john milton paradise lost

Paradise Lost: A Comedic Tragedy “So oft they fell / Into the same illusion, not as man / Whom they triumphed once lapsed. / Thus were they plagued” (Milton, Book X, 570-72). Leaving the underworld, once again, defeated by the heavens. Although John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, is considered to be a tragedy, it displays some reminders of a comic end. In its tenth book, when Satan returns to hell, there is the realization of two of the poem’s purposes: to “assert Eternal Providence” and to “justify the ways of God to men.” Book Ten is the end of Satan’s epic journey, portraying his return to hell. Throughout the poem, Satan, a figure of legendary signifigance, goes on a heroic quest. A quest in which he seeks power over God’s creations, Adam and Eve, to prove he will not be subjected to God’s ways. Satan’s passing into God’s paradise, the Garden of Eden, unveils his valour. He uses his superhuman forces to transform himself into a serpent and deceive Eve ...