John M ilton
Ⅰ．Brief Introduction to the W riter
1．Life Story
Milton was born in 1608 in London．He fights for freedom in all aspects as a Christian humanist．As a writer，as a poet and as a prose writer，he towered above all the other English writers of his time in his revolutionary and humanist views and in artistic achievement．In his life，Milton showed himself a real revolutionary，a master poet and a great prose writer．His achievement in literature made him exert a great influence over later ones．
Milton's father was both a scholar and a businessman，who loved music and literature．From boyhood Milton was a hardworking student．He was first educated at the famous St．Paul's School in London．Then he was sent to Christ's College，Cambridge，where he acquired a good knowledge of Latin．He was frequently chosen to deliver speeches before students，in which he strongly condemned the subjects andmethods of study at the college thatwould make a person amore finished fool．While at Cambridge he wrote a few poems in Latin，Italian and English．His parents expected him to take orders in the Church of England，but Milton would not enter the church against his conscience．Nor would he want to do some work of the law．He was opposed to follow the trend of civil and religious affairs in his country．
After his graduation he retired to his father's country house．There he devoted himself to study and to the writing of poetry．In 1638 in order to complete his preparation for his literary career，he started his travel on the Continent，through France，Switzerland and Italy．While in Naples he heard that the English Revolution broke out．At that time he was full of thoughts of fighting for human freedom．He cut short his journey and returned to England，where he could lend a helping hand in bringing down King－Charles I and raising up the people．He put his pen to the service of the revolutionary cause，and later of the Commonwealth．Then in 1649 Milton was appointed Latin Secretary to the Commonwealth for the purpose of corresponding with foreign governments．He was in charge of close relation between England and foreign countries．
But from childhood the disease on his eyes had grownmore and more serious．Now the physicians warned him that one of his eyes was already hopelessly destroyed and a complete rest from his work could save the sight in the other．He didn't follow the doctors'advice and continued to work hard．As a result，he went completely blind by the beginning of 1652．But his blindness did not interrupt the performance of hiswork．He continued his duty on behalf of the Commonwealth and Oliver Cromwell．
Early in 1642 Milton married Mary Powell，but the marriage was an unhappy one．Mary was unable to understand or share her husband's political views．Less than amonth after thewedding，she paid her family a visit and refused to return．For the next two years Milton saw nothing of her．His own trouble with hiswife led to his consideration of the freedom of divorce on account of lack of sympathy．After the death of Mary，Miltonmarried again．At that time he was relieved of his duties as Latin Secretary and was granted a pension for life．His second wife died in childbirth a few years later．
Then something disasterous happended to the English people．The bourgeoisie，having won its struggle for power，was now extremely afraid of the lower class who had helped them to win the victory．After the death of Cromwell，the bourgeoisie had negotiationswith Charles II，and the Restoration ofmonarchy was drawing near．At this criticalmomentMilton stood up．He published a powerful pamphlet，calling on people to resist the Restoration．The bourgeoisie paid no attention to Milton's voice，and in 1660 Charles IIentered London to be the King of England．When the King took the throne，Milton was arrested and imprisoned．He was fined，but finally set free．
A fire in London destroyed his house．Hemoved from place to place until he settled down on the suburbs in London．His blindness forced him to depend on his daughters for help with his reading and writing．And thus living in poverty，hewentback to his early dream to be a poet．Each day he dictated his epic Paradise Lost ten or twenty lines ata time．In 1665 the book was finished．For its publication Milton receivedmerely 10 pounds，“thewaste-paper price”．The success of Paradise Lost was immediate．Then another epic Paradise Regained was published in 1671．The sale was less paid than that of Paradise Lost．Samson Agonistes ended Milton's writing life．In his last years he suffered more and more from gout．He died of it in 1674 at the age of 66．
Though he lived in persecution，Milton had no lack of friends and visitors．His youngest daughter described him as excellent company，especially with young people．The personal beauty naturally yielded to age and illness，buthe seemed always，despite his blindness，to have been careful of his dress and appearance．And study，in spite of fate and of the harm it had done to him，he never abandoned．
2．Literary Career
Milton's literary achievements can be divided into three groups:the early poetic works，themiddle prose pamphlets and the last great poems．In his early worksMilton appeared as the inheritor of all thatwas best in Elizabethan literature．Lycidas was a typical example．The poem was dedicated to Edward King．In 1637，Edward King，a youngminister，who had been a classmate of Milton at college and he also wanted to write poetry．Unfortunately he was drown at sea．The college decided to publish a memorial volume and Milton was asked to write．He wrote a poem，which was an elegy．The poem began with grief and a feeling of immaturity，then the griefwas deepened by the loss of a young poet．With the bitter sense of loss，Milton asked why the just and good should suffer．This kind of feeling changed into a strong desire to seek comfort in art．The climax of the poem was the attack on the clergy，the shepherdswho were corrupted by self-interest and he foretold their ruin．
Milton devoted almost20 years of his best time to the fight for political，religious，and personal liberty as a writer．His powerful pamphlets written during this period made him the greatest prose writer of his age．During the Revolution，he used his pen as the weapon in fighting against the king and the Catholic Church．His representative works in this period were Defense of the English People，Second Defense of the English People and Areopagitica．Among which，the last was probably his mostmemorable prose work．In 1644 the Presbyterian Church in Parliament re-established the censorship of books before publication．This filled Milton with a noble rage．In the form of a speech，addressing to the House of Parliament he appealed for the freedom of the press．The gist of his pamphletwas:Throw open all the door;let there be light;let every man think and bring his thoughts to the light;dread notany diversities of opinion．In defending the freedom of the press，Milton fought for a further development of the bourgeois revolution．So Areopagitica，as a declaration of people's freedom of the press，was a weapon in the later democratic revolutionary struggle．
After the Restoration in 1660，when he was blind and suffering，when hewas poor and lonely，Milton wrote his3major poetical works:Paradise Lost，Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes．They all had a Biblical origin and were famous for their magnificence in structure and elegance of language．Many English and European writerswere deeply influenced by hiswritings．Among the three Paradise Lost is the greatest，indeed the only generally acknowledged epic in English literature since Beowulf．It tells how mankind，in the person of Adam，fell at the first temptation by Satan and became an outcast from Paradise and from the divine grace．The poem waswritten with soaring imagination and far-ranging intellectual grasp in hismost forceful and exalted style．
Paradise Regained is a story of human salvation through Christ．The poem shows how mankind withstands the tempter and is established oncemore in the divine favor．Christ's temptation in the wildness and the triumph of Christian virtue over evil are the theme．The successful resistance to temptation points to Milton's Puritanism．On the other hand the poem also has rich political and revolutionary significance，for Christ is in away an embodimentof a bourgeois revolutionist．Through the mouth of Christ，Milton voices his own wish to rescue his people from tyranny．Though Paradise Regained is Milton's favorite，and though there are many passages of noble thought and splendid imagery equal to the best of Paradise Lost，the poem as a whole falls below the level of the first，and is less interesting to read．
The last one Samson Agonistes is the most perfect example of the verse drama after the Greek style in English．Milton employs the Old Testament story of Samson to inspire the defeated English Puritanswith the courage to triumph through sacrifice．The theme was more vital and personal．In the story，Samson was an athlete of the Israelites．He stood as the champion fighting for the freedom of his country．But he was betrayed by his wife and blinded by his ene-mies．He was led into the temple and wreaked vengeance upon his enemies by pulling down the temple upon them and upon himself in a common ruin．Though blind，alone，persecuted by thoughtless enemies，Samson preserves a noble ideal to the end．By using this poem，Milton expresses that he too could bring destruction down to the enemy at the cost of his own life．There ismuch in common between Samson and Milton．Like Samson Milton has also remained unhappy by an unwise marriage，persecuted by his enemies，has suffered from blind and yet is unconquerable．On this sense Samson is Milton．
3．Literary Achievement
Milton is amilitant pamphleteer of the English Revolution and the greatest English revolutionary poet of the 17th century．He has written the greatestepic in English literature．His influence is in almostall later English poetry．He and Shakespeare have always been regarded as two patterns of English verse．
He is amaster of the blank verse．He first uses blank verse in non-dramatic works．Hismatchless daring in experiment introduces variety(variation of pause，connection of lines，etc．)and achieves extraordinary freedom from monotony．In Paradise Lost，he acquires an absolutemastery of the blank verse．
Milton is a great stylist．He is famous for his grand style，which is the result of his life-long classical and biblical study．But his style is never exactly natural．It is art attained by definite and conscientious rhetorical device．He likes to use Latinisms and proper names of resonance and color to create an elevated and dignified effect．There aremany sublimity of thought and majesty of expression in hisworks，which include some of the greatest poems of the world．
4．W riting Style
In hisworks there ismuch theological discussion which seems important to Milton，but which is rather dull reading for modern readers．The chief characteristic of the blank verse used in the poems is the long and involved and sometimes seemingly interminable sentence constructions．Thus a passage frequently goes on and on through ten or twenty or even more lines of verse，and themeaning of thewhole long thing is suspended and not complete，while clause after clause，phrase after phrase are added to enrich the complexity of thought or to increase the effect of the description till the end of the sentence comeswith the period，and only then does the reader grasp the full significance of the entire utterance．
He also uses the extreme variety of pauses．In his epic Milton's pausesmay come almost anywhere in a line of verse．As a result he is difficult to read．Some people even say thatMilton writes no English．
Ⅱ．Brief Introduction to the Selected Literary Work
Paradise Lost
1．Brief Summary of the Poem
Satan and the other rebellious angels awake to find themselves in Hell on a lake of fire．Satan raises himself from the lake and flies to the shore．He calls for the other angels to do the same，and they assemble by the lake．Satan tells them that all is not lost and tries to inspire his followers．Led by Mammon and Mulciber，the fallen angels build their capital and palace，Pandemonium．The highest ranking of the angels then assemble for a council．
In the council，Satan asks what the demons think should be the nextmove against God．Moloch argues for open warfare．Belial twists Moloch's arguments，proposing that nothing should be done．Mammon，thematerialistic angel，argues that they do the bestwith what they have．Finally，Beelzebub，Satan's second in command，proposes that the angels try to get at God through his new creation，Man．Beelzebub's proposal，which is really Satan's proposal，is adopted，and Satan volunteers to find the new world and new creatures．He leaves at once，flying to the Gate of Hell．There，he meets his children，Sin and Death．Sin opens the gate for Satan who flies out into Chaos and night．Sin and Death follow him．Finally，in the distance Satan sees Earth．
God watches Satan approach Earth and predicts his success in corrupting Man．Man has free will．But God omnisciently knows whatwill happen．God adds that Man can be saved through mercy and grace，but he must also accept the just punishment of death，unless someone takes on death for Man．The Son offers to become a man and suffer death in order to overcome it．The angels rejoice．In themeantime，Satan，sitting on the edge of the Earth，cannot see the way to Man．Satan disguises himself as a cherub and flies to the sun to talk with the archangel，Uriel．Uriel shows Satan the way to Man．
Looking at Earth，Satan is taken with its beauty but quickly overcomes his sympathy to concentrate on what hemust do．He sees Adam and Eve and is entranced with their beauty．As Satan listens to the pair，they talk about God's one commandment that they not eat from the Tree of Knowledge under penalty of death．Satan immediately begins to formulate a plan．
Uriel，on the sun，becomes suspicious of the cherub whose face shows changing emotions and goes to warn Gabriel．Gabriel says that he and his angels will capture any interlopers in the Garden，and late that night Ithuriel and Zephron capture Satan whispering in Eve's ear．The two angels bring Satan before Gabriel，who，with God's help，banishes the tempter from Earth．
When Eve awakes，she tells Adam of her troubling dream．Adam comforts her，reminding her that they are safe if they obey God．God decides to send the angel Raphael towarn Adam and Eve to be wary of Satan．Raphael goes to Earth where he eatswith Adam and Eve．After the meal，Raphael tells Adam about the great rebellion in Heaven．Raphael says that Lucifer(Satan)was jealous of the Son and through sophistic argument got his followers，about one third of the angels，to follow him to the North．There，only one of Satan's followers stood up against him—Abdiel，who returned to God．
Satan attacks God and the Heavenly Host，whose power has been limited by God．Nonetheless，God's forces have little difficulty in defeating the rebels．Michael splits Satan in half，which is humiliating，but not deadly，because Satan，as an angel，cannot die．After the first day of battle，the rebels constructa cannon and begin the second day's battle with some success．God's forces begin to pull up mountains and hurl them at the rebels，burying them and their cannons．God is amused at the presumption of the rebels but does notwant the landscape destroyed．He sends the Son forth by himself in a chariot．The rebels are quickly herded into Hell．
When Adam asks Raphael about the creation of the world，the angel explains the day-by-day creation of the world in six days．Then，in an effort to keep the angel engaged in conversation，Adam asks about the motions of the heavenly bodies．Raphael explains that Adam should leave some questions to God'swisdom．Next，Adam describes his own creation，his introduction to Eden，and the creation of Eve．He describes how beautiful Eve is to him and the bliss ofwedded love．Raphael gives Adam a finalwarning about Satan as he leaves．
Having been gone from Eden for eight days，Satan returns，sneaking in through a fountain near the Tree of Knowledge．He takes the form of a serpent to try to trick Man．When Adam and Eve awake，they argue overwhether they should work together or alone．Eve finally convinces Adam to let her work by herself．Satan，in serpent's form，approaches Eve and，using clever but fallacious arguments，convinces her to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge．After Eve eats，she revealswhat she has done to Adam，who，unable to bear the thought of losing Eve，eats also．Having eaten the fruit，the two are overcome with lust and run to the woods tomake love．When they awake，they are filled with shame and guilt．Each blames the other．
In Heaven，the angels are horrified that Man has fallen，but God assures them that He had foreknowledge of all thatwould happen．He sends the Son to Earth to pronounce judgment on the humans and the serpent．The Son goes to Earth and makes his judgments．He adds though，that throughmercy，Adam and Eve and all humansmay eventually be able to overcome death．In an act of pity，the Son clothes the two humans．
Sin and Death meanwhile have sensed an opportunity on Earth．They constructa huge causeway from Hell to Earth．On their way across，they meet Satan returning to Hell．They proceed to Earth while Satan enters Hell in disguise．Satan appears on his throne and announceswhat he has done．Expecting to hear the applause of all the fallen angels，he instead hears only hissing as he and all his followers are turned into snakes．When they eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledgewhich appears before them，it turns to bitter ashes．On Earth，Sin and Death see infinite opportunities．God，looking down on the two，says eventually they will be cast into Hell and sealed up．Adam and Eve lament，but Eve submissively asks Adam's forgiveness．He relents，his love overcoming his bitterness．She suggests suicide as a way to avoid the terrible curse on the world，but Adam says theymust obey God．
God sends the angel，Michael，to take Adam and Eve out of Eden．Before doing so，Michael takes Adam to a hill and gives the human a vision of biblical history，ending with the birth of Jesus who will be the savior of Man．Adam rejoices．Adam and Eve together are led out of Eden．Behind them a flaming sword guards the entrance;ahead，they face a new life in a new world．
2．Analyses of the M ajor Characters God
God created all things out of Himself，inclu ding evil．God is described as a ruler with unlimited power，who is no better than a selfish despot，seated upon a throne and uses those powerswrongly or cruelly．In the poems God is surrounded by his angels，who never think of expressing any opinion of their own．His long speeches are never pleasing．He is the representative of an absolute monarch．However，the all－knowing God is just in allowing Adam and Eve to be attempted and，of their freewill，to choose sin and its inevitable punishment，thereby opening the way for that voluntary sacrifice of Christ．This shows thatGod ismerciful in bring good out of evil．
Satan
Satan is the central figure in Paradise Lost．He is both human and superhuman．He is someone in whom evil ismixed with good butwho is doomed to be destructed by the flaw of self－love．He is impressive，powerful，and immense，looming up as a magnificent figure，amighty，a terrible，and an immortal Being．Like a conquered and banished giant，he remains obeyed and admired by those who follow him down to Hell．He is superior toman，as well in the dignity of his nature，entirely different from the devil of the miracle plays and completely overshadowing the hero both in interest and manliness．He is better than the rest of the angels．It is always from him that deep counsels，and courageous deeds proceed．It is he who，passing the guarded gates and boundless chaos，amid somany dangers，and across somany obstacles，makesman revolt against God．
Though defeated，he prevails，since he haswon from God the third part of his angels，and almost all the sons of Adam．Though wounded，he triumphs，for the thunder which hits upon his head left his heart invincible．Though feebler in force，he remains superior in nobility，since he prefers independence to happy servility，and welcomes his defeat and his torments as a glory，a liberty，and a joy．Satan is the spiritwho dares to question the authority of God．
The simple“Satanist”case is that Milton allowed the revolutionary in himself to take root in Satan．Though Milton thought of himself as a Christian，his inner sympathies with rebellion，anger and revolution often color the poem．Satan's defiance of the Divine Will is indispensable to the continuance of his identity，a predicamentwhich raises him to tragic status．
Adam and Eve
Adam is the first man created by God while Eve is the first woman created by God．They embody Milton's belief in the power of man．They crave for knowledge．This long for knowledge opens beforemankind a wide road to an intelligent and active life．
3．Theme of the Poem
The poem，as it is said at the outset，is the“Fall of Men”i． e．man's disobedience and the loss of Paradise with its prime cause Satan．The purpose ofMilton is to expose theways of Satan and“to justify the ways of God to men”．At the center of the conflict between human love and spiritual duty lies Milton's fundamental concern with freedom and choice:the freedom to submit to God's prohibition on eating the apple and the choice of disobediencemade for love．The freedom ofwill is the keystone ofMilton's belief．The poem tries to convince us thatGod is just in allowing Adam and Eve to be tempted and，of their free will，to choose sin and its inevitable punishment．But after reading it one gets the impression that the main idea of the poem is a revolt against God's authority．
Ⅲ．Latest Critical Commentary
《失乐园》是弥尔顿的代表作。全部诗长达万行，分十二卷，是一部以圣经为题材的壮丽史诗。通过《失乐园》一诗弥尔顿从作品思想内容出发，赋予这个古老的故事以新的内容，艺术再现了英国资产阶级革命的进程。同时作者通过对主宰宇宙的上帝、魔鬼撒旦和人类始祖亚当、夏娃等不同人物的塑造以及对他们的褒贬毁誉，体现了他创作史诗的深邃寓意。
这部作品实为鸿篇巨著，气势磅礴，但是作品并没有受到众口一词的赞誉。近年来，国内外学术界的学者们运用西方文艺批评理论和方法、现代阐释学批评方法、文本分析等方法对米尔顿的《失乐园》一诗进行全面评析和多元阐释，研究成果非常丰富，大致可以分为对该诗作中撒旦形象的研究、上帝形象的研究、亚当、夏娃形象及其堕落的研究和诗中人物形象关系研究等方面。
关于撒旦形象的研究
一直以来人们从不同的角度对《失乐园》中撒旦的艺术形象进行阐释，认为撒旦是一个非常复杂的人物形象。关于撒旦形象的研究在西方有“撒旦主义派”、“正统派”和“调和派”，他们有的研究撒旦形象的革命性，有的研究撒旦形象的宗教性。国内学者有的认为撒旦是魔鬼的化身，是教唆人类堕落的元凶。(齐军，2007)因为在诗中撒旦是神的对立者。他嫉妒神子在天上的地位，要求凌驾于一切法律和权利之上，享受绝对自由，于是率同叛逆的天使反抗上帝，战败被打入地狱之后仍设计报复。当他意识到自己不是上帝的对手后，转而偷入上帝创造的伊甸园百般引诱亚当、夏娃违背神的旨意，偷食禁果使其开始沉沦，把人类作为自己报复的工具，阴谋得逞之后得意而去，留下灾难和痛苦让人类的先祖独自承受，他为了自私的目的而毁灭了他人。在弥尔顿看来谁侵犯了他人的自由，那个人便首先失去自由，变成一个奴隶。撒旦正是这样的人，因此他将是自己罪恶的奴隶，必定要坠入罪恶的深渊。从这种意义上说，撒旦的失败与堕落体现的不是上帝的万能，而是弥尔顿的人文思想。同时撒旦还是“罪”和“死”的根源。他从头部生下女儿“罪”，然后与之乱伦生下儿子“死”。“罪”和“死”又交媾生下一大堆怪物。“罪”和“死”来到人间给人类带来各种各样的痛苦。
与上述观点不同，布莱克、拜伦、雪莱等浪漫主义诗人和学者们对撒旦身上所体现的英雄气概和崇高美推崇备至，他们相信撒旦在诗中被塑造成了真正的英雄。(殷宝书，1992)撒旦能得到众多学者的赞叹，在很大程度上在于在这个形象身上体现了意志的自由。无论后来撒旦变得多么渺小和可憎，也不论他的内心多么痛苦和悔恨，在他身上体现出来的永不屈服的自由意志不曾改变过。正如肖明翰(1999)在文中指出的那样，在某种程度上正是这种不屈的自由意志在浪漫主义诗人和弥尔顿的心中引起了共鸣。
也有学者认为撒旦是一个“恶棍英雄”。(黄德林，2004)一方面撒旦不是泛泛之辈。他仪态威武，声音宏亮，意志坚定，勇于冒险，富有谋略，在地狱发表演说时，整个地狱都响起回声。他身穿金甲，佩戴利剑，背负巨盾，手持长矛，身材魁梧硕大，有帝王般的威严，能够上天入地，潜身变形。他在统帅叛军向全能的上帝挑战失败之后，陷入地狱之中，依然保持着他的王者之风，高呼自己有着不挠的意志，热切的报复心，永不屈服和永不退让的勇气，并非什么都失去，声称自己宁愿在地狱为王，也不愿在天上称臣，站在读者面前的撒旦是一位身陷逆境为自由而战的英雄。他性格中具有叛逆者的英雄气概的这一面在史诗的前两卷中表现得尤为明显。在布莱克看来弥尔顿写到天使和上帝时感到缩手缩脚，但写到恶魔和地狱时却发挥得淋漓尽致，这是因为弥尔顿是一个真正的诗人，自己站在恶魔一边却不自知。(殷宝书，1992)另一方面当史诗的重心由地狱转到伊甸园，从撒旦转到亚当和夏娃时，撒旦的勇者气概便消失了。在他那慷慨激昂的言辞狡诈和伪善的外表之下，撒旦丑陋的一面一览无遗。用撒旦的话来说就是无论做事或是受苦，行善不是自己的任务，作恶才是唯一的乐事。
在学者们看来，弥尔顿在塑造撒旦的形象时，触动了内心的渴望与冲动，致使撒旦的形象中融入了时代和诗人自己的影子。对于这一观点，黄德林(2004)运用弗洛伊德和荣格的集体无意识和个人无意识的观点，将其解释为英国当时的王朝复辟对英国人民来说是一场灾难，对革命斗争中的冲锋陷阵的勇士弥尔顿来说更是一场浩劫。在这场斗争中共和国的夭折彻底打碎了弥尔顿多年来经世济民、安邦救国的美好梦想，他的晚年生活也因反动阶级的百般迫害，而变得极为艰难。在当时弥尔顿唯一能做的，就是用自己的笔把积郁于心中的苦闷发泄出来，在有意无意之间为自己和广大的劳苦人民，说了一些在现实中不便说的话，实现了现实中没有实现的愿望。撒旦形象复杂性的缘由在于诗人的经历与体会和其笔下塑造撒旦这一形象有许多相似之处，这唤起了他内心深处的无意识，引起了他心灵的共鸣，同时有意无意中触动了悠久的文化积淀即集体无意识，为诗人倾吐自己和广大英国人民的苦闷和对自由的不懈追求找到了很好的寄托，因而在撒旦身上会闪现英雄主义色彩。
关于上帝形象的研究
弥尔顿是一个虔诚的清教徒、又是一个革命者，由于他的宗教神学思想和革命思想，他笔下的上帝也是一个矛盾体。对于《失乐园》中上帝的形象，国内外学者们的解释也不尽相同。有人认为诗中上帝的形象不仅是威严和仁爱的，同时还代表了对于整个世界的绝对统治。(齐军，2007)上帝在伊甸园为亚当和夏娃提供了一切美好的东西，让他们无忧无虑地生活着，上帝还赋予人类自由选择的意志和权利，并让他们承担选择的责任和后果，这都体现了上帝惩恶扬善的公正。在亚当和夏娃选择了通向堕落的道路之后，上帝告诉他们只要认识错误，坚定信仰，经过漫长而艰难的历程之后，一定能重返乐园。为了挽救人类的苦难，上帝还把自己唯一的儿子派到人间。这些都说明史诗中的上帝是充满仁慈和仁爱的。弥尔顿宣称自己创作《失乐园》的目的是要“申明永恒的天理，对人类证明上帝的公正”。有学者指出诗中对上帝公正的证明在于，弥尔顿把人类堕落构想成具有教育意义，是无可避免的事，甚至是因祸得福，即是所谓的有福的罪过、幸福的堕落，最终会造就更美好的人类状况。(张隆溪，2007)在弥尔顿看来理性乃神之所赐，最终必将获胜，所以人之堕落并非最终的结果。人类通过恶而认识善，只有懂得恶，知道恶的各种诱惑和表面的快乐还仍然节制，还仍然辨识，还仍然去选择真正的善。在艰难的选择过程中，在人类的真正美德——理性与由于过度的企望和欲念的原因而堕落的斗争中，理性必将战胜恶之诱惑。只有真正认识而且忏悔，人才能成为真正意义上的人，人类才能在心中得到一个比伊甸园更加美好的乐园。在这一思想的指导下，有的学者认为《失乐园》中上帝是一个理性的上帝，而不是一个总是藏在浓云后面，用雷声发布命令或用征兆暗示其旨意的神秘的神。弥尔顿借助上帝权威的话语和形象，表达他对理性和自由意志的观点。(肖明翰，1999)这样就驳斥了有人所说的诗中上帝因长篇大论而失去其神秘性，成为概念的化身，缺乏复杂性和深度的平板人物的说法。
也有学者强调诗人的经历、所处的时代背景和满腔的革命热情对于作品创作的影响，他们从社会反映论出发，认为弥尔顿在诗中把上帝描写成一个残暴的封建统治者，一个心胸狭隘的暴君，是为了表达自己的革命斗志与斗争信念，影射当时查理二世对清教徒的残酷镇压。还有学者认为由于17世纪中叶科学技术的迅速发展，使当时英国有不少人对上帝的存在产生了怀疑，《失乐园》正是在这样的历史背景下，借鉴《圣经》中的题材写成。尽管弥尔顿一直努力维护上帝的崇高形象，但时代的呼声还是在他的作品中有所体现。(黄德林，2004)在学者胡光(2002)看来，在神学上，上帝是公平、仁慈的，是弥尔顿的精神领袖。但他的革命热情、他的革命信仰、他对现实生活的观察、以及他的斗争经历和生活遭遇却使他笔下的上帝，时而成为一个镇压革命的封建统治者，时而又还原为万灵之尊，这反映出他对上帝矛盾的心情:敬畏、热爱、愤慨而又依赖。这样看来，弥尔顿即是上帝的忠实信徒，又是上帝的叛逆者。
关于亚当、夏娃形象及其堕落的研究
在诗中亚当是地上最高等的生灵，他的顺从很特殊:他不能吃知识树上的果实，仅需遵从上帝。夏娃是一个爱慕虚荣的人，她对自己形象的偏爱甚于对亚当的喜爱。亚当对夏娃比夏娃对自己还要充满仁爱，他对夏娃的溺爱被认为是他堕落的原因之一。如果说夏娃由于饥饿、好奇心、经验不足和爱慕虚荣，像撒旦一样渴望高位，轻信撒旦，受到他的诱惑而堕落，亚当触犯天条时明白自己的所作所为，他吃那果子就是因为他不愿与夏娃分开。
在他们触犯了天条互相责备之时，夏娃不像亚当那样把罪责推给他人，首先表示愿意承担责任，让上帝只惩罚她，甚至提出与亚当一起去死。但当她看到亚当痛苦万分时，她忘掉了自己的痛苦，而对亚当的痛苦感到难过，充分显示了她有怜悯之心。她对亚当恭恭敬敬，从而赢得了亚当的心，正是夏娃的谦恭和爱使亚当恢复了理智。在他们和解之后，亚当重新承担起他当领导的地位，他们互相安慰、互相鼓励，对上帝也很谦卑。他们感谢神的恩惠，忏悔地祈祷，祈求上帝的宽恕，他们在精神上升华了。在弥尔顿看来，亚当和夏娃的堕落是幸福的堕落。因为堕落使人变得比过去更好，因为堕落的人谦卑地认识到自己是个有罪之人，这样他们就会用容忍、同情、谅解、慈悲等美好品性，从而打通一条通向许多美好品德的道路。他们必须先看到自己身上的弱点，然后才会对别人的弱点产生同情和理解。换句话说就是通过恶而认识善。
有学者认为当亚当和夏娃幸福地住在伊甸园时，他对上帝的爱是出于本性上的必然，而非出于他的意志，直到他不得不在上帝和夏娃之间作一个可怕而痛苦的选择时，他才有选择的自由和意志的自由，只是从这时起亚当才成为真正意义上的人。当亚当认识到，而且亲身体验到自己违背上帝的禁令而堕落所带来的灾难性后果和上帝对人类无边的慈爱和恩惠后，他通过自己的自由意志和理性选择了上帝，这一选择不仅使亚当成为真正意义上的人，同时使他获得了比伊甸园更为幸福的乐园，那就是对上帝的信仰和热爱。(肖明翰，1999)
在研究诗作中夏娃的形象时，有的学者们认为弥尔顿在作品中表现了对女人的厌恨，和男尊女卑的等级观念。而有的学者不同意这种观点，他们认为如果顺从、谦卑和温驯是弥尔顿认为的基督徒最基本的美德，那么夏娃在诗中的表现比亚当更接近这样的美德。(张隆溪，2007)在亚当和夏娃堕落之后，他们互相责怪争吵，是夏娃首先转变过来，自愿承担起自己的责任，愿意单独接受全部惩罚。正如Lewalski(1975)所说在弥尔顿写的亚当与夏娃的神话中，是女人体现出救世主那为人类赎罪的爱。这正体现出夏娃在使人类得救当中所起的正面作用，从而反映出弥尔顿在男女性别方面区别于同时代其他人的激进思想。
关于亚当和夏娃的堕落，英国研究弥尔顿专家希尔(1979)结合当时英国革命失败、诗人双目失明并随时有被王党抓捕监禁的危险的社会现实，认为弥尔顿写这部诗作的目的就在于理解革命何以会失败，以探索革命失败的根源。在弥尔顿看来，英国革命暂时失败了，但他坚信自由事业必将最终胜利。革命遭受失败并非因为“上帝的事业”不对，而是因为领导者的堕落。英国人民在经历了革命失败的磨练之后，会像亚当一样成熟起来，获得精神上的再生。(肖明翰，1999)
诗中人物形象关系研究
关于诗中人物形象的关系，学者们认为弥尔顿在《失乐园》这部诗作中塑造了以上帝为代表的神、以亚当和夏娃为代表的人类以及以撒旦为代表的魔鬼三类形象。(汪媛，2005)诗中神人关系反映了神的统治欲，神魔关系反映出魔的破坏欲，人魔关系体现出人的求知欲。
参考文献
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