Paradise Lost: Book 1 Outline: (note: numbers refer to line numbers) 1-26 Invocation 27-83 Descent into underworld 84-124 Satan’s first speech, spoken to Beelzebub 125-127 narrator comments on Satan’s first speech 128-155 Beelzebub to Satan 156 narrator 157-191 Satan 192-241 narrator 242-270 Satan 271-272a narrator 272b-282 Beelzebub 283-315a narrator 315b-330 Satan to legions 331-375 narrator 376-505 narrator (epic catalogue of fallen angels) 507-621 narrator 622-662 Satan 663-798 narrator (building of Pandemonium) Questions: 1. What authorities does the narrator invoke in the invocation? How and why does the narrator emphasize the importance of height? 2. What purposes do lines 27-83 serve? What question does he ask and what is his answer? How and why does the narrator emphasize depth? 3. Look at Satan’s first speech (lines 84-124). What is his argument? Is it a good argument? Do you see any errors in logic? 4. Look at the narrator’s three line comment following Satan’s first speech. What is he trying to tell the reader? 5. What is the thrust of Beelzebub’s response to Satan? Does he admit something that Satan is not willing to admit? 6. In lines 195-210, we encounter Milton’s first major extended simile—actually a series of similes. What can you make of these similes? Why are they important to Milton’s overall purpose? 7. Lines 242-255 are sometimes referred to as Satan’s elegy. What resolution or statement does this elegy lead Satan to make? 8. 283-313—more extended similes. 9. What purpose does the epic catalogue serve? 10. In his speech to his legions (622-662), Satan revises the history of the fallen angels. How does he do this? What are his plans for the future? 11. How does Milton diminish the fallen angels during the building of Pandemonium?
Homework: Answer any three of the above questions. Answers should be 1-2 paragraphs.