Essay on John Milton’s Paradise Lost - Defense for the Allegory of Sin

skillfulification for the Allegory of Sin and Death in Paradise helpless Milton claims his big poem Paradise Lost exceeds the work of his accomplished predecessors. He argues that he tackles the most difficult task of recounting the history of not just bingle hero, but the entire human race. However, he does not come forth to follow the conventional rules of an epic when he introduces an allegory into Paradise Lost through his portrayal of Sin and Death in Book II. some(prenominal) readers denounce his work for this inconsistency, but others relinquish his action and uncover passing important symbolism from this forbidden literal device. Merriam-Websters Collegiate mental lexicon defines an epic a long narrative poem in rarified style recounting the deeds of a legendary or diachronic hero (epic, def. 1) and allegory as the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence (allegory, def. 1). Based on these de finitions, it is unclear whether allegories fit into a true epic. From one perspective, such elongated symbolism is not appropriate because it relies on fictional figures whereas an epic is base on a historical hero. For this reason, some readers may scorn Miltons extended symbolism of Sin and Death since it violates the traditional socio-economic class of an epic. However From another point of view, an allegory is an acceptable literary serving to an epic because it is considered an element of elevated style. Therefore, other readers may trip up nothing wrong with Miltons literary decision. Miltons poetic emancipation entitles him to write as he pleases and therefore justifies his adaptation of an allegory into his epic. It is clearly app arent that Milton recognizes this privilege when... ...ilton relies heavily on the Bible for much of his information. With Miltons timeframe and era for writing Paradise Lost in mind, we can justify his choice to incorporate an allegory into his epic. Allegories present meanings on two levels, one literal and the other hidden, which often expresses a moral or appraisal produced by the author. With this in mind, the allegory is key to understanding many split of Paradise lots since Milton addresses so many issues in this one scene. inwardly the allegory alone, we discover extensive symbolism and wonder if there are more details to be uncovered each time we debate the epic. Milton effectively elicits his readers attention by raising such controversy and holds our enchantment with his intriguing hidden ideas, meanings, and symbolic relationships. Works Cited Milton, John. Paradise Lost. New York W.W. Norton, 1993.