them and to recall them to the continuing need for regeneration. The slender hopes of national rebirth that he still cherished in the pamphlets of 1659-60, however, were erased forever by the Restoration in May 1660; and the depth of Milton's despair may be gauged by Paradise Lost, a poem originally planned to honor a restored Paradise in England. Significantly, England is never mentioned in the epic; indeed, even in Michael's brief resume of church history from the time of the Apostles to the Last Judgment there is no reference to English affairs. On the contrary, with no mention of the Reformation at all -- whether in England or on the Continent.(Hill, Chapter 4 p1-3)Another critic wrote, Paradise Lost portrays the frailty of its nominal hero rather than his strength; in argument and plot it tends rather to dispraise than glorify him. Stressing the cardinal importance of the heroic exemplar in Miltons epics and tragedy(Steadman, jacket insert). This was a study written looking at Milton in the light on Renaissance theories of heroism.A Personal ViewParadise Lost started out to be a very difficult read, as I really did not have any background and insight to who John Milton was and is today. I still dont think I can say I read every word, but I sure gave it a try. There is a vast amount of criticism and scholarly musing on the works on John Milton, and this will continue for centuries to come. Milton had a great dream for England and its people, which I could see in this epic poem. I hope he did not die too bitter of a man, as he had already lost just about everything except his ability to write at the very end. He will always be an icon in literature, and my look on life is broader for having had the chance to scratch the surface of the man known as John Milton. ...
