Theme Of Chaos In Paradise Lost

John Milton was a highly educated and talented man , who wrote for the spiritual elite and knew that he would not have a vast audience. During the time that Milton was alive , England was going through a difficult time . 17th century England also known as the Stuart Century would lead to the outbreak of the civil war and eventually the Parliament of England would replace the king as ruler , England would never really be the same again . Milton’s political ideologies are very clear in some of his works . He wanted freedom for the individual and did not trust anyone who wanted power . The 17th century is also known for its new religious ideals , Milton had a Protestant point of view and this is seen in “Paradise lost” , of which two of its main

Rumrich Argues that even though very little is written about chaos , it is very important to look for chaos in “Paradise lost”. Chaos is introduced in this poem when we see Satan and his fellow rebel angels chained to a lake of fire in Hell . Satan in Paradise Lost embodies chaos , his goal is to corrupt God’s new creation , humankind. As Rumrich explains “Chaos expresses interest in the destruction of created order . And yet , accepting the alliance of Chaos and Satan face value raises problems .” Chaos is God’s enemy and this is why God warns the angels of Satan’s intentions and send’s Raphael down to Earth to inform Adam and Eve of the dangers they face with Satan and to teach them to not fall into chaos and so they should always obey God’s supreme order. Since the 17th century had people creating their own opinions and following new ideals on Religion , Milton’s new and individual view on christianity makes ‘Paradise Lost’ both personal and universal . it expressed the importance of remaining strong in one’s personal religious

. This is why Milton starts by narrating the story of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and why Raphael tells Adam about Satan’s rebellion against Gods order , to help him grasp the threat that satan and their own disobedience would leave on humankind. “Of Mans First Disobedience, and the