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    Epic - Invocation - in Paradise Lost.

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    CHHANDAM DEB
    1) Milton began writing Paradise Lost in 1657-1658 and published it in 1667 as an epic poem in ten books. He later expanded it to twelve books. 2) Milton followed the classical epic conventions of invoking a muse at the beginning, addressing the "Heavenly Muse" Urania rather than the classical muses like Calliope. 3) In the invocation, Milton claims his Christian epic will rise above classical pagan poetry and attempt themes not done before to justify God's ways to men with the aid of divine inspiration.

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    Epic - Invocation - in Paradise Lost.

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    CHHANDAM DEB
    751 views2 pages
    1) Milton began writing Paradise Lost in 1657-1658 and published it in 1667 as an epic poem in ten books. He later expanded it to twelve books. 2) Milton followed the classical epic conventions of invoking a muse at the beginning, addressing the "Heavenly Muse" Urania rather than the classical muses like Calliope. 3) In the invocation, Milton claims his Christian epic will rise above classical pagan poetry and attempt themes not done before to justify God's ways to men with the aid of divine inspiration.

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    Invocation, Epic features & Satan's character in Paradise Lost

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    EPIC- INVOCATION- IN PARADISE LOST.

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    1) Milton began writing Paradise Lost in 1657-1658 and published it in 1667 as an epic poem in ten books. He later expanded it to twelve books. 2) Milton followed the classical epic conventions of invoking a muse at the beginning, addressing the "Heavenly Muse" Urania rather than the classical muses like Calliope. 3) In the invocation, Milton claims his Christian epic will rise above classical pagan poetry and attempt themes not done before to justify God's ways to men with the aid of divine inspiration.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    751 views2 pages

    Epic - Invocation - in Paradise Lost.

    Uploaded by

    CHHANDAM DEB
    1) Milton began writing Paradise Lost in 1657-1658 and published it in 1667 as an epic poem in ten books. He later expanded it to twelve books. 2) Milton followed the classical epic conventions of invoking a muse at the beginning, addressing the "Heavenly Muse" Urania rather than the classical muses like Calliope. 3) In the invocation, Milton claims his Christian epic will rise above classical pagan poetry and attempt themes not done before to justify God's ways to men with the aid of divine inspiration.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    EPIC INVOCATION IN PARADISE LOST

    The composition of Paradise Lost was probably begun in 1657-58 and was completed by the summer of 1665. It was published in 1667 as
    an Epic in ten books; in issue of 1668-69 Milton added the preface and the prose “Argument” for the whole poem; and in the second edition
    of1674, the ten books became twelve, books VII and X divided into two each. Milton’s first large ambition was to write an Arthurian Epic, but
    soon after his return from Italy he contemplated writing a drama from Biblical and British history, and made at least four outlines for a drama
    on Adam and Eve. Milton, however, shifted to Epic partly because Epic was considered to be the grandest of poetic forms in the Renaissance
    theory, but mainly because he needed more freedom and amplitude than drama allowed.
    In composing an Epic poem of heroic nature, Milton preferred inevitably to follow Homer, whom he was said to have known by heart. The
    next supreme formal model of Neo-Classical theory, “Virgil and his Aeneid”, was also to be his closest model, because Milton was writing
    unquestionably in the secondary or literary Epic tradition. Milton, therefore, liked to work in a traditional pattern, although in Paradise Lost he
    transforms his models in the process, and the same artistic instinct works on a Grand Scale.
    The convention of opening an Epic with an Invocation to the ‘Muses’ was established by Homer. It was picked by Virgil in the Secondary
    Epic, and since then it has been followed by all Epic poets religiously. Traditionally, the ‘Muse’ to whom this invocation is addressed is one of
    the nine Muses of Greek Mythology who dwelt on the Olympian Mountains and inspired all forms of art and learning. The nine Muses of
    Classical tradition were-

    I. Calliope – Epic poetry.


    II. Clio – History.
    III. Polyhymnia – Mime.
    IV. Euterpe – Flute.
    V. Terpsichore – Dance.
    VI. Erato – Lyric Art.
    VII. Melpomene – Tragedy.
    VIII. Thalia – Comedy.
    IX. Urania – Astronomy.

    So, Calliope was the Muse of Epic poetry who was addressed by the classical poets both at the beginning and also at intervals, whenever it
    was so required. Milton follows this tradition in Paradise Lost.
    Milton’s ‘Heavenly Muse’ is, however, neither ‘Calliope’ nor any other ‘Muse’ in the Greek Pantheon but ‘Urania’ – although not the
    ‘Urania’ of the Classical tradition which stands for Astronomy. Milton’s Urania is the “Heavenly Muse”, the Muse of religious poetry, who
    inspired the poets and prophets of Israel, and was the springhead of all religious and visionary poetry. Urania is referred to in the opening of
    Book VII. ‘Descend from Heaven, Urania, by that name/If rightly thou art called……”. ‘Urania’ is the Israelite Muse of religious poetry as well as
    all Christian learning and poetry. Milton, therefore, speaks of this Muse of having inspired ‘Moses, the Shepherd”.
    Although, Milton follows the Classical tradition of Invocation, he gives a new meaning to this convention. In Paradise Lost, the invocation
    is made to support his conception of poetry as creation and prophecy, both inspired by the Holy Spirit. Milton also follows the Epic Convention
    of “Principium” or “Invocation” in ll. 1-26 and that of initium or initiation of the action in ll. 26-49.
    Having established Urania as his inspiring Muse, Milton then claims that his Epic will “soar above the Aonian Mount”. Since, the Aonian
    mount is Mount Helicon, the representation of the Classical poetry, this means that Milton’s poetry intends to rise above all his predecessors
    in the western tradition. This is so, Milton claims, because he is going to attempt “things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme”. Milton is writing
    a Christian Epic. Since, Classical poetry, however great and refined, is basically Pagan, Milton’s Christian epic will rise above all Paganism, and
    will therefore be greater. Deliberately or not, Milton is here undermining the pagan tradition, and glorifying the Christian one. Further, he is
    dealing not with any national history or a community, but with the history of the entire human race – with its Creation, Fall, Punishment, Loss
    of paradise, Redemption, and finally God’s Justice. Milton’s scale is cosmic and elevated, and he needed a more potent Muse – his ‘Urania’.
    In the next few lines, Milton claims that his poetry will rise above the Aonian Mounts or Mount Helicon not merely for religious reasons
    but will also be extraordinarily novel and creative. For this he invokes the Holy Spirit, whom he calls upon fervently to instruct him, and to
    illuminate the darkness in him, and also to raise him from all lowliness. In his treatise on Christian Doctrine Milton had described the Holy Spirit
    as “The Divine Breath” or influence by which everything is created and nourished and also as “the impulse or voice of God by which the
    Prophets were inspired”. All these meanings – creative power, prophetic capabilities, moral vision, use of reason, and religious faith – are
    compressed in the rest of the invocation. These lines also assert various other points – that Epic poetry is so Titanic a task, that it requires the
    blessings of divine powers for its success, that only a person of prophetic sensibility can attempt such a task. The Invocation also suggests that
    unless all the impurities, grossness and obscurities are banished, it is impossible to accomplish such a work. Moreover, Milton is attempting to
    do something which no man has ever done – to “Assert eternal providence and justify the ways of God to men”.
    There are unmistakable Biblical echoes in passages of the text, as in the “Book of Job”, which are concerned to prove the justice of God.
    Milton’s originality lies in using this purpose in Epic poetry – to show artistically that man’s plight in the world today is the result of man’s own
    fault. God’s justice is all-embracing and man cannot escape the effects of God’s justice.

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