Research Paper on:
Heaven and Hell in Paradise Lost by John Milton

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which is twelve books long, Milton pictured the struggle between good and evil, Heaven and Hell, as a heroic conflict similar in structure to the ancient epics of Homer and  Virgil. On a macrocosmic scale, the struggle that Milton depicts provides the basic context for the entirety of human history -- from a theological point of view. It directly addresses  the theological quagmire represented by the presence of evil in a world created by an all-powerful and all-good deity. However, on the microcosmic level, the manner in which Milton  describes Heaven and Hell can also be interpreted as representing the struggle that goes on within each individuals soul. Miltons depiction symbolically dramatizes the constant vigilance and discipline required for  "Heaven" to conquer "Hell" on a personal spiritual level. The following examination of Miltons epic will demonstrate that this interpretation offers an explanation as to why Heaven is described in  militaristic terms. The most complete description of Heaven in the poem is offered by the archangel Raphael in books five through eight. Boesky (1996) points out that Miltons depiction  of Heaven has presented problems for those who have been uneasy with its military nature. For instance H.A.Taine, writing in the later nineteenth century wrote, "What a heaven! It is  enough to disgust one with Paradise" (Boesky, 1996, p. 9). Miltons Heaven is a military state that is predicated on a disciplinary model (Boesky, 1996). Its structures, Boesky argues,  reflect strategies deployed by Oliver Cromwell during Britains Civil War. Boesky states that in Cromwells army, for the first time in history, commoners were seen as potentially formidable, which was  a result of their strenuous training (1996). Cromwells military model was unique in two principal ways. First of all, it enjoyed unprecedented success and secondly, it was characterized by religious