Milton’s and Dante’s “Paradise” Analytical Comparison

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The plot structure
Ascension and decline
The notion of hierarchy
The depiction of obedience
Summary
References

Introduction

The Renaissance, marked by the new wave of inquiries into human nature and the relationship between the earthy spiritual experiences and insights and the further position of the soul in the structure of the upper world. On the other hand, to hypothesize and expand the concept of Heaven, it was first necessary to create a general framework of life after death and specify such issues as admissions to the various parts of the afterworld and the possibility of enhancing the conditions of the spirit over time. Both Dante and Milton touched the issue of the afterworld, in particular, its section saturated with the Divine Inspiration or Paradise. The present paper renders a comparative analysis of the two works, gradually showing that both plots are organized as a “directed movement”, either catalyzed or accompanied by cognition and that authors in their depictions of the hierarchy of the other world take different perspectives: whereas Milton focuses precisely upon the spatial organization, Dante’s comprehensive creative account of Paradise implies both spatial and temporal frameworks.

The plot structure

Speaking about plot structure in the context of the present discussion, one should mean precisely the general tendency or the general direction the text reveals. It needs to be noted that both writers depict the inner dynamism and the main characters’ experiences in Paradise; moreover, it is possible also to argue that both plots have their vectors. The general direction of the “kinesis” in Dante’s rhymed work refers to ascension, or moving straightly upwards into increasingly more mysterious and blissful spheres, whereas Milton selects the opposite direction for “Paradise Lost” and depicts the fall of humankind from their “place of creation” to the earth, already exposed to sins and death by Satan’s sons: “Some natural tears they drop, but wiped them soon; The world was all before them, where to choose Their place of rest and Providence their guide: They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow, Through Eden took their solitary way” (Milton, Book, p. 12). Interestingly, both authors integrate a spot of contrast into the endings of their works: the “Paradise” is to some extent saddened at the end by the sudden separation of the protagonist from Beatrice in the Empyrean, who, as one knows, had already passed away by the time of the completion of his “Divine Comedy” (Wooten, p. 742). This drop of bitterness is also associated with the departure from Heaven, the archetypal residence of love, mercy, and absolution. On the other hand, Adam and Eve in Milton’s writing receive relief from Michael, who confirms that divine providence will accompany humanity in all their forthcoming adversities: “Persuasion in me grew That I was heard with favor; peace returned Home to my breast, and my memory His promise, that thy seed shall bruise our foe; Which, then not minded in dismay, yet now Assures me that the bitterness of death is past, and we shall live” (Milton, Book 11). Nevertheless, it would be wrongful to assume that both authors depict the loss of heaven, as Dante extinguishes any possible negative emotions with the gift of the Beatific Vision, which causes the temporary dissolution of the narrator’s personality within his sublime insight: “I do but speak of it, my soul dilates Beyond her proper self; and, till I speak, One moment seems a longer lethargy” (Alighieri, Canto, p. 33). Therefore, to conclude with an enlightening and inspiring note, the author focuses on the protagonist’s positive experience rather than the descent from Paradise, on the resulting spiritual well-being.

Ascension and decline

Another interesting structural point of likeness between the writings is the role of revelation in both ascension and decline (Wilson, p. 242). Notably, Dante’s narrator is enjoying progress in his cognition all through the literary work and accumulating new knowledge about the organization of Heaven; moreover, he seems to enrich his emotional intelligence, as the subtle layer of affections is also touched in the scenes of encountering the “residents” of the nine spheres. Adam and Eve, on the contrary, are severely punished for the act of learning and revelation, given their disobedience that underlies the cognition (Fallon, p. 91). The authors approach their specific cases of discovery from distinct positions: Dante’s narrator, who is already carefully protected owing to his status quo in all explorations (i.e. he is merely attending an “excursion”), receives new empowerment and new strength, a powerful impulse, which combines faith, love, and grace: “Oh speech How feeble and how faint art thou, to give Conception birth! Yet this to what I saw Is less than little. Oh, eternal light! Sole in thyself that dwellst; and of thyself Sole understood, past, present, or to come!” (Alighieri, p. 33). At the same time, the first human couple are is fact degrading to vulnerable and miserable creatures as a result of their unexpected insight; clearly, they are prone to the painful existence, full of evil and deprivation only after they get to know how to distinguish between “right” and “wrong”: “To us, as likely tasting to attain Proportional ascent; which cannot be But to be Gods, or Angels, demi-Gods” (Milton, Book, p. 9). Hence the author implies that knowledge automatically breeds responsibility (Wilson, p. 248), which could be equated to the scope of duties, which emerge after the development of self-awareness and maturation in general, as speaking more abstractively, the archetypal evil does not settle in their outlook until they get an idea of the evil, i.e. Milton probably promotes the concept of the blessed ignorance as a means of avoiding contacts with the harsh reality, whereas Dante infers that ignorance distances individuals from God (for instance, the ignorant pagans can be admitted to Heaven only after going through Purgatory) (Wooten, p. 745).

The notion of hierarchy

Further, both Milton and Dante delineate the notion of a hierarchy of the other world. The latter depicts Heaven as a well-organized structure, consisting of nine levels, which correspond to the specific traits of the saved whose virtues are meticulously measured, evaluated, and contrasted with their achievements in submitting their natures to the desire for living in faith. For instance, the “inhabitants” of the Moon are relegated to the lowest sphere for breaking their oath of purity and are thus doomed to living in the cloudy and shadowed world: “If mortals err In their opinion, when the key of sense Unlocks not, surely wonder’s weapon keen Ought not to pierce thee; since thou findest the wings Of reason to pursue the senses’ flight Are short. “ (Alighieri, Canto, p. 2). Similarly, those residing in the dimension of the Sun are mostly the renowned theologians like Assissi and Aquinas but seemed to be greatly misled by their emotions and wrath, which determined their cruelty both in terms of theories/proposals and conducts. The highest sphere is, however, attended even by those who tended to abandon reason and allowed themselves to be misleading, so there is also a point of unity in the hierarchy (Morgan, p. 497). Milton, in turn, depicts the layout of the Universe, consisting of Hell as the lowest bottom, Earth as the middle, and Heaven as the “pan-cosmos”. The spatial hierarchy is also extended to the relations between living beings and supernatural forces: Satan is to the greatest extent distanced from God, whereas the Son, angels, and cherubs are the closest forces. The author first focuses on Satan who rejects this “polity” and creates his kingdom, ironically depicted as a magnificent political formation: “High on a throne of royal state, which far Outshone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind, Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand Showers on her king’s barbaric pearls and gold…” (Milton, Book, p. 2). This hierarchy appears as a mandatory principle to abide by, whereas Dante, as it has already been noted, lets the dwellers of the lower spheres visit the meeting in the Empyrean. Dante also mentions the fall of the angels immediately after the creation, putting the discussion into the context of the Primum Mobile. In addition, one can also assume that Dante’s hierarchy is too a great extent affected by time: Adam, the first man, and Peter, the first Pope, can be found in the Fixed Stars, whereas the higher dimension reflects the very conception of the Earth. Hence, it is possible to place the temporal hierarchy apart from the spatial, as the forefathers appear much wiser and much more inclined to sympathy and mercy for the contemporary humankind, as compared to the popes of the lower sub-worlds, who seek to challenge and sharply criticize their successors in the institution of the church.

The depiction of obedience

The final issue to be addressed is the depiction of obedience in the writings, whose authors seem to reflect upon it in different ways. Milton opts to depict obedience as a necessary prerequisite for obtaining God’s grace. A truly interesting allegation refers to the fact that human beings, as depicted by Milton, as not capable of rebelling unless provoked, whereas Satan is the embodiment of the initial revolt, an eternal revolutionary who prefers to confront God being convinced that the former will not forgive him (Hill, 362). Dante, in turn, questions the very idea of the “orthodox obedience”, indicating that religious casuists elaborated the Christian doctrine to the degree to which it can be interpreted in countless ways.

Summary

To sum up, the Renaissance plots circling Paradise are structurally similar, yet Dante shows an individualistic and constructive path upwards to enlightenment and feeling (rather than comprehending) such Christian values as grace, dominations, and inspiration, whereas the focus of Milton’s interest is the downgrading rebellion against the divine design of the Universe as the rebellion against oneself, since human beings are an integrative part of this cosmos.

References

Alighieri, Dante. Paradise. Web.
Fallon, S. Milton Among the Philosophers. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1991.
Hill., C. Milton and the English Revolution. New York: Viking, 1977.
Milton, J. Paradise Lost. Web.
Morgan, A. “Dante and the Medieval Other World”, The Modern Language Review, Vol. 87, No. 2( 1992), pp. 496-498.
Wilson, N. The Life of John Milton. Oxford: oxford University press, 1983.
Wooten, J. “From Purgatory to Paradise of Fools: Dante, Ariosto and Milton”, English Literary History, Vol. 49 , No. 4 (1982), pp. 741-750.

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