The initial version of Paradise Lost consisted of 10 books, but by 1674, the epic had been restructured and a few lines added so that the final version encompassed 12 books, modeled after Greek epics. In addition to using classical epic conventions to tell the Judaeo- Christian story of humanity’s fall, Paradise Lost incorporates key features of seventeenthcentury English history.
War in Heaven. Paradise Lost is set at the beginning of time. The epic’s early events center upon the Christian myth of the War in Heaven and the defeat of the evil angels, based loosely on three passages from Judeo-Christian scripture: Isaiah 14:12–21, Luke 10:18, and Revelation 12:7–12. The passage from Isaiah describes Satan as “the morning star, son of the dawn,” who has “fallen from the heavens,” and ascribes to him an overweening pride and arrogance that stem from his rivalry with God (Isaiah 14.12):
“I will scale the heavens;
Above the stars of God
I will set up my throne;
I will take my seat on the Mount of Assembly, in the recesses of the North.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will be like the Most High!”
Yet down to the nether world you go to the recesses of the pit! (Isaiah 14.14–21)
Pride and vainglory, traits of Satan that find their way into Paradise Lost, lead to the War in Heaven and impel the fallen angel to seek vengeance for his loss by wreaking havoc on God’s newly created beings, Adam and Eve.
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