PARADISE LOST, by John Milton, Book 4, Part 5

Book four of Paradise Lost is STUNNING in its profundity and psychological insight, not to mention the sheer beauty of Milton's poetic imagination. For any familiar with C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, the literary influence is crystal clear, as Satan approaches the walled garden, the paradiso, of Eden, and climbs the wall, disdaining the gate, as does Jadis in The Magician's Nephew. We should pay particular attention to Milton's psychological portrait of Satan, the deliberate choice of evil, the acknowledgment of good and the desire to spoil it, the regret and pain in knowing himself a parasite on all the goodness and blessedness of creation, the arrogance and pain in knowing himself a diminished being as he confronts those "lesser" angels who are now his betters, as he chose his own will over that of his Creator. As Lewis says in The Great Divorce, "there are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, ... 'thy will be done.' All that are in hell choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no hell." Satan here acknowledges this when he says, "Evil, be now my good," and that in fleeing hell, he carried it with him, and all its attendant misery, as he is himself hell incarnate, the choice to exalt self over God.

Paradise Lost Book 4 Summary & Analysis | LitCharts

This is an excellent summary and commentary on each of the books in PARADISE LOST. I strongly recommend reading these commentaries over as you listen to our readings of this great poem!

This is but a foretaste of what awaits us in this book. Enjoy!

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