JohnMiltonandParadiseLost的演讲稿.docVIP

Before my presentation of Paradise Lost, please allow me to ask you some questions about the Bible. How much do you know about the Garden of Eden? First question: Satan appeared to Eve in the form of what creature? Serpent Second: The Bible says Satan is the father of what? Father of Lies（谎言之父） Third: What happened when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit? They committed the first sin and are led out of the Eden. We all know that the forbidden fruit is the apple from the Tree of Knowledge. After eating the apple, Adam and Eve were led out of the Eden, the paradise, and thereafter they lived a life full of hardship. Now, let’s get down to the subject, the Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost is Milton’s masterpiece. It’s the only generally acknowledged epic in English literature since Beowulf, and a long narrative epic poem in blank verse, consisting of 12 books. The story in the book was taken from the Old Testament of Bible, the Genesis（创世纪）. And the main characters are God/ Satan/ Adam and Eve. We will focus on the characterization of Satan and God later. Now, let’s look at what happened in this book. In the first part of the book, Milton tells us that because of man’s disobedience, people lose their paradise. And that’s the theme of this book – Fall of Man. Satan and his rebellious angels discuss how to fight against God. At the same time, they hear about the creation of the earth and Satan decides to visit the new world. Meanwhile, God foretells how Satan will bring about Man’s Fall and the Son of God decides to sacrifice himself for the Fall of Man. Then God sends the angel Raphael to warn Adam and Eve to be wary of Satan. Raphael tells Adam about Satan’s revolt against the God and urged him not to eat the apple on the Tree of Knowledge. However, Satan disguised himself as a serpent and succeeded in tempting Eve to eat the apple. Adam knows that Eve has eaten the apple. And he would rather die with Eve than live without her, so he eats the apple,