Summary of Paradise Lost by John Milton

When John Milton (1608–1674) set out to retell the story of the Bible, he sought to do what no epic poet had ever accomplished: to lay out in verse the Christian story of creation and the fall of humankind. It is Milton’s Satan who most captures the reader’s imagination, seducing us just as he seduces Eve; his pride, rebellion and impressive oratory make him a compelling and popular literary figure. Yet for all Satan’s rhetoric, Milton – himself a revolutionary who fought what he perceived