Story Elements
The Hero
Formal Requirements
Literary Devices
Epic Formulas
100
The Epic generally takes on a serious subject. Cite evidence to prove that Milton does this.
l.1-4, for example
100
Epic poems are heroic; that is, they have a hero who is formidable in battle. Has Milton suggested any such heroes so far?
Satan: l.105, 143-45 Jesus: won the battle.
100
Epics are LOOONG poems. Is Milton's? Evidence, please.
415 pages...
100
Hyperbole is a common device in epic poems. Can you find an example of this device, which presents us with an extreme exaggeration, in Book 1?
e.g., l.292, l.50-52
100
The epic poem generally begins with an invocation to the Muses, calling upon these goddesses to inspire (breathe into) the poet, enabling the poet to "breathe out" the poem. Where do we find the invocation in this poem?
l.6-8, 12-16, 17-23
200
The setting of an epic is vast and expansive. How about the setting of this poem?
Heaven, Hell, Earth...
200
The epic hero takes a journey, which may lead him temporarily into an abyss, or he may go on a quest. His quest is of a serious nature and may be perilous, often involving obstacles devised by the gods, which he must use his wits to navigate. Do we find clues to any such a trajectory in the first book of Milton's poem?
Satan is thrown out of Heaven into the abyss of Hell. His quest is to resist God's pleasure and to turn all of God's goodness to evil, locking him in contest with God (l.159-165). He proposes to use his wits in this "war": "we may with more successful hope resolve/ to wage by force or guile eternal war/ irreconcilable, to our grand foe" (l.120-122).
200
Epics are narrative poems: they tell stories, with characters who move through a plot. Does this one?
(your evidence)
200
Kennings appear in the Anglo-Saxon epic we read earlier this semester. Can you find any in Milton?
e.g., l.4, "One greater Man" (Jesus); l.29, "our grand parents" (for A and E), "th'infernal serpent" (l.34), "th'Arch fiend"
200
Traditionally, epic poems begin *not* at the beginning but "in medias res": that is, in the middle of the action. Does Milton's poem do so? Evidence?
The action of the poem begins (p. 14-15) with Satan being cast out of heaven after having been defeated in the war with Heaven. The argument to Book one tells us that Milton has this convention in mind: "...the poem hastes *into the midst of things,* presenting Satan with his angels now fallen into Hell" (p.11).
300
In epic poems, the gods traditionally take part in the action. Proof that this is the case, in Milton?
l.44-49, for example
300
The epic hero is traditionally recognized by his superhuman deeds. Do we find any of these in Book 1?
For Satan, l. 49
300
Epic poems are written in verse--in poetry, not prose. Is this one?
any line will show it...
300
An epithet is a short, descriptive phrase associated with a particular character, which generally appears next to that character's name or in the form of an appositive next to the name. For example, "Hector, breaker of horses" or "fleet-footed Achilles"
"smooth Adonis" (l.450), l. 198 "Titanian, or Earth-born"
300
Generally, the poet addresses a question to the Muses early on; the answer to this question is, essentially, the poem. That question is called "the epic question." Can you find it here?
lines 27-33
400
Epic poems tend to feature great wars or battles.
Book I begins after the war in heaven, to which the poem refers (l.49, 100-105, etc.).
400
The epic hero is a leader and is distinguished among his men, as we saw in _Beowulf_. Is this true of any heroes in Book 1?
Satan: Beelzebub calls him "leader" (l.272), and the demons respond to Satan's voice (l.331-348). "He above the rest/ in shape and gesture proudly eminent/ stood like a tow'r" (l.589-92).
400
Epic poems use formal, even lofty, literary language. Find an example of such language in this poem.
Any line will show it...
400
Epic similes are EXTENDED comparisons, which run on for multiple lines. Can you find any in Book 1?
e.g., l.594-599, l.768-777
400
In literary epics, the poet often states his epic purpose early in the poem. Where does Milton tell us what his goal is with this poem? And is it suitably epic, as purposes go?
l.26-27
500
Traditional epics, like Beowulf or Virgil's _Aeneid_, tend to offer us the story of the founding of a nation, people, or race. Does Milton? On what group does he focus?
The demons and the human race.
500
The epic hero typically seeks glory in his actions.
Satan, l.110
500
Epic poems contain elaborately detailed descriptions. Can you find one in Milton?
E.g., lines 534-567 (Azazel), Pandaemonium (l.710-730)
500
Epics contain many literary allusions. Can you find one here? BONUS: I will double your points (somehow) if you can find an example of Milton reworking a classical Greek or Roman reference in his (Christian) poem.
e.g., l.7 (Moses), l.16 (to Ariosto), to Ezekiel BONUS: the double invocation. Or, Satan as Aeneas: l.619-625
500
Epic poems are notorious for their long lists--The Iliad, for instance, spends more than 250 lines cataloguing the Greek ships that came to fight in the Trojan War. Do you find any similarly bloated lists in Book 1 of Paradise Lost?
Catalogue of the demons: l.392-521. The argument to book one indicates that here the "chief leaders [of Satan's armies] [are] named, according to the idols known afterwards in Canaan and the countries adjoining" (p. 11).
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