Name Period
Paradise Lost (from Book I)
Cast of Characters
Adam: the first human being; created by God by His own hand and breath; husband of Eve, who was created from his rib; described as the “goodliest man of men (IV.323); given the tasks of naming the animals and tending the Garden of Eden
Eve: the mother of all mankind; the first and most beautiful woman; wife to Adam, having been made by God from Adam’s rib.
God: the Creator of the universe, of angels, Heaven, Hell, and man; the Supreme Being; omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and ruler of all
Satan: generally acclaimed as the most compelling and complex character in the epic; his name means “enemy” or “adversary” in Hebrew; formerly he was called Lucifer and was one of the highest-ranking angels, but envy drove him to rebel against God.
Beelzebub: Satan’s lieutenant and chief supporter; in his speech in Book I, he reveals that he fears eternal slavery in Hell; he is described as appearing like “[A] pillar of state” (II.302); a majestic, wise statesman
Messiah: the Son of God and future incarnation of Jesus Christ, whom the Father ordains king of angels and his equal in power; he defeats Lucifer’s rebellion and is sent by his Father to carry out the miracle of Creation. He volunteers to die for man’s sin; acts as judge over Adam and Eve, mercifully postponing their punishment of death; intercedes with God for their redemption.
Provide line numbers for each answer.
----------lines 1-26----------
1. To whom does Milton refer when he writes, “Of man’s first disobedience and the fruit / Of that
forbidden tree”?
2. How does Milton describe the “taste” of the “forbidden tree”?
3. On whom or what does Milton call to “instruct” him and “illumine” “[w]hat in [him] is dark”?
4. What does Milton mean when he says that he wants to “justify the ways of God to men”?
----------lines 27-49----------
5. Milton asks, “What cause / Moved our grand parents in that happy state . . . to fall off / From their
Creator, and transgress his will?” Who are the “grand parents,” and who does he reveal is
responsible for their fall?
6. (a) What does Milton say was Satan’s crime against God? (b) What punishment did God inflict on
him?
----------lines 50-83----------
7. (a) What is the “thought of loss happiness” that Satan must suffer? (b) What is the “lasting pain [that] torments him”?
8. According to Milton in lines 61-69, what is hell like?
9. (a) With whom does Satan begin to talk? (b) Where does he rank compared to Satan?
----------lines 84-124----------
10. Satan tells Beelzebub that he (Beelzebub) has “changed.” What did he used to look like?
11. Satan explains why he tried to fight God. Now that the war is over, has Satan’s attitude toward God
changed any? Quote the lines that support your answer.
12. Satan says, “All is not lost.” What does he still have left?
13. What “glory never shall [God] / Extort from [him]”? On other words, what does Satan boast he will
never do?
14. Why does Satan say they may hope to wage “eternal war” against God “with more successful
hope” this time?
----------lines 125-155----------
15. How does Beelzebub say that God’s “high supremacy” was upheld?
16. Why does he now “believe [God is] almighty”?
17. Beelzebub feels that it is pointless to continue to resist God now. Rather, what type of “service” or
“errands” does he fear God has left the rebels alive to perform for Him?
----------lines 156-191----------
18. As Satan replies to Beelzebub, what does he reveal will be their “task” from now on?
19. Along similar lines, what must their “labor” be?
20. Describe the “plain” that Satan points out to Beelzebub.
21. Before they fly over to this plain, where had they been? In other words, what type of surface were
they on?
22. From what may the rebels gain “reinforcement”? From what may they gain “resolution”?
----------lines 192-220----------
23. To whom is Satan compared? Name three different figures. What do all three have in common?
24. Why does “all-ruling Heaven” permit Satan to become unchained and fly away to the plain?
25. What does God plan to bring forth out of Satan’s efforts to make evil?
26. How does Satan plan to counteract God’s plan?
----------lines 221-241----------
27. Describe the “dry land / He lights.”
28. How is Satan’s flying and landing similar to “thundering Etna”? See footnote.
29. Why are Satan and Beelzebub pleased that they were able to escape the “Stygian flood”?
----------lines 242-270----------
30. To what does Satan bid “farewell” as he greets the “horrors” of Hell? Quote the lines.
31. How does Satan describe his mind? Quote the lines.
32. How does Satan use his mind to rationalize his predicament?
33. Why does Satan say that it is “better” for him to be in Hell than in Heaven?
Harris, English IV H