The Bible had an amazing influence on the writing of John Milton, as shown in his epic poem Paradise Lost. Beginning in Genesis at the start of time, Milton transforms the fall of Eden into a fictional work of art.

In London, on December 9, 1608, John Milton was born into a small Christian family. His education began a few years later, at St. Paul's School (Encarta Online). Around the same time, the Authorized Version of the Bible was first published, which is the version Milton often referred to in his work (Milton/Elledge 429).

In 1642, John Milton married his first wife, Mary Powell, against his father's will. She left him shortly after, but returned to him a year later (Larousse 1017-1018). This marriage seemed to be unhappy, as Milton often wrote of divorce (Webster's 1026-1027); before her death, Powell had three daughters (Larousse 1017-1018).

In 1656, Milton married his second wife...