Milton’s Use of The Classics

Another scene that Milton gets from a great writer is what Satan looks like.  In Milton’s book he describes Satan as a serpent with rising folds and a neck of verdant gold with circling spires.  In Vergil’s Aeneid there is a description of a serpent, which is described as having trailing seven huge loops, encircling the tomb, and with scales that gleam of gold (Vergil, 5.84-90).  By comparing the two descriptions we see the similarities of rising folds and huge loops, neck of verdant gold and scales that gleam of gold, and circling spires compared with encircled tomb.  This shows that Milton got his description for Satan from the Aeneid.

The third scene that Milton imitates is of Eve looking at her reflection.  In his story Eve says, “Of sympathy and love; there I had fixed mine eyes till now, and pined with vain desire” (Milton, 4.453-65).  This scene is similar to Ovid’s Metamorphoses when Narcissus gazes at himself in the reflection of water.  He falls in love with his own reflection, which sounds like Milton’s scene with Eve looking at her reflection.

Milton’s use of ideas from different authors invites a more diverse perspective.  He gives a new interpretation of old ideas.    

In Milton’s Paradise Lost he imitates scenes from Homer, Vergil, and Ovid.  He imitates the scene of Adam seducing Eve from Homer, the description of Satan from Vergil, and Eve looking at her own reflection from Ovid.  Many classical authors used other sources for ideas, and Milton was no exception.