Milton's blindness prevents him from seeing any light except the light of God, which illuminates the mind and which still allows him to be a poet. The idea that stands out in the well-known 'prologue to light' that opens Book III is how personal it is. Light here is associated with the eternal good and stands in contrast to the darkness associated with Hell and evil in Books I and II. This prologue is often called 'The Prologue to Light' because it is addressed to the 'holy light' of God and Heaven.

Uriel directs Satan toward Earth.īook III opens with a prologue as did Book I. Satan deceives Uriel and asks where Man may be found. As Satan moves toward the sun, he sees the archangel Uriel and quickly transforms himself into a cherub. From this new vantage point, Satan views the magnificence of the Earth and of the beautiful sun that illumines it. The light is a golden stairway leading to Heaven. From this seat in darkness, Satan sees a light and moves toward it. The scene of Book III now shifts from Heaven to Satan who has landed on the border between Earth and Chaos. The Son says that he will suffer death but also overcome it and, through this sacrifice, redeem Man from Man's sin. God adds, however, that unless someone is willing to die for Man, Man will have to face death: Divine justice requires that penalty for Man's transgression.

Nevertheless, because the fall of Satan and the other rebellious angels is worse than Man's (the angels fell because of personal failures Man will fall only because of outside forces), God will offer Man mercy through grace.

Man's failure to resist temptation will, however, be Man's fault since God has provided Man with both the reason and the will to resist these temptations. God says that Man will be corrupted by Satan's treachery but that the evil will redound to Satan himself. This council is mainly made up of a discussion between God and the Son on how Man will respond to Satan's wiles and what the ultimate resolution will be. God looks toward Earth and sees Satan approaching the home of Man. In this prologue, Milton asks for God's light to shine inwardly so that he can reveal what no man has seen.įollowing the prologue, Milton reveals God, the Son (Jesus), and the Heavenly Host in Heaven. Book III opens with a prologue, often called 'The Prologue to Light,' that is addressed to the 'holy light' of God and Heaven.

The lost man book summary