"Paradise Lost": Epic or Anti-Epic?

Paper Summary:

This paper attempts to define whether Johm Milton's poem "Paradise Lost" can be classified as a true epic or as in fact an anti-epic. It looks at the proper definitions of the terms epic and anti-epic and discusses how each of term could be applied to the poem, supported by quotations from the text. It explores the role of the "hero" in an epic by defining who the true "hero" of "Paradise Lost" is. It also attempts to understand Milton's intentions in writing the poem whether he thought he was writing an an epic or whether he was satirizing and subverting the genre by writing something very different.

From the Paper:

"Christ, too, is a hero. The contrast between him and Satan, however, could not be more complete. Whereas the bravery of Christ is directed at the protection of man, Satan's aim is destruction. Which, we must ask, is the true hero of Paradise Lost?
The temptation, when faced with the contrast between the two, is to now decide that Christ is ultimately more heroic; he has, after all, more too lose, and he sacrifices himself in the name of goodness. Satan, on the other hand, has nothing left to loose, and merely wishes to reduce mankind to the same condition he has found himself in, due to his own excessive pride."

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