Justifying the Ways of God in Miltons Paradise Lost Essay

Justifying the Ways of God in Miltons Paradise Lost Through Paradise Lost, Milton ?justifies the ways of God to men?, he explains why man fell and how he is affected by the fall. He shows that although man had a fall it was a fortunate fall, ?felix culpa?. As a result of the fall there are bad outcomes that man and women will endure but it was a fulfillment of God?s purpose. In creating man, God gave him free will; he created him a perfect being but ?free to fall?. In God?s plan man will fall by his own fault. This allows God to show mercy on man and allow man to chose to be obedient and to love God by his own choice and to eventually end up in a better place. If man had not fallen then there would be no coming of Christ†¦show more content†¦(III, 92). God uses the fall of man to better show hie greatness: ?how all his malice served but to bring forth/ Infinite goodness, grace and mercy shown/ On man? (I, 217-19). Although God says that man is responsible for his own fall, he is not as responsible as Satan is for his fall, therefore man will receive redemption and Satan will not: ?The first sort, by their own suggestion fell,/ Self-tempted, self-depraved: man falls deceived/ By the other first: man therefore shall find grace? (III, 129-131). In his eternal purpose God does not allow Satan to completely abolish mankind: ?Man shall not quite be lost, but saved who will/ Yet not of will in him, but grace in me? (III, 173-74). Again, using the fall of man to show his glory and mercy. It is God?s foretelling that man will not be destroyed but will find grace in the form of prayer; through praising God and through Christ man will be redeemed. Although God?s intentions are for man to fall and be redeemed, there are many years in which man will suffer. After the both fell they began to see and feel things in themselves that weren?t there before: ?high passions, anger, hate,/ Mistrust, suspicion, discord? (IX, 1123-1124). They had emotions and feeling that were completely foreign to them. They saw evil for the first time, and they saw it in each other: ?And full peace, now tossed and turbulent? (IX, 1126). At this point, Milton compares Adam and Eve to barbarians instead of the Greek gods asShow MoreRelatedMilton s Paradise Lost By Milton1203 Words   |  5 PagesIn Milton’s â€Å"Paradise Lost†, Milton undertakes a major feat by justifying the way of God to man, through his re-telling of the Bible in an epic poem. His work has been criticized to be â€Å"of the Devil’s party without knowing it†; however, to take such a binary interpretation of his work undermines its complexity. 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