John Milton (1608-1674) est le poète de l'espoir chrétien. Humaniste anglais doté d'une grande culture, il vit dans le culte de l'intégrité et de l'harmonie des âmes et du monde. "Le Paradis perdu" met en perspective l'amertume de la défaite, la persistance du rêve de paradis et la difficulté de justifier Dieu et l'histoire. Seul le mythe peut opérer simultanément ces opérations : la chute heureuse, la liberté chrétienne qui naît de l'épreuve. Dieu serait un tyran s'il se retirait de ses créatures pour fonder la liberté. Satan, révolté par l'amour, rompt l'enchaînement de la gratitude, mais se dégrade. Ève est l'héroïne d'une transgression sacrée. De la perte surgit la grandeur de l'innocence reconquise. L'oeuvre est lue ici dans sa version originale, en anglais. JMV.
- Anton LESSER Lecteur
- John MILTON Poète
- Laura PATON Comédien
- Chris LARKIN Comédien
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1
Book 1, line 1: 'Of man's fir st disobedience and the fruit'
- 2 Line 128: 'O Prince, O Chief of many Throned powers'
- 3 Line 242: 'Is this the Region, this the Soil, the Clime'
- 4 Line 375: 'All these and more came flocking; but with looks'
- 5 Line 622: 'O Myriads of immortal Spirits, O Powers'
- 6 Line 722: '.....Th'ascending pile'
- 7 Book 2, line 1: 'High on a Throne of royal State, which far'
- 8 Line 119: 'I should be much for open War, O Peers'
- 9 Line 229: 'Either to disinthrone the King of Heav'n'
- 10 Line 310: 'Thrones and imperial Powers, off-spring of heav'n'
- 11 Line 390: 'Well have ye judg'd, well ended long debate'
- 12 Line 430: 'O Progeny of Heav'n, Empyreal thrones'
- 13 Line 506: 'The Stygian Council thus disolved; and forth'
- 14 Line 704: 'So spake the griesly terrour, and in shape'
- 15 Line 850: 'The key of this in fernal Pit by due'
- 16 Line 968: 'T'whom Satan turning boldly thus. Ye Powers'
- 17 Book 3, Paraphrase: God sitting on his throne
- 18 Book 4, Line 1: 'O for that warning voice, which he who saw'
- 19 Line 114: 'Thus while he spake, each passion dimm'd his face'
- 20 Line 172: 'Now to th'ascent of that steep savage Hill'
- 21 Line 246: '....Thus was this place'
- 22 Line 358: 'O Hell ! what do mine eyes with grief behold'
- 23 Line 440: 'To whom thus Eve repli'd. O thou for whom'
- 24 Line 492: 'So spake our general Mother, and with eyes'
- 25 Books 5-8 Paraphrase: 'Meanwhile, Uriel, descending'
- 26 Book 9, Line 1: 'No more talk of where God or Angel Guest'
- 27 Line 99: 'O Earth, how like to Heav'n, if not preferr'd'
- 28 Line 194: 'And Eve first to her Husband thus began'
- 29 Line 270: 'To whom the Virgin Majesty of Eve'
- 30 Line 376: 'So spake the Patriarch of Mankind, but Eve'
- 31 Book 9, Line 494: 'So spake t he enemy of Mankind, enclos'd'
- 32 Line 567: 'To whom the guileful Tempter thus repli'd'
- 33 Line 612: 'Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in doubt'
- 34 Line 679: 'O Sacred, Wise and Wisdom-giving Plant'
- 35 Line 745: 'Great are thy Virtues, doubtless, best of Fruits'
- 36 Line 856: 'O fairest of Creation, last and best'
- 37 Line 960: 'So Adam, and thus Eve to him repli'd'
- 38 Line 1034: 'Sosaid he, and forbore not glance or toy'
- 39 Line 1134: 'Would thou hadst heark'n'd to my words, & stay'd'
- 40 Book 10 Paraphrase: Man's disobedience known'
- 41 Line 68: 'Father Eternal, thine is to decree'
- 42 Line 229: 'Meanwhile ere thus was sinn'd & judg'd on Earth'
- 43 Line 354: 'O Parent, these are thy magnific deeds'
- 44 Line 460: 'Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers'
- 45 Books 11 and 12: Paraphrase: 'Meanwhile Sin and Death rejoice'
- 46 Book 12, Line 553: 'How soon hath thy prediction, Seer blest'
