2008 - Communication Across the Curriculum (CAC)

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E n g l i s h endowed with free will. Free will is an integral, if not central, theme of Paradise Lost. The story’s conflict is created by Satan’s use of free will in his rebellion against God and in his decision to tempt man. Man’s free will is exercised when he chooses sin over God’s law. The Son of God’s free will is shown when He offers His life to redeem mankind, and God’s free will is demonstrated in His acceptance of the Son’s offer and His promise to forgive mankind. Free will, as shown in Milton’s Paradise Lost, is a glorious paradox, at once the cause of man’s sorrows, but at the same time, the narrow path by which mankind is offered grace. One may begin the study of free will in Paradise Lost by following in chronological order the incidents and examples of the exercise of free will. As one reads, one may notice that the cycle of free will and its consequences travel a proverbial full circle. The cyclical structure of this work gives Paradise Lost a beautiful coherence. The first example of free will begins with the beginning of time, with the Creator Himself. According to Milton in book VII of Paradise Lost, Christ, not God, is the Creator (Nicholson 230). This need not be overly shocking to one of a more orthodox persuasion because John chapter one, verse one states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Holy Bible). Milton envisions Christ as the sole Creator; while a Trinitarian doctrine would say that Christ and God, along with the Holy Spirit, being One, were all the Creator. In Milton’s mind, Christ and God seem to work in tandem, as Christ is not eternal like God. According to Milton, Christ was created, He did not exist from the creation of the world like God. So, given Milton’s unorthodox, heretical view, one might say that God, as the Creator of Christ, and Christ, as the Creator of the world, are partners in Creation. Christ, like God, is an omnipotent being, that is, Christ may do or create whatever He chooses. Since the entire world and all of its rules and regulations exist entirely at the Creator’s behest, one can conclude that Christ used His free will in order to give free will to man. As Creator, He could have easily chosen to withhold this “Godlike” privilege from His creation (Elledge 396). However, by giving His creation free will, He exalts the man and woman. From book III, the reader can easily ascertain that Christ wanted thinking, reasonable followers, not robots who mechanically served Him. God explains the concept of free will, “Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell / 2 9 W r i t i n g A c r o s s t h e C u r r i c u l u m
R e s e a r c h P a p e r …When will and reason (reason also is choice) / Useless and vain, of freedom both despoiled, / Made passive both, had served necessity, / Not me” (Milton, III. 102. 108-111). God was not interested in a forced obedience, but rather, He wanted to be served because His creation wanted to serve Him (Elledge 396). He desired service that sprang from freedom of the will not “freedom…despoiled” (Milton, III. 110). Even though Milton’s work opens with Satan’s fall from heaven, one might say that the first moment of this work rests with God Himself. According to Milton, God created Christ, and Christ in turn created the man and woman. Therefore, their existence depended entirely upon Christ and His own use of free will in creating those beings which would later defy His Father‘s law. This point is made clear in book III, when God declares that He “foreknew” the rebellion of angel and man (Milton, III. 117). Thus, even before Milton’s eloquent invocation in the opening lines, the first, and arguably most decisive act of free will has been made: Christ in His goodness has determined to create life, and this life will be gifted with choice, or free will. It is from this act of free will that the whole story is even allowed to take place, for without free will the angels and men would only behave as puppets of God’s and Christ’s pleasure. Endowed as they are with the divine characteristic of free will, both man and angelic being must make choices that affect the future of the entire human race, and it is these decisions that cause Christ to exercise His free will in offering His life (Frye 417). Therefore, the paradox of free will begins with God and Christ, the co-Creators of this concept. Moving along with Milton’s lucid narrative flow, one may then look at the perfect contrast to the former example of free will: Satan. Satan is a pathetic foil to the Creator. The universe stands as a strong and silent testament to Christ’s ability, and man testifies to His goodness, having allowed his created beings the luxury of the divine attribute of free will. Then in contrast, at the darkest end of the spectrum is Satan. The poem opens with him stranded ingloriously in a place of torment. Yes, Satan used the free will given to him by God, but with disastrous consequences. Having lead a rebellion against God, he and his followers have been banished from heaven, their Paradise. Christ’s exercise of free will lead to life and creation while Satan’s use of free will lead only to despair, ruin, and later, the fall of the human race. Obviously, Milton wished his readers to see the contrast between the characters of Christ and Satan. This contrast V o l u m e I V : F a l l 2 0 0 8 3 0
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2008 - Communication Across the Curriculum (CAC)

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