- 01Invocation to the Heavenly Muse and the poem’s purpose
- 02The Fall of Satan and the rebel angels
- 03Satan’s defiant speech in Hell
- 01Satan’s resolve to thwart Providence
- 02Satan’s rise from the burning lake
- 03Satan’s defiant speech in Hell
- 04Beelzebub’s reply and the fallen legions
- 01Moloch and child sacrifice
- 02Idolatrous names and false worship
- 03Chemos, Baalim, and Ashtaroth
- 04Astoreth, Thammuz, Dagon, and Rimmon
- 05Egyptian gods and Israel's corruption
- 01Pagan deities and Belial
- 02Satan rallies the infernal host
- 03Satan surveys his legions
- 01Satan’s address to the fallen host
- 02War council and the search for new worlds
- 03Mammon and the mining of hell
- 01Construction of Pandaemonium
- 01Mulciber's infernal craftsmanship
- 02Summons to Pandaemonium
- 03The crowded infernal court
- 04The secret conclave of the great lords
Paradise Lost
by John Milton · 1667 · 10 chapters · 24/7 tutor
Freedom, rebellion, theology, and epic form.
10Chapters
92Lessons
254Topics
Certificate of completion included
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
Skills this course leaves you with.
- Explain the central themes of freedom, rebellion, and obedience in Paradise Lost
- Analyze Milton’s use of epic conventions and blank verse
- Trace Satan’s role, motives, and rhetorical power across the opening books
- Interpret the poem’s theological framework including fall, grace, and divine authority
- Discuss the portrayal of Eden, Adam, and Eve in relation to innocence and temptation
- Identify key allusions, symbols, and images that shape the poem’s meaning
Curriculum
The full table of contents.
Every chapter, every lesson, every topic — laid out before you enroll. Click any chapter to expand it.
- Chapters
- 10
- Lessons
- 92
- Topics
- 254
- 01Satan's throne and defiant speech
- 01Moloch's call for open war
- 02Belial's counsel against war
- 01Belial's counsel of endurance
- 02Mammon's case for hard liberty
- 01Mammon's counsel for peace
- 02Beelzebub's speech on Hell's empire
- 01Beelzebub's counsel and the infernal vote
- 02Satan's speech on the perilous journey
- 01Dissolution of the Stygian Council and infernal proclamation
- 02Infernal diversions after the council
- 01Infernal rivers and the frozen continent
- 02Satan's solitary flight toward Hell's gates
- 01The two guardians before the gates
- 01Satan's confrontation at Hell Gate
- 02Sin's origin and rebellion in Heaven
- 03Death, the monsters, and Satan's promise
- 01Sin's plea to Death and the opening of the infernal gates
- 01Chaos and the formless abyss
- 02Satan’s hazardous crossing
- 03Satan’s address to Chaos and Night
- 01Satan's passage through Chaos
- 02The bridge from Hell to the world
- 03The approach to Heaven and the pendant world
- 01Invocation to celestial light
- 01God’s decree of mercy and justice
- 02The Son’s plea for mankind
- 03The Father’s reply and election by grace
- 01The Son offers himself as ransom
- 02The Father appoints the Son as redeemer and head of mankind
- 03The Son’s exaltation and universal judgment
- 01Heavenly hymn to the Father and the Son
- 02Satan’s wandering on the dark globe
- 03The gate of Heaven and the descent to Earth
- 01Satan’s arrival in the Sun
- 02Uriel and Satan’s false inquiry
- 01Uriel's defense of seeking knowledge of God's works
- 02Creation of the formless mass and the ordering of the universe
- 03Earth, day and night, and the Moon's aid
- 01Satan's departure toward Earth
- 01Satan's inward torment and self-reproach
- 02Renunciation of repentance and embrace of evil
- 03Satan's concealment and approach to Eden
- 01Satan's entrance into Eden
- 02The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge
- 03The rivers and landscape of Paradise
- 01Adam and Eve's unfallen beauty and innocence
- 02Their garden rest and evening meal
- 03Satan's astonished reaction
- 01Satan among the beasts and Adam's speech to Eve
- 02Eve's memory of her creation and first meeting with Adam
- 03Satan's resolve to corrupt humanity
- 04Gabriel's watch at Paradise and Uriel's warning
- 01Adam's call to evening rest and tomorrow's labor
- 02Eve's praise of every season with Adam
- 03The purpose of the stars and angelic praise
- 01Arrival at the blissful bower
- 02The bower’s sacred garden setting
- 03Eve’s nuptial bed and Pandora comparison
- 04Adam and Eve’s evening worship
- 01Mutual love and divine blessing
- 02Wedded love as holy domestic order
- 01Night watch and garden patrol
- 02Ithuriel discovers Satan at Eve's ear
- 03Confrontation and rebuke of Satan
- 01Gabriel confronts Satan at the western guard
- 02Satan's defense of his intrusion
- 03Gabriel rebukes Satan's hypocrisy and rebellion
- 01Gabriel's threat and Satan's defiance
- 02The golden scales and Satan's defeat
- 01Adam wakes and calls Eve to the morning garden
- 02Eve’s dream of the forbidden tree and the tempter
- 03Adam explains dreams and comforts Eve
- 04Morning prayers and praise of creation
- 01Raphael’s commission to warn Adam
- 02Raphael’s descent through Heaven to Paradise
- 03Eve’s preparations for the heavenly guest
- 04Adam’s welcome and invitation to the bowre
- 01Food, nourishment, and the angelic meal
- 02Adam’s inquiry about heavenly beings
- 03Obedience, free will, and the fall of angels
- 01Raphael’s account of the heavenly host
- 02Satan’s resentment and secret counsel
- 01Satan's false summons to the rebel host
- 02The Father's counsel to the Son
- 01The Son’s calm reply to the Father
- 02Satan’s march through the heavenly regions to the North
- 03Lucifer’s palace on the northern hill
- 01Satan's appeal to the assembled powers
- 01Abdiel's rebuke of Satan's blasphemy
- 01Satan rejects Abdiel’s warning
- 02Abdiel’s steadfast reply and departure
- 01Michael’s return to the heavenly host
- 02God’s charge to pursue the rebels
- 03The militant armies march to battle
- 01Satan's advancing host and Abdiel's resolve
- 02Abdiel's challenge to Satan
- 03Abdiel's rebuke of false liberty and the opening blow
- 01Opening of the angelic battle
- 02Michael and Satan in single combat
- 03Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, and Abdiel’s victories
- 04Rout of the Satanic host and the saints’ advance
- 01Satan’s night council after the battle
- 02Gunpowder and the new engines
- 01Michael's battle preparations and Satan's false truce
- 02Mountain warfare against the rebel host
- 03The Father commissions the third day of battle
- 01Messiah’s acceptance of the Father’s will
- 02The third sacred morn and the divine chariot
- 03Messiah’s advance and the final battle
- 01The Son declares divine vengeance and his appointed battle
- 02The Son drives the rebels from Heaven into Hell
- 03Heaven rejoices and the saints greet the triumphant Messiah
- 01Christ enthroned at the Father’s right hand
- 02The revealed war in Heaven and Satan’s continuing plot
- 03Warning against temptation and the lesson of disobedience
- 01Raphael’s warning and Adam’s request for the creation story
- 02The fall of Lucifer and God’s decree to create a new world
- 01Creation of heaven, earth, and light
- 02Separation of waters and dry land; vegetation
- 03Sun, moon, stars, and the fifth day
- 04Land animals and the creation of man
- 05Adam's creation and the Tree of Knowledge
- 06The Creator's return to Heaven
- 07The seventh day and heavenly Sabbath
- 01Adam's doubt about the heavens
- 02Eve tending the garden
- 01Raphael on the heavens as a book of God
- 02Possible motions of sun, earth, and stars
- 03Live wisely with what is revealed
- 04Adam invites Raphael's own story
- 01Adam's first awakening and search for his maker
- 02Naming the creatures and longing for companionship
- 03God's approval and promise of a fit help
- 01Eve formed from Adam's rib
- 02Adam's recognition of Eve and the first marriage
- 01Beauty, wisdom, and self-command in marriage
- 02Love as rational affection, not passion
- 03Raphael on angelic love and obedience
- 01Invocation of the tragic heroic subject
- 02Satan's return to Eden by night
- 01Satan’s choice of the serpent as his vessel
- 02Satan’s lament over Earth and his ambition for revenge
- 03The devil enters the sleeping serpent
- 01Eve proposes dividing the garden labor
- 02Adam argues for shared work and mutual protection
- 03Eve defends her independence and equal trust
- 01Satan searches for Eve alone
- 02The serpent’s approach and Eve’s first notice
- 01The serpent’s flattery of Eve
- 02The serpent’s false account of his transformation
- 01The serpent flatters Eve and offers guidance
- 02Eve at the forbidden tree and the serpent's first argument
- 01Satan’s persuasive argument to Eve
- 02Eve’s inward reasoning and decision to eat
- 03Eve’s reflections after the fruit
- 01Eve’s report of the forbidden fruit
- 02Adam’s grief and resolve to die with Eve
- 03Adam’s reasoning and decision to taste
- 04Eve’s persuasion and Adam’s fall
- 05Post-fall lust and amorous play
- 01Adam and Eve awaken in shame
- 02Covering their nakedness with fig leaves
- 03Mutual accusation between Adam and Eve
- 01Heaven learns of the Fall and the Father appoints the Son as judge
- 02Adam and Eve confronted in Eden
- 03The serpent's curse and the promised bruise
- 04Sentence on Eve and Adam
- 05Clothing the guilty and the return to Heaven
- 01Sin and Death propose the passage from Hell
- 02The bridge across Chaos and the new world
- 03Sin greets Satan at the bridge
- 04Satan sends Sin and Death to rule Earth
- 01Satan's return and report to the infernal peers
- 02The devils transformed into serpents
- 03Sin and Death enter Paradise
- 01Satan and Sin's plan to corrupt creation
- 02God's decree to purge Hell and renew Heaven and Earth
- 03Angelic ordering of the sun, moon, winds, and seasons
- 04Discord, animal strife, and Adam's inward sorrow
- 01Adam's lament over lost Paradise
- 02Eve's plea for reconciliation
- 01Eve's proposal to prevent suffering through childlessness or death
- 02Adam's rejection of self-destruction and appeal to the promised seed
- 01Penitent prayer for mercy and guidance
- 02Confession and reconciliation before God
- 01Adam and Eve's repentant prayer
- 02The Son's intercession before the Father
- 01The Son’s plea for mankind
- 02The Father’s decree of death and renewal
- 03The summons of the blessed and the expulsion of Adam and Eve
- 01Adam's prayer and reassurance to Eve
- 02Eve's humility and the signs of coming change
- 01Michael’s arrival in Paradise
- 02Adam and Eve receive the sentence of departure
- 03Michael’s consolation and promise of future visions
- 01Adam and Eve’s ascent to the hill of vision
- 02Survey of earthly empires from Paradise
- 03Michael clears Adam’s sight
- 04Cain and Abel’s offerings at the altar
- 01Cain's murder of Abel and the first death
- 02Lazar-house of disease and human suffering
- 03Temperance, old age, and preparing for death
- 01Cainite arts and the plain of lust
- 02War, siege, and civil violence
- 01Noah's righteousness and the corruption of mankind
- 02Noah builds the ark and the flood begins
- 03Adam's grief and lament over foreknowledge
- 04Michael explains mankind's degeneration after the flood
- 05The ark survives and Paradise is displaced
- 01The Flood Recedes and Noah's Sacrifice
- 02The Rainbow Covenant and the Future of Mankind
- 01The Tower, Confusion, and the Naming of Babel
- 02Adam and Michael on human dominion and tyranny
- 01Abraham's call and the promised land
- 02Israel in Egypt and the plagues
- 03The Exodus, Sinai law, and the tabernacle
- 04Law, grace, and Joshua's greater role
- 01David's kingdom and the promise of an everlasting throne
- 02The temple, Babylonian captivity, and return from exile
- 03Priestly dissension and the seizure of power
- 01Messiah's birth and promised kingship
- 02Atonement through obedience, death, and resurrection
- 03Commission to the disciples and universal salvation
- 04Ascension, final judgment, and renewed paradise
- 01The Comforter and the Spirit's gifts
- 02Corruption by wolves and false teachers
- + 1 more topic inside the course.
- + 2 more topics inside the course.
- + 1 more topic inside the course.
01How many chapters are in the Paradise Lost course?
The Paradise Lost course has 10 chapters, each with its own lessons and topics.
02How many lessons are in the Paradise Lost course?
There are 92 lessons across the course, and you can ask your 24/7 tutor about any of them.
03Can I see what the Paradise Lost course covers before I start?
Yes. The full curriculum is listed on this page, beginning with "BOOK I".
04Do I get a certificate for the Paradise Lost course?
Yes. Finishing the course earns a personal Cavua certificate of completion.
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