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Sai Diwan
Prof. Shefali Balsari-Shah
16th to 18th Century Poetry
August 27th 2012.
The Iliad and Paradise Lost: A symbiotic relationship
The tenacity of the conjunction of Good and Evil has lured many writers to explore this tie. The
many implications of this conflict ensure the novelty of each representation, though the genesis
of each is the same idea. Homer uses the exacerbated form of conflict, war as the setting for his
The Iliad, and John Milton makes it explicit through the clash between God and Satan. This
essential similarity between the two epics provides ground for comparison. Being the narrative of
a legend that survived the initial years through oral tradition before being documented, The Iliad
is classified as a Primary epic. Having borrowed from The Iliad in the construction of its central
action, Paradise Lost earns the status of a Secondary epic. However, the experience of the
modern reader proves that Paradise Lost does not merely reiterate the ideas of The Iliad, but also
strengthens them. The borrowed ideas inject a new meaning in the source; The Iliad and
Paradise Lost function as symbionts.
In Paradise Lost, the beauty of the representation of the theme of Good and Evil lies in the
intricate interweaving of the two concepts. God, in all his glory is not only the pinnacle of good,
but also the source of evil.
A univerfe of death! which God by curfe
Created evil; for evil only good, (47)
The creation of evil is manifested by the transformation of Lucifer into Satan with God having
hurled him and his followers out of Heaven. To complete this action, God creates Hell.
Therefore, although God is not directly responsible for evil, he lays down the breeding ground
for it. The purpose of the existence of Evil then, is to act as a contender to facilitate the triumph
of Good.

Although the setting for it is war, the deliberate omission of the outcome of the Trojan War
ensures that neither the Achaeans nor the Trojans are categorized as good or evil in The Iliad.
The combat of these ideas is intrinsic to the characters. The otherwise noble and valorous heroes
are marred by the evil of pride. Achilles wrath stems from the resentment of his prize, Briseis
being snatched away. It is this wrath that brings about his prophesied downfall. Agamemnon is
blinded by his pride in being lord of the far-flung kingdoms and therefore refuses to reconcile
with Achilles for long. The gravity of this implicit evil is well brought out in Paradise Lost.
Milton uses the cardinal sin of pride to prevent the interpretation of Satan as the epic hero. The
Dictionnaire de lAcadmie defines the epic hero as a man who on some occasion betrays the
marks of a great pride or of a remarkable nobility However, it is the recurrent use of the
adjective obdurate to describe Satans pride that robs the quality of its dignity, and places it
under the Greek negative interpretation, Hybris. Classical mythology promotes the belief that
Hybris is the most deadly of the Seven Deadly Sins, and is the sin most frequently punished by
the Gods.
Satan embodies all the other characteristics of an epic hero that have been exemplified by
archetypes such as Achilles, Ajax, Agamemnon, Hector and Patroclus. Homer makes use of epic
similes to accentuate their qualities of being larger than life, valorous, defiant, and possessing an
unconquerable will. While describing the battle between Ajax and Hector, he compares Hector to
a huge oak that is felled by a mighty blow.
As a huge oak goes down
At a stroke from Father Zeus.-so in a flash
For all his fighting power, Hector plunged in the dust, (510)
Homer thus skillfully eulogizes both warriors by illustrating Hectors strength, and by
representing Ajaxs fighting skills through Zeus might. Milton too applies the Homeric simile
to deliver the physical grandiose of Satan.
His pondrous fhield
Ethereal temper,..

..Hung on his fhoulders like the moonto defcry new lands (11)
However, the progress of the epic displays a gradual moral and physical degeneration of Satan
that and is rooted in pride. Eve too is the prey of Pride. Both characters seek to defy the order of
the Great Chain of Being and are consumed by a narcissistic, elevated sense of the self.
It is Eve who brings about the Fall of Man by tasting the Forbidden Fruit. Milton condemns Eve,
and therefore womankind for her obstinacy, vanity and ignorance, and for luring Adam into Sin.
Homer moulds Helen into a similar role in The Iliad. By eloping with Paris, she incites
vengeance in Menelaus and therefore becomes the cause of the Trojan War. Eves analogous
situation underlines a definite misogynist tradition in epic writers. However, Homers
redemption lies in the multiplicity of characters in the epic that allows him to provide a different
perspective. The Goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, and Achilles mother Thetis are
presented as strong, indomitable characters that manipulate Zeus in order to bolster their
respective patronized groups or individuals.
So Hera trumpeted,
lashing the nerve and fighting-fury in each man
as Athena, her eyes blazing, made for Diomedes. (970)
While Eve is regarded as a mere companion for her male counterpart, Hera is able to maneuver
and influence hers. Homer attributes a book to her resolve in the war: Hera Outflanks Zeus. Thus
Gods have been human attributes in The Iliad. Zeus libido, Aphrodites gullibility, Heras
mischievousness add a comic element, and shatter the image of the unimaginably opulent
Heaven. They seem to be governed by the same basic drives as humans. It is striking how grave
issues of life and death in the sub-lunary region depend upon the outcomes of petty feuds in the
supposed celestial sphere of harmony.
Paradise Lost provides a corrective sketch of God. Milton declares the purpose of his epic being
to
juftifie the ways of God to man. (4)

He makes use of grandiloquent language, lofty structure and obfuscated syntax to support an
endeavor as magnanimous as that. God of Paradise Lost is the only God. He is omnipotent,
omnipresent and the creator of everything. Miltons portrayal of God restores Him to His former
awe inspiring stateliness and command.
Thyfelf invifible,
Amidft the glorious brightnefs where Thou fitft,
Throned inacceffible. (75)
Christ, the Son of God is described as the effectual might of God. While in Genesis the world
was created by God, Book VII depicts Christ dangling Earth from Heaven. One of the chief
functions of the character of Christ in Paradise Lost is as the antagonist of Satan. Milton
attempted at conveying the magnificence of Christ by stating the extent of Satan, and thus
deriving the identity of Christ through the Other.
In her book, A Readers Guide to Milton Majorie Hope Nicolson declares the necessity of a
careful designing of the character of God to dissolve theological debates of the time.
It was essential that Milton emphasize the freedom of will, the fact that, although God
foreknows He does not fore-ordain. (227)
This brings forth the paradoxical relationship of predestination and free will that has confounded
readers of all times.
Fo will fall
He and his faithlefs progenyI made his juft and right,
Sufficient to have ftood, though free to fall. (66)
Therefore, in Book III God prophecies the Fall of Man that takes place in Book IX. God uses his
power of prophecy such that he designs destiny with a loophole through which man can redeem
himself, and choreographs the execution of free will such that man, the angels and Satan have the
illusion of choice while following his strategy.

The Iliad too faces the dilemma of preordinance and free will. Although the Gods meddling in
the Trojan War seems trivial, it is often divine intervention to ensure the preordained flow of
things. In the quarrel in Book I Achilles abstains from killing Agamemnon because Athena reins
him in by the hair and forbids it. Zeus himself is tempted to save his son, Sarpedon, however
Hera reminds Him of the importance of the occurrence of the inevitable, and hinders his
intervention.
Achilles fate has been sealed, and he bears knowledge of it.
For hard on the heels of Hectors death your death
must come at once- (470)
By choosing to kill Hector, Achilles submits to his own fall. Yet, Hector must die for the death of
Patroclus to be avenged. The illusion of choice is provided by Achilles undying love for
Patroclus that would not have allowed him to act otherwise.
Thus expertise of the two epic writers lies in revolutionizing the application of the binary of
central marginal. The epics appear to explore two great events that are generous subjects in
themselves, and yet these form the marginal setting for the true Heroic Argument. The rage of
Peleus son Achilles and the fall of man both of which seem to be the setbacks in the larger
struggle, are in essence the very Subject of the epic, and thus succeed in capturing the central
sphere of the plot.
To thus speak of a single action that ties together various characters, and yet glorifies its Hero,
that interweaves numerous storylines and lends each a unique perspective, and that traverses
boundaries of human existence would require divine assistance. So Homer and Milton invoke the
Muse to guide them through their prolific endavour,
Sing heavenly Muse!

Bibliography
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Homer. The Iliad, Trans. Robert Fagles. New York. Penguin Books, 1990.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. London. Strand, 1733.
Miller Dean A. The Epic Hero. Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press, 2000.
Forsyth, Neil. The Satanic Verse. New Jersey. Princeton University Press, 2003.
Nicolson, Majorie H. A Readers Guide to Milton. London. Thames and Hudson, 1970.
Daiches, David. Milton. London. Hutchinson &Co., 1971.
Mueller, Martin. Paradise Lost and The Iliad. Comparative Literature Studies, Vol 6, No

3: 292-316.
8. <http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/Eng200/milton.htm> 27/08/2012