An impressive combination of Christian mythology with the conventions of classical epics, both Paradise poems are full of scenes that excel in characterization, imaginative grandeur, and drama. But with archaic vocabulary and usage, and a dogged commitment to blank verse that insists on wrenching the rhythms of words with some truly wild accents, it can also swing wildly between dense, difficult, and absurd. It's not a light read.

Milton's theology, to the extent that you can call whatever is happening here "theology," is also hard to follow. That's part of what makes Paradise Lost in particular so interesting, as Satan pioneers the role of anti-hero, while God's commandments seem even more inscrutable than they do in the Bible. Milton seems to subscribe to a few spicy ancient heresies (like Arianism) while casually implying the preexistence of polytheistic Greco-Roman myths in a story about the literal beginning of the world. It definitely establishes a flavor, but it may not be to your taste.