ilton is arguably the best poet in Western civilization after Shakespeare. But while Shakespeare is common, Milton is noble; where the Bard is base, Milton is profound. Milton challenges the readers to find the beauty in meaning within the second chapter of Genesis, the story of The Fall. The work took him nearly 20 years to write, finished in 1665, largely dictated from his bed (Milton had gone blind before completing it).
Some will say different, but I recommend using the notes at the bottoms of pages—they help show the numerous references/allusions Milton uses in making meaning.
In many ways, Milton was Puritanical, but he believed in one keen choice to establish free will—the choice in Eden.
As you read, note what Milton does:
1. Reverses the Order of Words: “Him the Almighty Power hurl’d headlong flaming” (I.44) Kind of like Yoda!
2. Omission of extra words: We might expect the words to be added for the sense of the sentence, but for the sound of the poetry, they are cut.
3. Trading parts of speech: “dark with excessive bright” or “the great consult began”
4. Archaic (uh, old) language: “Reassembling our afflicted Power” –Here, afflicted in older days (back in the day) means also “cast down”. Again, use the footnotes to increase your understanding.
5. Exotic proper names: “The Russia Ksar is Mosco”