John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost is widely regarded as a masterpiece of literature. His grand style is one of the most striking aspects of this epic. In the grand writing style, a poet uses grand similes, far-fetched metaphors and makes allusions to different myths, incidents and folk tales as per his knowledge and experiences. A poet who practices writing poems with a grand style does not think about the knowledge of his readers; he usually has more knowledge as compared to his readers, hence, readers need to upgrade their knowledge to read an epic poem.
It is a well-known fact that John Milton was a man of letters. Paradise Lost is the result of his hard work. He read the bible again and again and also compared his epic poem with the Greeks and made changes to it before publishing, hence, he had more than enough knowledge. If we compare the words of Paradise Lost with any modern poem, we realize that the epic poem is not for uneducated people; rather it has been written for highly educated people. There are more than enough words that create ambiguity in the poem. Every time Milton uses them their meanings change with the situation, hence, extra knowledge is required to understand them. Thus, Milton’s grand style in Paradise Lost involves his high vocabulary.
It has also been said that Milton either does not know the grammar or he has deliberately corrupted the English language. He is the one who has supported the trend of writing poetry with blank verse. In order to accomplish his goals he puts the words randomly in the sentences. Although the English language has changed a lot and modern readers cannot read classical poetry without the help of a dictionary yet from sentence structure, Paradise Lost is also much more difficult to read due to Milton’s grand style. Further, the poet uses very few and odd punctuation marks. Hardly has he used any question mark in a line that is based on an interrogative sentence. Readers need to read it twice to understand that it is a question. Thus, loose sentence structure is also another charge against John Milton.
Milton uses numerous similes and metaphors in his book Paradise Lost. A simile is a poetic device that creates beauty in the poem. It helps us to imagine something. Similarly, the metaphor also does the same. For instance, when a poet says about a character that he is as brave as a lion or writes he is a lion we imagine him as a courageous person who is ready to face and endure danger or pain. The problem lies when one does not have knowledge about the thing that has been used for simile or metaphor. A lot of examples are there from Paradise Lost where Milton uses similes. For instance, he compares Satan’s spear with the tallest pine tree. It is acceptable so far as the people understand it but when the poet compares Satan with the Sea beast Leviathan. It is somewhat difficult to understand what the poet wants to convey. He makes allusions to Jewish mythology, in which Leviathan is a sea serpent; hence, a common reader cannot understand this allusion until and unless he has a strong knowledge of Jewish mythology. Consequently, deep knowledge is required to read Paradise Lost which contains Milton’s grand style.
Milton’s grand style is characterized by its philosophical musings. Paradise Lost is not just an epic poem but a profound exploration of theology, philosophy, and human nature. The poem addresses complex issues such as free will, the nature of sin and redemption, and the role of God in human affairs. It is in its philosophical ambition that Milton's grand style shines most brightly. He uses his grand language, vivid imagery, and extended similes to explore these issues in a way that is both profound and accessible, creating a rich and thought-provoking work of literature.
In conclusion, John Milton has been regarded as the best poet especially because of his epic poem Paradise Lost. He selected or invented a style of writing that best suited him at that time. Paradise Lost remained unsurpassable until now due to the narration in the poem. His use of blank verse, extended similes, and philosophical musings contribute to the overarching grandeur of the poem. Milton’s grand style, coupled with the poem’s themes and subject matter, has made it one of the most widely read and studied works of English literature.
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