand gives us the impression that he is a herois through epic similes, lengthy and developed comparisons that tell us how big and powerful Satan is. For example, when Satan is ly

37、ing on the burning lake, Milton compares him to the titans who waged war upon Jove in Greek mythology. Then, at greater length, he compares him to a Leviathan, or whale, that is so huge that sailors mistake it for an island and fix their anchor to it. In other epics, these sorts of similes are used

38、to establish the great size or strength of characters, and on the surface these similes seem to do the same thing. At the same time, however, the effect of these similes is to unsettle us, making us aware that we really do not know how big Satan is at all. No one knows how big the titans were, becau

39、se they were defeated before the age of man. The image of the Leviathan does not give us a well-defined sense of his size, because the whole point of the image is that the Leviathans size generates deception and confusion. More than anything, the similes used to describe Satan make us aware of the f

40、act that size is relative, and that we dont know how big anything in Hell isthe burning lake, the hill, Pandemonium, etc. Milton drives this fact home at the end of Book I with a tautology: while most of the devils shrink in size to enter Pandemonium, the important ones sit “far within / And in thei

41、r own dimensions like themselves” (I.792793). In other words, they were however big they were, but we have no way of knowing how big that was. Finally, it is important to note that the first description of Satans size is the biggest we will ever see him. From that point on, Satan assumes many shapes

42、 and is compared to numerous creatures, but his size and stature steadily diminishes. The uncertainty created by these similes creates a sense of ironyperhaps Satan isnt so great after all.The devils in Paradise Lost are introduced to the story here in Book I in almost a parody of how Homer introduc

43、es great warriors in the Iliad. The irony of these descriptions lies in the fact that while these devils seem heroic and noteworthy in certain ways, they just lost the war in Heaven. As frightening and vividly presented as these creatures are, they did not succeed in killing a single angel.In Book I

44、, Milton presents Satan primarily as a military hero, and the council of devils as a council of war. In doing so, he makes Paradise Lost resonate with earlier epics, which all center around military heroes and their exploits. At the same time, Milton presents an implicit critique of a literary cultu

45、re that glorifies war and warriors. Satan displays all of the virtues of a great warrior such as Achilles or Odysseus. He is courageous, undaunted, refusing to yield in the face of impossible odds, and able to stir his followers to follow him in brave and violent exploits. Milton is clearly aware of

46、 what hes doing in making Satan somewhat appealing in the early chapters. By drawing us into sympathizing with and admiring Satan, Milton forces us to question why we admire martial prowess and pride in literary characters. Ultimately he attempts to show that the Christian virtues of obedience, humi

47、lity, and forbearance are more important.Plot OverviewMiltons speaker begins Paradise Lost by stating that his subject will be Adam and Eves disobedience and fall from grace. He invokes a heavenly muse and asks for help in relating his ambitious story and Gods plan for humankind. The action begins w

48、ith Satan and his fellow rebel angels who are found chained to a lake of fire in Hell. They quickly free themselves and fly to land, where they discover minerals and construct Pandemonium, which will be their meeting place. Inside Pandemonium, the rebel angels, who are now devils, debate whether the

49、y should begin another war with God. Beezlebub suggests that they attempt to corrupt Gods beloved new creation, humankind. Satan agrees, and volunteers to go himself. As he prepares to leave Hell, he is met at the gates by his children, Sin and Death, who follow him and build a bridge between Hell a

50、nd Earth. In Heaven, God orders the angels together for a council of their own. He tells them of Satans intentions, and the Son volunteers himself to make the sacrifice for humankind. Meanwhile, Satan travels through Night and Chaos and finds Earth. He disguises himself as a cherub to get past the A

51、rchangel Uriel, who stands guard at the sun. He tells Uriel that he wishes to see and praise Gods glorious creation, and Uriel assents. Satan then lands on Earth and takes a moment to reflect. Seeing the splendor of Paradise brings him pain rather than pleasure. He reaffirms his decision to make evi

52、l his good, and continue to commit crimes against God. Satan leaps over Paradises wall, takes the form of a cormorant (a large bird), and perches himself atop the Tree of Life. Looking down at Satan from his post, Uriel notices the volatile emotions reflected in the face of this so-called cherub and

53、 warns the other angels that an impostor is in their midst. The other angels agree to search the Garden for intruders.Meanwhile, Adam and Eve tend the Garden, carefully obeying Gods supreme order not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. After a long day of work, they return to their bower and rest. Th

54、ere, Satan takes the form of a toad and whispers into Eves ear. Gabriel, the angel set to guard Paradise, finds Satan there and orders him to leave. Satan prepares to battle Gabriel, but God makes a sign appear in the skythe golden scales of justiceand Satan scurries away. Eve awakes and tells Adam

55、about a dream she had, in which an angel tempted her to eat from the forbidden tree. Worried about his creation, God sends Raphael down to Earth to teach Adam and Eve of the dangers they face with Satan.Raphael arrives on Earth and eats a meal with Adam and Eve. After the meal, Eve retires, allowing

56、 Raphael and Adam to speak alone. Raphael relates the story of Satans envy over the Sons appointment as Gods second-in-command. Satan gathered other angels together who were also angry to hear this news, and together they plotted a war against God. Abdiel decides not to join Satans army and returns

57、to God. The angels then begin to fight, with Michael and Gabriel serving as co-leaders for Heavens army. The battle lasts two days, when God sends the Son to end the war and deliver Satan and his rebel angels to Hell. Raphael tells Adam about Satans evil motives to corrupt them, and warns Adam to wa

58、tch out for Satan. Adam asks Raphael to tell him the story of creation. Raphael tells Adam that God sent the Son into Chaos to create the universe. He created the earth and stars and other planets. Curious, Adam asks Raphael about the movement of the stars and planets. Raphael promptly warns Adam ab

59、out his seemingly unquenchable search for knowledge. Raphael tells Adam that he will learn all he needs to know, and that any other knowledge is not meant for humans to comprehend. Adam tells Raphael about his first memories, of waking up and wondering who he was, what he was, and where he was. Adam says that God spoke to him and told him many things, including his order not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. After the story, Adam confesses to Raphael his intense physical attraction to Eve. Raphael remind