The Invocation in The Paradise Lost

The Paradise Lost by John Milton is an outstanding creation in the history of English Literature. Man’s disobedience is the main theme and the immediate result of his disobedience in the loss of the Paradise. The first 26 lines of this epic is the Invocation part.

Invocation is a formal prayer to the Muses for inspiration, help and guidance at the beginning of an epic. Usually the invocation in an epic goes together with the proposition (declaration) of its subject.

In the opening lines, the poet says, “Of mans first Disobedience, and the Fruit of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste brought death into the world, and all one woe, with loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful set.”

At first the poet is proposing his subject matter that this is the story of the first disobedience of human being. They took the fruit of the forbidden tree and brought death into the world. They became mortal and lost the opportunity to live in Paradise until one greater man and that is Jesus Christ restored the place for them in Paradise. Taking of the fruit is called the Original Sin.

The poet prays to the Muses to help him to compose such a great epic because the Muses are very great and very wise. The poet introduces the Muses as the spirits who live on the top of the Oreb and Sinai. They inspired the Shephard or Muses to teach human being along with Jesus Christ.

Jesus is called the ‘chosen seed’ from a Biblical reference who went through his own death to save others. The Muses were present when the Earth and Heaven rose out of chaos. They become pleased when they saw the Sion Hill and the Siola Brode which is flowing by the order of God and are present near them.

The Muses actually exists in both these places in earth and heaven, that means they live every where and know everything from the very first. That is why the poet is requesting such wise Muses to help and support him to compose such a great adventurous song or epic. He mentions that the subject is so sublime that its height can be compared with the height of Aonian mountain and no one has ever tried to write about this subject neither in prose nor in poetry. The poet says,

            “O Spirit, that dost prefer

             Before all Temples the upright heart and pure

             Instruct me, for Thou knowst; thou from the first wast present.”

The poet tells the Muses that they prefer those hearts which are pure and who pray in front of the Temple. As he is praying before the Temple with a pure heart he says that they must help and support him to write this epic Poem, tell him and instruct him as they were there from the very first and saw everything.

The poet mentioned that the muses were sitting like doves spreading their huge wings and were afraid because they knew something very much ominous is going to take place. He referred to the fact that human will be thrown out of Paradise. So it is taken for granted that the muses know everything about the first disobedience he is going to write about. The poet prays to the Muses:

“What in me is dark Illumin, what is low raise and support;

That to the highth of this great Argument I may assert Eternal Providence,

And Justifie the ways of God to men.”

The poet prays to the Muses to bring into light what is still dark in him, in his mind and what is low in him, develop in quality. He asserted that this is the “Eternal Providence” or the will of the supreme power that it is him who is going to write on such a sublime and critical issue. Not only that he is going to justify the act of God towards human. He dares to take such attempt as the Muses will prefer him to compose this epic who is praying in front of the temple with a pure heart.

John Milton, as he is the chosen one, chosen by the Muses to write about the first disobedience of human and to justify the ways of God to men he prays the Muses to help and support him in every way. Because it is not an easy task. He cannot do something so great alone. So he needs the Muses to watch over him.