Cosmology in Miltons Paradise Lost - 2810 Words

The Oxford English Dictionary defines cosmos as the world or universe as an ordered and harmonious system, from the Greek, kosmos, referring to an ordered and/or ornamental thing. When God created the world he had this in mind. To have a harmonious system in the universe where everything can live in peace and free of all worry. God was on top and everything was peaceful. Until the angles in Miltons Paradise Lost had a fight. After the fight God banished these bad angels and had the last part of his universe created, hell. This completed a very complex picture of Miltons vision of the universe in the beginning. The encyclopedic writers of the early Middle Ages communicated a modest assortment of basic cosmological information,†¦show more content†¦Universal agreement of such magnitude emerged not because the educated felt compelled to yield to the authority of Aristotle, but because his cosmological picture offered a persuasive and satisfying account of the world as they perceived it. Nonetheless, certain elements of Aristotelian cosmology quickly became the objects of criticism and debate, and it is here, in the attempt to flesh out and fine-tine Aristotelian cosmology and bring it into harmony with the opinions of other authorities and with biblical teaching, that medieval scholars made their cosmological contribution. But the most interesting point about Milton ´s cosmology is this: why, when he knew of the discoveries Galileo had made with his telescope-as Book VIII clearly proves-and must have accepted the validity of the Copernican cosmology, wich our planetary system revolves, did Milton base his universe upon the Ptolematic pattern? The answer lies in the literary advantages of accepting the older though erreoneous concept: it was known, and Copernicanism was strongly resisted and only slowly accepted; the Ptolematic system was orderly, it laid down limits within wich Milton found it easier to work, and it made God and man the two ends of a chain-man can ascend, onward and everShow MoreRelatedThe Influences on Genesis1288 Words   |  5 Pagesarchetypes of both world religions and a number of literary and artistic traditions. The idea of a paradise arises in a vast number of traditions, and in many of these traditions this story of a paradise is one of paradise lost. Of course, this arche type has continued has continued since the recording of Genesis, not only directly in works such as Miltons description of a Christian paradise that is lost and found, but also indirectly in the telling of mythical sagas such as the books of J.R.R. TolkienRead MorePsychological Anxieties in English Literature Essay1965 Words   |  8 Pages and man’s achievement rather than finding solace in belief in a theological God or supernatural or divine forces. Man became self-centric and the horizons of knowledge in all fields began to widen and man’s interest in several branches such as cosmology, psychology, astronomy, anthropology etc. increased manifolds. Renaissance men increased his thirst for thinking about future and his own existence precarious or life unsatisfactory, there emerged a spirit of restlessness, adventure, wonder and evenRead More Angels Essay5539 Words   |  23 Pagesthose images Description Of The Angelic Hierarchy All three major religions of the Western world, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, as well as virtually all of the worlds other systems of religious belief, include celestials in their cosmologies. Their scriptures all contain references to angelic int erventions. Angels, like people, belong to families or clans. Many names have been given to them, but in the opinion of a number of angel historians, the most familiar can be arranged in