Milton begins painting his image of God as all-powerful and all reasonable with the first book, as Satan talks with his companion about the fall they have experienced together. In addition to presenting his readers with his image of a good yet contradictory God, Milton carefully outlines his concept of the importance of Free Will as opposed to the concept of predetermination. Therefore, it should not be surprising that while his concept of God as expressed in this epic demonstrates a god who is both reasonable and just, He is also seen as paradoxical, often expecting what should not reasonably be expected. However, Milton understood that the ways of God were manifold and not necessarily understandable to his creations. This ambiguity is somewhat surprising given that Milton himself set out his goal as being to “justify the ways of God to men” (Book I). Depending upon the way in which the reader approaches the story, God is presented as an anti-hero, a loving and forgiving deity, or an overly demanding spirit, among several other interpretations.
In the twelve books of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the poet not only weaves an elegant story depicting the Biblical story of the fall from Eden and the nature of hell but presents his readers with a concept of God that remains somewhat ambiguous.
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