...In Paradise Lost, poet John Milton focuses on telling the story of the fall of mankind to his readers, specifically the temptation of Adam and Eve by the devil at the beginning of creation. By caving into sin and disobeying God’s commands by eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Eve lose the beautiful paradise in which they live and become aware of the presence of sin in their lives. Adam and Eve’s disobedience becomes even worse when one realizes that their mistake will not only affect their future, but also the future of all human beings who have yet to be born. However, by portraying God as both just and merciful, Milton conveys to his readers the belief that despite all of their shortcomings, there is still hope for Adam...
Words: 416 - Pages: 2
...Milton in Paradise Lost Immediately after the prologue, Milton raises the question of how Adam and Eve’s disobedience occurred and explains that their actions were partly due to a serpent’s 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, 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 could at least pervert God’s 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 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 and suffering, fly up to gather on the plain. Milton lists some of the more notable of the angels whose names...
Words: 636 - Pages: 3
...Paradise Lost By John Milton The Book note Table of Contents Introduction Cast of Characters Plot Summary An Analysis of Major Characters Satan Adam Eve Chapter Summary and Analysis Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book 5 and 6 Book 7 Book 8 and 9 Book 10 Book 11 and 12 Symbols and Themes Quotes The Quiz Introduction John Milton was born in London on December 9, 1608. He was the son of a successful Protestant merchant, and was provided with an excellent education that included the opportunity to travel widely throughout Europe. He was fluent in a number of classical as well as modern languages, including Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic, Spanish, Italian, French and Dutch. In 1625, he began his attendance at Cambridge University with the intention of becoming a clergyman in the Church of England, but was disillusioned by what he considered the arrogance and ignorance of his fellow students. He decided that his true calling was to serve God and his country as an author and poet. Inspired by Roman poets of antiquity, and particularly Virgil, Milton aspired to create a great epic poem in the English language. He considered two other distinctly British topics for his epic—the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and the military exploits of the general Oliver Cromwell—before settling on the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and their fall from God’s grace through disobedience. Milton was politically active throughout his life, and was outspoken...
Words: 15072 - Pages: 61
...Genesis 1-11 lays the foundation for all biblical truth as it assumes God is the creator of all things. These scriptures portray God as just, grace, love, wrath, and holy. The teachings in these scriptures help us to understand how we are to view the world, and what part God has played in the creation and recreation of the world. A triune God formed the natural world in six literal days. We know this by the wording that is used. Moses uses the word “Yom” as the word for “day” in this book. “Yom” is used in other parts of the Bible and refers to a literal twenty-four hour day, so we can be sure Moses wasn’t referring to a day as an age. He formed it out of nothing by the power of his voice. He showed us how to conduct our weeks, as we should work six days and on the seventh day we should rest. The principle of the Sabbath rest was set forth by God in Genesis 2:2-3 NIV which reads, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” He also showed us that he did not create evolution by saying in Genesis 1:11 NIV, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.” Everything including plants, animals and humans produce after their own kind. Relationships are life’s biggest joys and...
Words: 772 - Pages: 4
...‘The fascination of innocence lies in its fragility’. Milton’s epic poem ‘Paradise Lost’ and Jonson’s comedy play ‘Volpone’ both explore the nature of innocence – moreover, its fragility. Through their examination of justice, societal conventions, and their relationship with their audiences both writers challenge conceptions of innocence held at their time of writing. Arguably, relationships between the notion of innocence and audiences have changed over time, yet it is that which makes both works timeless pieces of longstanding fascination. The theme of justice – and subsequently the definition of ‘innocence’ – is a field explored by both Milton and Jonson. In ‘Paradise Lost’, Milton presents governance in the divine justice of God. The authority of God is asserted in his casting Satan out of Heaven – leaving him “full of anguish” and intent on “man’s destruction”, as a means to challenge the supremacy of God. Adam and Eve are presented as “innocent” at the start of Book Nine, yet to eat from the Tree of Knowledge and to fall from grace. Milton conveys the pair’s purity through the use of natural imagery: “the humid flowers” and the “sweetest scent and airs”. However, Milton also foreshadows the Fall by contrasting the natural innocence of the pre-lapsarian couple with ideas of modern religion – “sacred light”, “incense”, “earth’s great alter”. Suggesting that Adam and Eve were predestined to lose their “innocent” nature, Milton asserts his own ideas of religion: contrary...
Words: 1216 - Pages: 5
...The Moral Immoralities of Victor Frankenstein In the novel Frankenstein, the author Mary Shelley portrays the limitations of man in his pursuit of scientific creativity. She illustrates Victor Frankenstein’s attempts and success at creating a human being in his laboratory as an immoral attempt to play the role of God. Shelley repeatedly shows the monster’s harmful effects on society and often places blame on Victor for the Monster’s detrimental actions. In order to emphasize the immorality and mistakes in Victor’s attempts to play God, Shelley constructs a recognizable parallel to the story of Genesis when God creates man and woman. In order to show her disapproval of such an endeavor, Shelley intentionally causes Victor to fail. This deviation from the parallel in Genesis demonstrates that man cannot exceed his natural limitations, or mimic the role of God. The story begins with Victor’s decision to create the Monster. Victor says that he “[s]ucceeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, [he] became capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter” (Shelley 43). Immediately, a parallel is drawn to the creation of man in Genesis. This parallel continues when Victor discloses to the reader that he, “[c]ollected bones from charnel-houses and distrusted, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame” (Shelley 45). Shelley portrays the creation of Victor’s monster in a subtle but similar way that God created man. Her intention is for...
Words: 1477 - Pages: 6
...Tori Cisney L23872846 BIBL 105-001 18 September 2013 Genesis 1-11 Essay English Standard Version A biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God. It the practice of living out what the Bible teaches. Genesis one through eleven is the basic framework for the creation of the universe. These chapters describe how the natural world is a fallen world. They also explain that every human’s identity is in Christ, and the affects that the fallen world has on human relationships. Chapter eleven in Genesis explains how people forget their judgement so quickly and return to their crimes and idols. Genesis one, three, and six portrays the world at a fallen state. God created the universe with perfection. Each day, He created something new on the Earth and saw that they were all good. He created man in His image,” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). But, the earth instantly became a fallen world, beginning in Genesis 3. As a result of Adam's sin in the sixth verse of chapter three, the world has to encounter sickness, sorrow, evil and death. Everyone is born into the world with a sinful nature. So, nobody is born innocent and pure, but have the inbuilt desire to sin. God’s plan was to create a world for the humans He created with creature righteousness to dwell in His presence. But, because of this new fallen state, God’s judgement is upon man, woman, nature, and Satan...
Words: 990 - Pages: 4
...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Research Paper Submit ion for The fall of Satan: A Historical Approach Submitted to Cky John Carrigan, in partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the completion of the course Theo 525 D02 (Summer 2014) Systematic Theology I By Matthew Dumler (26110162) August 15th, 2014 Contents Introduction 1 Gap Theory 1:1 and 1:2 2 Gap Theory Chapters 2 and 3 5 Before Creation 8 Conclusion 10 Introduction Before Genesis 1:1 God created the heaven of heavens (Nehemiah 9:6) with angels so numerous no one could count (Revelation 5:11). One of God’s most cherished creations, Lucifer, was placed in charge of guarding his royal thrown (Ezekiel 28:12-16). One day Lucifer took pride in his own beauty and his heart was filled with pride (Ezekiel 28:17). He began to think highly of himself and began to think wrongly of God. He began to take what rightfully belonged to God and began to put himself in God’s place. For the first time in all creation, one of his own had sinned against him. God judged him accordingly and placed him in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41). The sacred scriptures tell us that after the fall, Lucifer was thereafter known as the Devil or the accuser. One question that remains to be answered is this: when did this event occur? Some theologians claim that Satan’s fall occurred before Genesis 1:1. Others contend that there was a gap that took place between...
Words: 4222 - Pages: 17
...An Explication of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell William Blake’s trouble with orthodoxy within religion was never more apparent than in his poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. It becomes clear that his problems with the Church run deeper than just their organization, but with their views on good and evil, and there is still debate today about what Blake’s true feelings were and how they were conveyed through the poem. This paper will simply explain the nature of the poem and the events that come together within it. The beginning of Marriage sets up an image of a man walking through a “perilous path” that is described as “The vale of death” (Blake 1.4-5). Rintrah, a personification of wrath, watches the man be swayed from his path by the “sneaking serpent,” which can easily be interpreted as the Devil (Blake 1.17). The man is driven into the wild to fend for himself, where he will struggle and be tempted by the good and evil sides of himself and of the world. The next plate that Blake writes is not in a poetic form, but instead calls forth a challenge to the Swedenborgian view of religion. He humorously writes that “it is now thirty-three years since its advent: the Eternal Hell revives. And lo! Swedenborg is the Angel sitting at the tomb: his writings are the linen clothes folded up” (Blake 3). Blake’s jokes about Swedenborg’s relationship to Jesus Christ and his changes to the Christian church lead into his next point, which is how contradictory he believes these...
Words: 2231 - Pages: 9
...Jenna Erickson THEO 104-D14 5/4/15 Reflection Paper 2 I. Introduction For my second reflection paper, similar to my first, I am choosing two topics in which can somewhat go hand in hand with each other. The two topics I am choosing are: Creation and the Fall of Man. In today’s primarily secular culture, the teachings of creation and the fall of man are topics that are too commonly misrepresented and misunderstood amongst many. Both creation and the fall of man are fundamental foundations to establishing a Christian biblical worldview. In two separate sections, I will present creation and the fall of man, while going in-depth into the theological definitions, biblical foundations, and practical applications for both. I will tackle these topics in the order in which they happened, and discuss how this relates to myself and how this class has helped me to get to this point of a better understanding of the scriptures teachings. II. Part One – Creation a. Theological Definition The ideology of creation preaches that the one true God created ex nihilo, or out of nothing, the universe and everything within it. God created the “heavens, the earth, the fish, the various kinds of species of animals, and man as the crown of His creation” (Townes, Origin). This doctrine claims that there was nothing before His creation; no time, substance, space, energy, beings, area or etc. God’s existence alone stood before creation and is solely responsible for everything there is and continues...
Words: 1410 - Pages: 6
...forbidden fruit. Satan is discovered and banished from Eden. God sends Archangel Raphael to give food to Adam and Eve, and tell them about how Satan's jealousy led him to lead a rebellion, and how he was cast into hell. He also tells them how the world was created, and that mankind could rep;ace fallen angels. They talk about the nature of the universe and the condition of angels. Satan returns to earth and possesses a serpent. He convinces her to eat the forbidden fruit, and Adam eats it too. They lose their innocence and become aware of their nakedness, and start arguing. The Son of God comes and judge them, Sin and Death enter Earth, and Satan and his followers are turned into snakes. Archangel Michael is sent to expel Adam and Eve from Paradise, and he tells them about the future, and the events which will follow now they have sinned for the first time, and the salvation of mankind as the Son sacrifices himself. In the end, Adam and Eve leave the Garden. Book 1 Milton invokes the muses, hoping to be able to sing of the events to come, and to "justifie the wayes of God to men". The setting of hell is described: it's in Chaos, on the opposite end of the universe to Heaven, and burning. Satan and his followers describe their changes and battle with God and...
Words: 485 - Pages: 2
...In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dr. Frankenstein creates life like God did in the Bible when he created Adam. God created Adam from mud while Dr. Frankenstein created his “demon” from dead body parts. God also gave his creation intelligence; immortality and domination over other creatures while Dr. Frankenstein could only provide immortality. In today’s society people are trying to possess the ability of creation and cloning which are privileges no human should have. In the Bible God created life with mud where no life existed, and gave Adam the Garden of Eden so that he could live for eternity with everything he could ever want. However, it was inevitable that Adam would eat from the tree of knowledge, therefore, obtaining vast knowledge...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...Victor Frankenstein decides to study that topic and devote his life and studies to creating artificial life. Actual artificial human beings were they can talk, breathe, eat, and everything else a regular human can do. So he travels to many graveyards looking for the perfect body pieces and internal organs. He finally pieces them together after sleepless nights... And it turns out to be horrifying monster. I am Frank Padron, this is Frank's Talk show and let's get into this topic. The first out of two main issues In this book are Victor versus Himself. Throughout the novel we witness many sides of Victor's behavior. This shows that the man is not stable in the first place. When Victor wants something, he obsesses about it without thinking about consequences. Throughout the beginning of the book he stresses to complete his project and find more perfect body parts to construct his masterpiece. After creating his masterpiece he then soon regrets his decision as the large dark figure looms in his room, breathing heavily. He then flees to the town trying to tell apart whether he is sane or insane. When he finally achieves his goal of creating life, and he realizes the horrid aftermath of his activity, he falls into a deep depression and becomes ill. Eventually dying of illness In a frozen wasteland regretting everything he has done. The creature he wished to create he ends up despising to a sickening point. He essentially sets himself up for failure. The second main issue is Creature...
Words: 638 - Pages: 3
...Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or Modern Prometheus, is a daring tale of the creation of life gone wrong, inspired by the many alchemists and scientists of the time. From a young age, Shelley was exposed to the concept of social engineering and social and moral issues. When she married Percy Shelley, he brought about the ideas of man playing God. A man with a deep interest in chemical experiments, he exposed Mary the whelm of chemical experimentation and natural philosophy. Many will agree that Shelley’s novel was influenced heavily by four prominent European scientists: Luigi Galvani, Giovanni Aldini, and Johann Konrad Dippel. Electricity at this time was a new concept, only explored previously by Albert Einstein. Electricity had compelled the minds of many scientists, including Luigi Galvani. An Italian physicist, Galvani was famous for his study of the effects of electricity on animals. He created “galvanism”, and would use electrical sparks to the leg muscles of frogs twitch, after their death. He published his findings in his essay, entitled ‘Commentary on the Effect of Electricity on Muscular Motion’. “Galvani’s experiments on the nerves and legs of frogs helped him to establish a link between electricity and muscle movement” (Re-Animating a Murderer). This connection led Galvani’s nephew, Giovanni Aldini, to become interested in ‘animal electricity’, the electrical force that starts in the brain and flows through the nerves to make muscles move. Aldini noted his uncle’s...
Words: 446 - Pages: 2
...When a person thinks of Frankenstein's monster, they most likely think the creation as being wretched, but in reality, Victor Frankenstein is the wretched one. Victor gave his creation life, but he found his being to be so horrid that he ran from his new responsibility without teaching morals. The murders of Victor's loved ones happened because Victor abandoned his being, causing his creation to find its own life's principles. Victor Frankenstein's mistakes caused him to be the person responsible for the deaths within Mary Shelley's novel. Initially, Victor Frankenstein desired unknown knowledge which was not thought about carefully. When Victor made the decision, bringing life to a being, he did not consider the consequences of creating a...
Words: 388 - Pages: 2
