METAMORPHOSES IN PARADISE LOST … Mubashir Mehdi

He would have thought about writing a poem, when he went to visit Roman Renaissance, after graduating from Cambridge. But when he came back to England another renaissance was waiting for him in which he became pamphleteer and his eyes sparkled to overthrow eyeless king, and, the paradise residing in him may be enacted and established. To be a believer is nothing more than to be a misbeliever, because logic of truth is same.

Lady Milton became Secretary to Cromwell and an oath was well remembered, when eyes were lost. It seemed that paradise had lost and might its elegy be written. But now who knows that whether Muse had grown old, or whether, the aim has lost its way. Anyhow quill thrilled, and eyes lost, but memories, sharp.

The inverted great hero carved out by Milton from inside in Paradise Lost is Satan. He carved him out to challenge Fate and Destiny. But the immense symbol of Satan, himself challenged the greatest Destiny. It seemed, according to poet, Satan didn’t disobey, rather argued and debated with God Almighty. So, poet was of the view that argumentation is also satanic. Apart from other deadly sins like pride, jealousy, gluttony etc.) this could also be termed as a sin. And interesting to note is that when after waging war with the greatest Destiny and being thunder bolted to the center of earth in an infinite fire – Satan was the first one to get awoke and his first companion Beelzebub the next. Satan’s first remarks and his fiery speeches are nothing more than the confessions, and confessions of a great sinner like the poet who himself, if reflected in mirror case of Satan seemed to be writing – (Confessions of a great sinner – and himself embodying him as St. Augustine). Satan saw logic in denying. But poor Eve is a mere victim. The metamorphoses under which after constructing a Pandemonium, Satan, went, was as from a distant place. When he looked at his companion angles, agony captivated him and also to see the place and clime. But it was a heroic gesture yet to regain that eternal bliss. As an over reacher he again reacted as delineated by the poet. Another destiny which he chose, led to his metamorphoses, from heroic Satan to toad and then snake, biting and whispering to Eve, and then residing in her inside to create another heathen pandemonium, and again leaving her there, with ache, and coming back to a lesser intense Pandemonium.

So, symbol of Satan Metamorphised is just a confession, in fact, he must not be blamed, again according to poet, but destiny of destruction became inbuilt in nature in mankind, both man and woman, and they will remain agonized and painful. It seems as poet conceived that ‘he’ (Satan) was barring God not to set them to multiply on the planet, but in fact Milton in underlying says that, God Almighty was saying, go forth and destroy and be destroyed forever, which may be the logic of Satan’s denial.