The Practical Christ: An Analysis of Christ as Expressed in John Milton's Paradise Regained

<p><b>The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the unique relationship between scripture and poetry.</b></p> <p>This analysis is primarily conducted through an investigation into the figure of Christ as heappears in poetry outside of scripture, specifically in John Milton’s Paradise Regained. Thepoem is distinctive in its treatment and characterisation of Christ and therefore acts as a uniquecase study with which to study this relationship between scripture and poetry. The mainargument of this thesis revolves around how Milton constructs Christ as a literary character atthe centre of his chosen narrative. The first chapter discusses the Gospels and the scripturalsources that Milton elects to use for his poem. Having analysed the scriptural material and howMilton has chosen to adapt it, the second chapter develops this by investigating the charges ofheresy that have been made against the poem. It is also in this chapter where Milton’s personaltheology is analysed to provide greater understanding of how this theology is expressed withinParadise Regained. The final chapter focuses on the form and genre of the poem,demonstrating that the way in which Milton constructs Christ as a literary figure highlights theintricacies which poets are faced with when it comes to creating a poetic vision of Christ, thusultimately asking: How does the poet reconcile the elements of scripture that cannot be ignoredwith their own artistic liberty? This thesis proposes that Milton is conscious of this conundrumand constructs his poem in such a way where this exact question is baked into the conflictbetween Christ and Satan. Paradise Regained is a poem that is concerned with scripture as acollective social and historical narrative and characterises Christ as a historian of this collectivenarrative. This is done, so as to best articulate the ways in which poetry can be utilised tocomment and build upon how the reader may integrate scripture into their own lives and socialnarratives.</p>