Paradise Lost Quotes
Shmoop will make you a better lover...of quotes
ALL QUOTES POPULAR BROWSE BY AUTHOR BROWSE BY SOURCE BROWSE BY TOPIC BROWSE BY SUBJECT
Of Man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,
Sing, Heavenly Muse…
Context
Welcome to the opening lines of one of the most epic of all epic poems: John Milton's Paradise Lost.
Milton is starting us off by giving us the backstory...which is nothing new because the story is an ancient one (hello, Bible!). But as it turns out, the hero—or should we say antihero—of this story is Satan.
That was such a big deal that the antihero came to be known as the Satanic hero (giving Byron a run for his money).
Where you've heard it
It's not exactly #YOLO or "Ride or Die." It's more the kind of quote you'd hear dropped by a literature professor pontificating on sin and justice.
Yeah, not your average cocktail party fodder.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
This quote
- opens with an incredibly long prepositional phrase that only makes sense when we learn about the
- Muses, which, when invoked, tell us this is supposed to be an epic poem about
- the fall of mankind from the graces of God and the eventual resurrection through the blood of Christ.
Enough said.