“The Body Book” for Christian Epic Poetry: How Milton and Pope Christianized Greco-Roman Conceptions of Embodied Divinity in Paradise Lost and The Iliad Open Access
Fleischer, Julia (Spring 2022)
Abstract
John Milton and Alexander Pope penned and translated literature that used elements of embodied divinities from Homeric epic poetry and Greco-Roman mythology. In their respective works, Paradise Lost and Homer’s Iliad, they rehabilitated pagan embodied divinities for Christian literature, and their impact becomes clear in John Flaxman’s illustrations of The Iliad.
Table of Contents
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………… Page 8
Satan as Zeus and Achilles in Milton’s Paradise Lost ……………………………... Page 20
The History of the Poem and the Greco-Roman Mythological Precedent
of Paradise Lost ……………………………………………………………………… Page 20
The Bodies of the Angels …………………………………………………….. Page 29
The Perversion of Sexuality: Satan as Zeus ………………………………….. Page 42
Demigods: Satan as Achilles …………………………………………………. Page 52
Pope’s Iliad and the New Testament: Achilles as a Christ-like Figure …………... Page 58
The History of Pope’s Translation, Flaxman’s Illustrations, and Pope’s “Introduction”
to The Iliad ……..………………………………………. Page 58
Pope’s Pattern of Modifying Language in The Iliad ……………………………… Page 65
Achilles’ Mythological Background and Embodied Divinity ………………… Page 73
Achilles like Christ: Divine Rage and Redemption …………………………… Page 76
Achilles like Christ: The Obscuration of Achilles’ Homosexual Relationship… Page 83
Flaxman’s Illustrations ………………………………………………………… Page 93
Figure 1 ………………………………………………………………… Page 100
Figure 2 ………………………………………………………………… Page 101
Figure 3…………………………………………………………………. Page 102
Figure 4…………………………………………………………………..Page 103
Milton and Pope’s Impact ……………………………………………………………. Page 104
Works Cited …………………………………………………………………………… Page 106
About this Honors Thesis
School | |
---|---|
Department | |
Degree | |
Submission | |
Language |
|
Research Field | |
Keyword | |
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor | |
Committee Members |
Primary PDF
Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Actions |
---|---|---|---|
“The Body Book” for Christian Epic Poetry: How Milton and Pope Christianized Greco-Roman Conceptions of Embodied Divinity in Paradise Lost and The Iliad () | 2022-04-12 17:49:30 -0400 |
|
Supplemental Files
Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Actions |
---|