Between Theodicy and Psychology: On the Visions of the Fall in John Milton’s Paradise Lost
Abstract
The article discusses the fall as the main theme of John Milton’s Paradise Lost. At the outset, the author distinguishes between the fall in the sense of an act (a deed) and a state; then he applies the distinction in question to the three main fallen characters of Milton’s work: Satan, Eve, and Adam. The author makes numerous references to the poem (to the Polish translation by Maciej Słomczyński, as well as to the English original) and emphasizes the way in which literary devices support the doctrine (the theodicy), but also how—in particular in the ‘human’ part of the narrative—they weaken the doctrine by eliciting sympathy in the reader. The author also pays attention to the role of verbal interaction and rhetoric in Milton’s treatment of the theme of the fall.
