Disobedience In Paradise Lost

Imagine a world where a government orders its people to follow their laws and everyone follows them. Would you stand by and allow this control to take place? In Thoreau’s essay “In defense of civil disobedience” and Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild they both saw themselves as people forced out by the immorality rampant in organized society. They make their connection through the views that Thoreau had leading to the development of Chris McCandless Philosophy, relationship with the government, and their journeys through life are to be considered rebellious to their social life. They wish to live on there own not wanting any support from those who are the government people.

In Sophocles, Antigone, translated by Ruby Blondell, the main character, Antigone, rebelled against the unethical treatment of her brothers, while Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. also rebelled against the unethical treatment of African Americans in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. Both Antigone and King Jr. sacrificed their lives to highlight the unethical and unjust treatment in their societies. However, King Jr. uses civil disobedience to achieve his goals to end inequality for African Americans in the United States and is assassinated, while Antigone uses her religion as motivation to bury her brothers and ultimately commit suicide as she so strongly disapproves the actions which the King of Thebes, Kreon. King Jr.’s tactics were more effective than Antigone’s as King Jr. was able to pave the way for equality for African Americans in the United States, while Antigone’s tactics only left Creon to feel guilty and led to no change in her society.

In the tragedy of Antigone, by Sophocles, many themes are presented. The themes of civil disobedience and the role of women are heavily presented. The theme of civil disobedience is the refusal to believe in or follow certain rules set by the leaders. In Antigone, Antigone defies the rules and chooses to not follow them. The theme of the role of women is the role that women are supposed to follow. Although, Antigone yet again defies the traditional women role. These two themes mainly relate to the main characters of the story such as Antigone, Creon, Haemon, and Ismene.

In Sophocles’ play “Antigone” she has heard the news that both of her brothers are dead. She has also learned that her brother Polyneices has not had a proper burial. The new King of Thebes, Creon has decreed Polyneices an enemy of the state a traitor. Polyneices and his brother Eteocles fought over the kingdom of Thebes and died at each other’s hand. King Creon wants Polyneices body to go unburied, to rot in the sun for the animals to have their way. Antigone’s asserting the supremacy of divine law buries her brother Polyneices. She is willing to speak out against injustice, not adhering to conventional restrictions and inflicting laws. Antigone’s civil disobedience resembles twenty-century Martin Luther King, Jr., who also stood up for injustice. Antigone’s like King took the law in their hands and because of what they believed went against authority.

University of Missouri football players band together in protest of Timothy Wolfe, the University of Missouri president. Black students were antagonized on campus, so students organized a walkout Monday, November 9, 2015 and the following Tuesday in protest of the university not doing anything. According to a New York Times article, “…dozens of black football players issued a blunt ultimatum: Resign or they won’t play” (Marc Tracy and Ashley Southall, Black Football Players Lend Heft to Protests at Missouri). A forfeited game would cost the university one million dollars, the article says. Also, at the homecoming parade, students blocked Mr. Wolfe’s car in order to speak to him when officials would

"If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so. " This is a quote from Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, and a draftsman of the Declaration of Independence. There are many examples in history where, in retrospect, the laws in place were objectively wrong and unjust. Although it may seem negative at the time, civil disobedience is a net positive for society. If asked who the most peaceful person ever was many people would say Mahatma Gandhi, and they would have no shortage of reason to think this.

Despite disobedience, the people still had access to God whenever and wherever they wanted. Not only was the tabernacle always with them in the land but the temple was also built. The greatest truth, however, is that God does not live in buildings made by human hands. Sadly, access to God was

The beginning of Book II of Paradise Lost brings to the readers an amusing paradox: a debate in Hell. From a religious point of view, there is no possible debate in Hell because God, alone, decides whom to send to Hell and the sinners who are sent to Hell cannot discuss this decision. From the point of view of the Western classical tradition, God does not exist, thus, there is no needs for a debate because, without God, Heaven and Hell do not exist. In other word, Milton seems to tell his readers that a debate in Hell is futile. However, Milton uses Satan and the three fallen angels to prove the superiority of God and to prove that classical values are important but not as valuable as God's values.

The question of free will and determinism within Paradise Lost is one of contention. This neutral God believes in providing his creations with a choice. “ Had of me All he could have; I made him just right Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall” (3.97-99) and “all the ethereal powers And spirits, both them who stood and them who failed; Freely the stood, who stood and fail who fail” (3.100-102). God states that all his creations are free to choose whether to stand with him or fall with Satan. This is due to God’s desire for those who stand with him to be sincere in their love and obedience. God garners no pleasure from obligatory love, and therefore supplies his creation with that option making the betrayals devastating and the obedience exemplary. “Not free, what proof have given sincere Of true allegiance, constant faith or love, Where only what they needs must do, appeared, Not what they would? What praise could they receive? What pleasure I from such obedience paid, When will and reason (reason also is choice) Useless and vain, of freedom both despoiled, Made passive both, had served necessity. Not me.

In A Doll’s House and Paradise Lost, how are the themes of rebellion and disobedience explored? The ways in which rebellion and disobedience are presented within Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Book IX of John Milton’s Paradise Lost have strong links and differences. In Paradise Lost, for example, the idea of rebellion manifests itself in Eve’s decision to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit- which in the context of Milton’s Puritan background would have been seen as the ultimate act of misconduct by the 17th century audience at a time of religious uncertainty and conflict. Whilst the texts were written almost two hundred years apart, this sentiment continues in Ibsen’s

Since the evolution of sin, people were concerned about humans’ consistent ambition to degrade people in order to save themselves. In a hierarchy, the kings ruled over the nobles, the peasants, and the slaves. Slaves became the “unpopular” crowd where people treated them like animals. In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Milton describes Satan’s refusal to serve God’s purpose has created dysfunction between God and him; his reason is that he wanted to uphold his position over the angels. As a result, God threw Satan and one-third of his angels out of Heaven (1.36-49).

Civil disobedience is a nonviolent opposition to a law through refusal to comply with it, on grounds of conscience.

It is the detrimental nature of man to seek convenience when searching to answer questions pertaining to the works of God. Such is the case when interpreting Paradise Lost by John Milton. One might argue that the fall of Adam and Eve is a cruel setup for mankind at the hands of God, since God planted the tree of knowledge in the garden. After all, God is all-knowing and all-powerful, so He knew that Adam and Eve would eat from the tree and break the covenant. However, although God is all-knowing, he is also forgiving and realistic of human tendencies and capabilities, seeing that we are not perfect and have the power to make our own choices. Therefore, God cannot be blamed for the fall of Adam and Eve because, although He is all knowing and

In the beginning of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the first words of the poem state that the main theme would evidently be “man’s first disobedience.” Throughout the story, Milton goes into specific detail of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, Satan’s rebellion and why each event within the text occurs. It is exhibited to be that Milton positions the story within the greater framework of Satan’s defiance. Satan and humankind’s insubordination towards God pose a major threat; Raphael tells Adam about it in order to provide him with a precise comprehension of the situation. Milton introduces two moral paths within Paradise Lost. First, the path represented by Satan, an unfavorable pathway of expanding depravity, shame and sin. The other path represented by Adam and Eve could easily be considered the road to redemption. Although Adam and Eve were the first human beings who refused to conform with God, we can agree that Satan is first amongst all of God’s creation to rebel against him.

Everyone in the world falls victim to unfortunate events. One of the world’s greatest unanswered questions is: why do bad things happen? Or is it really an unanswered question? The great poet Milton decided to answer this question in his poem Paradise Lost. Milton wanted to create an epic to rival Homer and Virgil’s epics and he decided that there was no better way to do this than to answer mankind’s greatest question. Milton states that the reason why bad things happen in the world is because of man’s first disobedience to God and the consequences that came as retribution. He states that the main objective of his poem was to justify the ways of God to men. So does Milton’s theodicy really work? Milton’s theodicy does, in fact, work in the poem Paradise Lost, and it does so for many reasons.