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Paradise Lost | Study Guide

John Milton

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Course Hero. (2016, August 10). Paradise Lost Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Paradise-Lost/

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Course Hero. "Paradise Lost Study Guide." August 10, 2016. Accessed May 28, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Paradise-Lost/.

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Course Hero, "Paradise Lost Study Guide," August 10, 2016, accessed May 28, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Paradise-Lost/.

Paradise Lost | Book Summaries

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Timeline of Events

  • Days 1–3

    The battle occurs in Heaven.

    Book 1
  • Days 4–12

    Satan and rebel angels are thrown into Hell.

    Book 1
  • Days 13–16

    Satan and devils lie on the lake of fire.

    Book 1
  • Day 17

    God begins six days of creation.

    Book 1
  • Days 17–21

    Lake of fire action continues.

    Book 1
  • Day 22

    Adam and Eve are created.

    Book 1
  • Day 22

    Devils are in council in Hell; Satan flies to Garden of Eden.

    Book 2
  • Day 22

    "Exaltation" of the Son occurs.

    Book 2
  • Day 22

    Satan is unsuccessful in tempting Eve while asleep.

    Book 4
  • Day 23

    Raphael warns Adam about Satan's plans and tells about the war in Heaven.

    Book 5
  • Day 29

    Temptation and fall of Adam and Eve occur.

    Book 9
  • Day 29

    Sin and death show up in Paradise.

    Book 10
  • Day 29

    Order of the heavens and nature becomes disorder.

    Book 10
  • Day 31

    Archangel Michael reveals future events and promises a Messiah.

    Book 11
  • Day 31

    Michael orders Adam and Eve out of Paradise.

    Book 12

Book Summaries Chart

Book Summary
Book 1 Book 1 begins with a prologue in which Milton states the purpose of Paradise Lost: to justify the ways of God to humans ... Read More
Book 2 With Satan sitting on an elaborate throne, the council convenes to debate the next move. One devil, Moloch, makes the ca... Read More
Book 3 Milton again invokes his heavenly muse at the beginning of Book 3. He asks for her guidance in helping him to describe G... Read More
Book 4 Now that Satan has gained entrance to Paradise, he stands on a nearby mountain and views it for the first time. He has a... Read More
Book 5 After Adam and Eve wake up the next morning, Eve recalls a dream she has had in which an angel told her to eat from the ... Read More
Book 6 Raphael continues to tell Adam the story of Satan's rebellion in Heaven. Raphael says that after the rebellion, Abdiel r... Read More
Book 7 Milton invokes the muse Urania, possibly different from the "heavenly muse" he invoked in Book 1, to help him continue h... Read More
Book 8 Raphael and Adam continue their conversation about the creation of Earth, and Adam puzzles over the relationship between... Read More
Book 9 Book 9 details the climax of Adam and Eve's story, the fall of man. The story begins with Satan, who has been in hiding ... Read More
Book 10 God knows instantly that Adam and Eve have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge. He reassures the guardian angels of Paradis... Read More
Book 11 God hears the prayers for forgiveness from Adam and Eve, and the Son convinces God to show them mercy. He also reminds G... Read More
Book 12 Archangel Michael continues telling Adam about the future with the story of Nimrod. Nimrod was a tyrant who challenged G... Read More
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