Unit 5 - Shakespeare and other pre-20th Century Texts
Essay
"Paradise Lost: Evening in Paradise" Book IV "Last Lines" Milton/Brontë - Comparative Essay on significance of faith
372 views 0 purchase
Course
Unit 5 - Shakespeare and other pre-20th Century Texts
Institution
CIE
Book
Paradise Lost
This essay is graded A* (96%, 24/25) AS Level imparting intuitive close reading of both poems "Last Lines" by Emily Brontë and extract from fourth book "Evening in Paradise" by John Milton. This essay contains profound literary analysis on techniques used by both poets to convey meaning and provid...
Paradise Lost and Duchess of Malfi Comparison essay - Love
The Theme of Digression in Milton's "Paradise Lost"
All for this textbook (8)
Written for
A/AS Level
CIE
English
Unit 5 - Shakespeare and other pre-20th Century Texts
All documents for this subject (24)
Seller
Follow
firstaid
Reviews received
Content preview
It has been said for Brontë faith is complex and contradictory. Compare ways in
which the poems “Last Lines” and “Evening in Paradise” explore the
significance of faith.
Brontë’s poem “Last Lines”, written on her deathbed, focuses on faith in a
complex and contradictory way. The ways John Milton explores faith in his
poem “Evening in Paradise” from his fourth volume of the epic “Paradise Lost”
is similar yet at times contrasting to how Brontë does this.
With the use of and lack of capital letters when referring to God, Brontë’s and
Milton’s type of faith is revealed. Brontë states even if there were to be no
more earth nor human kind “Every existence would exist in Thee”, finding
comfort in her belief that having faith will guarantee her a degree of
immortality by living on as a part of God. Unlike Milton, Brontë uses capital
letters to emphasise God’s invincible and immortal position as lord of life,
earth, and everything. Milton neither directly addresses God (as Brontë does)
nor gives him/her capital letters that Brontë uses to impress upon the reader
God’s unsurmountable power. “Evening in Paradise” instead refers to the
moon – reflecting the power and light of the Sun, which also came from God –
naming her “Apparent queen”. The lack of capital letter with “queen” can
suggest in Milton’s eyes God does not need any more reverence, his/her
power need not be broadcasted: it proves itself every day. It can also depict
Milton’s style of faith, taking it to be an appreciation of what God already
supplies one with, here being a beautiful evening. The miniscule “q” could
imply the moon (executing God’s wishes) is humble, without needing a gushing
description as being herself a “queen” her value is self-explanatory. Returning
to Brontë, this idea of God being so powerful - “thou art may never be
destroyed” - could be to reassure herself that a part of her will remain on earth
and stay relevant in the world. The fact her last thought in the poem is of God
being indestructible could be a final reaffirmation to herself (more than to the
rest of humanity) that when she dies she won’t be completely gone as her faith
at least will live on.
A similarity between the poets is that each establish a hierarchy, consequently
positioning themselves at God’s feet. In “Evening in Paradise” first come the
“beast and bird”, two different animals each hard to silence yet immediately
muted – showing God’s strength at rendering each quiet and obedient – then
further above in the sky appear the “living sapphirs” – “living” referring
possibly to deceased souls that still live on through their faith and “sapphirs”
the queen’s crown jewels, a show of how one’s faith can create beauty as God
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller firstaid. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.44. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
