Paradise Regained

I'd never read this one before, and ended up liking it more than I thought I would. The temptations of Jesus in the desert are presented really well, and in a much less florid language than in Paradise Lost, which fits the subject matter. Again, Satan is a pretty compelling character, and even though his arguments pretty lame and easily knocked down by Jesus, they still bite. Interesting to read this as a compelling metaphor for American evangelicals, who were offered the world by Trump, and instead of turning their backs on him, went for it whole hog.

I'm going to keep this pretty brief because I read this immediately after "Paradise Lost", and I feel like I might need to regain a little bit of my brain power, since I poured forth all of my processing power into understanding both of those epic poems.

With that said, let me begin.

First off, I don't understand why some people consider "Paradise Regained" as lesser than its predecessor. Whereas "Lost" was all about how Adam and Eve were driven from Paradise after Satan was driven out of heaven, thus initiating the fall of man in the same way he fell from the loving grace of God, "Regained" is all about how the Son returns man through him and his sacrifice for the totality of the original sin.

Of course, it's not the complete life of show more Jesus Christ or of the Son as he lived a mortal life. In fact, it's how Satan tried to deceive and even tempt Christ, who denied him in every way. What this short poem lacked in prose, beautifully wrought scenery, and clever fiction to fill in the gaps of the bible's Genesis section, it made up for in theological debate. Satan used all that he could offer to Christ, who rebuffed him at every step. All the empires of the world? What about the current emperor who sat upon the throne and took Satan's offer? What will happen after another comes to be tempted? Everlasting life? Christ already has that. Philosophical discussion to persuade Christ into kneeling? Theological discussion on the nature of the soul vs. that of the earth.

You get the idea. It's mostly just a debate between Satan and Christ but it does at least center out a bit to what Christ was thinking and why he denied Satan's temptations, and I think as a poem based upon some of Catholicism's catchetisms (of which I'm still learning myself), it makes for a nice epilogue to the epic that was "Lost".

Overall, I believe this should be read immediately after "Paradise Lost", since it's a nice capstone to the epic. show less

Milton recounts and reinterprets the Biblical story of Satan Tempting Christ in Paradise Regained, in which he lays open to criticism and derision the whole of human existence and history. There is a distinct undertone of defiance and bitterness. In the poem, Christ is represented, not so much as the only begotten Son of God, but a heroic moral figure, who triumphs over Satan, not by His Godliness, but by ethical and philosophical polemics, the very thing he criticizes.

In attempting to “justify the ways of God to men”, Milton fails to do justice to either.

(Read full review with illustrations at Nemo's Library)

Reading Paradise Regained for probably the second time. This shorter poem simply glorifies Jesus Christ more than Paradise Lost--that is all. Of course--Paradise Lost is more about Satan than about God.

A fine accompaniment to Paradise Lost and a fitting resolution. Expands upon Satan's attempted temptation of Christ in the desert, and provides a brief "sequel" to Paradise Lost, in which Paradise is regained by the adamancy of Christ.

Not quite as good as Paradise Lost, but it's still a great work.

Not quite as good as Paradise Lost, but it's still a great work.