Miltons Epic Disagreement
Milton wants to be considered an equal of the great epic writers like Virgil and Homer. He attempts to become their contemporaries by writing "Paradise Lost" which is about the fallen angels and their battle in hell against God. He is also a devout Protestant at a time when his own religion was being reformed and framed. Because of this there was a great opportunity to affect the growing Protestant Reformation. Milton attempted to be and get his name linked to the Reformation by writing "paradise Lost. However, in attempting to reach both of his goals, he contradicts the other. One can also state that by contradicting one they are both failures. Milton wanted to write a piece that would not only become the next epic poem but influences the times around it but fails to do obtain one or even both these goals.
Epics are centered on heroes. The story is told by or describes an epic hero. In Homer's "Odyssey" the hero is Odysseus the noble warrior and glorifies him and his battles. Milton's piece focuses on Satan. By centering his "epic" on the evil fallen angel he contradicts his own beliefs. Milton writes "What is low raise and support/ that to the height of this great argument/ I may assert Eternal Providence/ and justify the ways of God to men" (Book 1 24-27). He makes it sound like the almighty God that he believes in is wrong and corrupt through these lines. He makes Satan sound as if he is doing something great. However, during the Protestant Reformation, people adored God but made an effort to distance themselves from the corrupt Catholic Church. He says God is corrupt and needs to be vindicated to his own creation by his own foe. If Satan is the epic hero, God must be the epic villain.
One might oppose this argument by saying that God is the epic hero, or Adam and Eve are, or anyone else except Satan or a fallen angel. This is possible, but once one takes that stand, the word epic must be dropped and the protagonist and...
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