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John Milton began his epic Paradise Lost with a hymn, a prologue, an invocation of the Holy Spirit as his Muse for the creation of this Biblical epic. However, at the beginning of the third book, Milton felt the need for the blessings of another Muse to guide him proceed the story of his epic. This second Muse is the Holy Light. There can be two reasons for why Milton felt the need for invocation of another Muse?
The first reason being, in the first two books, Milton basically talked about and depicted the dark fiery part of the Universe where Satan was forced to dwell. He needed the support and courage that Holy Spirit could provide. But in Book 3, Milton planned to depict Heaven, the abode of Almighty and the Son of God, where the good angels and cherubs lived. This part of the universe is glorified with divinity and it is full of light. Thus, Milton prays and invokes the Holy Light to illuminate his own heart so that he may express the world of light and divinity to his readers in the most appropriate manner. Another thing is that by 1652, Milton completely lost his eyesight. Now when he planned to introduce the two major characters and protagonist of his epic, he begs the help of Holy Light to let him write despite him being blind.
Milton prays that the Holy Light shine inside him and illuminate his mind with divine knowledge so that he can share this knowledge with his readers.
Summary of Book 3
As Satan moves towards the Earth, God and the Son of God see him approaching the new world. Son of God is sitting on his right hand. God tells his son how Satan is going to tempt man and how man will fall. God says that though he made man in his own image with the ability to differentiate good and evil, he also offered him freedom of choice. So while being Omniscient, God knows that Adam and Eve will disobey him and fall, he says that, unlike Satan, Man will fall because he will be tempted, and thus man still will deserve God’s love and mercy. Satan, on the other hand, disobeyed him and chose evil without any temptations and thus, Satan doesn’t deserve forgiveness. "Ingrate," God says of man. "He had of me all he could have; I made him just and right, sufficient to have stood, though free to fall."
God can see past, present, and future and he shares with his son how man will falter and suffer the curse of Death. He asks the angels to volunteer and helps Man against the evil plan of Satan, nobody takes the call. In past, before the birth of the Son of God, Lucifer was the favorite angel of God. At that time, all were equal in heaven. Lucifer being the favorite of God enjoyed the perks. However, when the Son of God took birth, Lucifer realizes that his position is diminishing and equality is evaporating. As God established the hierarchy, declaring his Son as second to him and thus, every Angel should bow to him, Lucifer rebelled. Now when Satan has planned to lure Adam and Eve and the whole of mankind in the darkness of evil hell, the Son of God feels responsibility and will to help man. Son of God volunteers to leave heaven and go to earth, the mortal world and win over Death, take away the evil sin, and purify humankind, offering them the road to salvation. The Son says that he will suffer death but also overcome it and, through this sacrifice, redeem Man from Man's sin.
God is happy about it. He reveals that in the future, his son will take birth in the mortal world as the son of a virgin and die to save the souls of man, the favorite creation of God. Then God declares the Son of God as the king of man, he will be the son of both God and Man. Those who will have faith in the Son of God will be redeemed but those who will reject his grace will have to suffer the Hell whose lord is Satan.
Milton then changes the scenario of his story. He has introduced God and the Son of God and how God is in control of whatever is happening and will happen in the future. He again describes the exploration of Satan. As Satan flies up towards the new world, he reaches Limbo of Vanity and Paradise of Fools. These are the places where all such men and creatures go who have vain hopes that they can achieve heaven while being on earth by pursuing wealth, riches, or superstitions. Satan stops there and walks on the semi-solid ground of Limbo of Vanity, on earth. From there, Satan sees the great gate of heaven attached to earth with a golden chain. For a moment, he thinks about Heaven and how he enjoyed living there. But soon he shakes his head and moves up to have a better look at the earth. He sees the beautiful new world and the sun that shines it. Satan tries to find a way to enter Earth but he fails. He decides to go further upward to the sun and have a better look at the earth, the lush green miraculous land. As he reaches the sun, he sees an angel Uriel standing on a hill as if he is guarding the entry to the earth. Satan decides to ask the way to earth from Uriel. However, being a fallen angel, he cannot directly go to Uriel, who was at God’s side during the war of heaven. So Satan decides to disguise himself as a cheerful cherub. As a cherub, he goes and meets Uriel and tells him that he has listened a lot about God’s new creation, the new world and he is curious to know how beautiful it is. Uriel gets into the trap of Satan. He finds it amusing that an angel from heaven is so interested in the earth. Satan is so immaculate in his disguise that even a cautious angel Uriel couldn’t notice his subterfuge. He shows the path to the new world, where Adam lives. Satan pays him due respect and flies off towards earth with his dark intentions.
Analysis of Book 3
From lines 1 to 55, Milton offers a preparatory phrase of praise describing the nature of God and heaven. In the same verse, he invokes another Muse, the Holy Light. He then introduces God, and the Son of God while juxtaposing the trinity of God, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit against the triforce of Satan, Sin, and Death. God and the Son are watching all acts of Satan from heaven, and while the Son of God is unaware of the plan of God, God, being omniscient is aware of all past, present, and future. It seems as if God is preparing the Son of God for the inevitable future. In hell, there was a debate to decide the future action as everything was in confusion. However, in heaven, things are clearer and God lets reason play. In hell, the future actions were decided based on revenge, while in heaven, the future actions are planned based on reason, mercy, and goodness.
In hell, Satan asked for a volunteer who will go to earth and tempt Man to fall, none came forward. In heaven too, God asks anyone to volunteer and help man against the evil planning of Satan, but no one comes forward. Finally, the Son of God comes forward, and hence, he comes directly against Satan. Milton’s universe is further described in the third book. Heaven is above all and earth lies below it, attached with a golden chair or staircases. Below the earth lies hell soon to be attached with the earth with the bridge being made by Sin and Death. In between the earth and hell, lies the rule of chaos. There are some other circular globes around the earth such as Limbo of Vanity, Paradise of Fools, the earth still remains at the center. So Miltonian universe in Paradise Lost is earth-centric, even though Milton was inspired by Galileo and the new discoveries about heliocentric origins.
Milton describes Limbo of Vanity or Paradise of Fools while pointing out the vanity of man that he saw during his time. He criticizes the superstitious ill-practices of relics, beads, symbolism, pardons, and indulgence that were promoted by the Catholic church. He suggests that man cannot do anything to attain the happiness of heaven and no relic or bead will help him. In fact, Milton says that a man must completely rely on God for his salvation and entry to heaven.
So this is it about Book 3. We will continue to discuss the other parts of Paradise Lost. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards.
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