Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost by John Milton was first published in 1667. Its intense scenes, evoking the pastoral beauty of the Garden of Eden and the fiery, bottomless pit of Hell have become ingrained in our culture. John Milton believed he was destined 'to leave something so written to after-times as they should not willingly let it die'.

With his rich visual imagery and emotional intensity, Milton's achievement was to reveal the dilemmas that face humanity in any age – betrayal and revenge, love and desire, temptation and endurance.