Summary:
Milton’s orator begins Paradise Lost by declaring that his subject will be Adam and Eve’s disobedience and fall from grace. He invokes a heavenly inspiration, asksing for help in relating his ambitious story and God’s plan for humankind. The plot begins with Satan and his fellow rebel angels, that are found chained to a lake of fire in Hell. They quickly free themselves and fly to a land, where they discover minerals and thereafter construct Pandemonium, which will be their meeting place. Inside Pandemonium, the rebel angels, who are now devils, debate if they should begin another war with God. Beezelbub suggests that they attempt to corrupt God’s beloved new creation, humankind. Satan agrees, and volunteers to go himself. As he prepares to leave Hell, he is met at the gates by his children, Sin and Death, who follow him and build a bridge between Hell and Earth.

In Heaven, God gathers the angels together for a council of their own. He informs them of Satan’s intentions, and his Son volunteers to make the sacrifice for humankind. Meanwhile, Satan travels through Night and Chaos and reaches Earth. He disguises himself as a cherub so as to get past the Archangel Uriel, who stands guard at the sun. He tells Uriel that he wishes to see and praise God’s glorious creation, and Uriel assents. Satan then lands on Earth and takes a moment to gather his thoughts. Seeing the splendor of Paradise brings him pain rather than pleasure. He reaffirms his decision to make evil his good, and continue to commit crimes against God. Satan leaps over Paradise’s wall, takes the form of a cormorant (a large bird), and perches himself atop the Tree of Life. Looking down at Satan from his post, Uriel notices the volatile emotions reflected in the face of this so-called cherub and warns the other angels that an impostor is in their midst. The other angels agree to search the Garden for intruders.

Meanwhile, Adam and Eve tend the Garden, carefully obeying God’s supreme order not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. After a long day of work, they return to their shelter to rest. At this point Satan takes the form of a toad and whispers into Eve’s ear. Gabriel, the angel tasked with guarding Paradadise discovers Satan and orders him to leave. Satan prepares to fight Gabriel, but God intervenes by making the sign of the golden scales of justice appear in the sky, thus Satan scurries away. Eve awakes and tells Adam of the dream she has had, in which an angel tempted her to eat from the forbidden tree. Preoccupied for his creation, God sends Raphael down to Earth to enlighten Adam and Eve as to the dangers they face regarding Satan.

Raphael arrives on Earth and eats a meal with Adam and Eve. Raphael narrates of Satan’s envy of the Son’s appointment as God’s second-in-command. Satan assembled other angels who likewise were angry at the news, therefore they plotted a war against God. Abdiel decided not to join Satan’s army and returned to God. The angels then began to fight, with Michael and Gabriel serving as co-leaders for Heaven’s army. The battle lasted two days, then God sent the Son, to end the war and deliver Satan and his rebel angels to Hell.

Raphael tells Adam about Satan’s evil motives to corrupt them, and warns Adam to beware of Satan. Adam asks Raphael to recount the story of creation. Raphael tells Adam that God sent the Son into Chaos to create the universe. He created the earth, the stars and other planets. Curious, Adam asks Raphael about the motion of the stars and planets. Eve retires, allowing Raphael and Adam to speak alone. Raphael promptly warns Adam regarding his seemingly unquenchable quest for knowledge. Raphael informs Adam that he will learn all he needs to know, but other knowledge is not meant for humans to comprehend. Adam tells Raphael about his first memories, of waking up and wondering who he was, what he was, and where he was. Adam says that God spoke to him and told him many things, among which his specific command not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Later during the course of the conversation, Adam also confesses to Raphael his intense physical attraction to Eve. Raphael reminds Adam that his love for Eve must be pure and spiritual in manner. With this final piece of advice, Raphael leaves Earth and returns to Heaven.

Eight days after being banished, Satan returns to Paradise. After having closely studied the animals of Paradise, he chooses to take the form of the serpent. Meanwhile, Eve proposes to Adam that they work separately for a period of time, so as to be able to get more work done. At first Adam is hesitant but then agrees. Satan searches for Eve and is delighted to find her alone. In the form of a serpent, he talks to Eve and compliments her on her beauty and godliness. She is astonished to find an animal that can speak. She asks how he learned to talk, and he tells her that it was by eating from the Tree of Knowledge. He then goes on to tell Eve, that in reality God wants her and Adam to eat from the tree and that his command not to, is merely a test of their courage. At first she is hesitant, but then reaches for a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and eats it. She then becomes distraught and searches for Adam. Meanwhile Adam has been busy making a wreath of flowers for Eve. When Eve finds Adam, he drops the wreath and is horrified to find that Eve has eaten from the forbidden tree. Uppon realizing that she has fallen, he decides that he would preffer to share her same fate, rather than remain pure and lose her. Therefore he also eats the fruit. Adam sees Eve in a new light, and together they turn to lust.
God immediately discovers their disobedience. He informs the angels in Heaven that Adam and Eve must be punished, but with a display of both justice and mercy. He sends the Son to give out the punishments. Firstly the Son punishes the serpent whose body Satan took, and condemns it never to walk upright again.

Thereafter the Son tells Adam and Eve that they must now suffer pain and death. Eve and all women will have to suffer the pain of childbirth and must submit to their husbands, whilst Adam and all men must hunt and grow their own food on a depleted Earth. Meanwhile, Satan returns to Hell where he is greeted with ovation. He speaks with the devils in Pandemonium, everyone believes that he has beaten God. Sin and Death travel the bridge they built on their way to Earth. Shortly thereafter, the devils unwillingly transform into snakes and try to reach the fruit from imaginary trees that shrivel and turn to dust as they grasp them.
God commands the angels to transform Earth. Following the fall, humankind must suffer hot and cold seasons instead of the consistent temperatures of before. On Earth, Adam and Eve are afraid of  their approaching doom. They blame each other for their disobedience and become increasingly angry with one another. In a fit of rage, Adam wonders why God ever created Eve. Eve begs Adam not to abandon her. She tells him that they can survive by loving each other. She accepts the blame because she has disobeyed both God and Adam. She thinks about suicide. Adam, moved by her speech, forbids her from taking her own life. He thinks back on their punishment and believes that they can get revenge on Satan by remaining obedient to God. Together they pray to God and repent.

God hears their prayers, and sends Michael down to Earth. Michael arrives on Earth, and informs them that they must leave Paradise. But before doing so, Michael puts Eve to sleep and takes Adam up onto the highest hill, where shows him a vision of humankind’s future. Adam sees the sins of his children, and his children’s children, and his first vision of death. Horrified, he asks Michael if there is any alternative to death. Following Generations continue to sin by lust, greed, envy, and pride. They live only for pleasure, and selfishly kill one another. After Michael shows him the vision of Enoch, who is saved by God whilst his fighting peers attempt to kill him. Adam also sees the story of Noah and his family, whose virtue allows them to be chosen to survive the flood that kills all other humans. Adam feels remorse for death and happiness for humankind’s redemption. Next comes the vision of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel. This story recounts the falsification of the pure language into the many languages that are spoken on Earth. Adam sees the triumph of Moses and the Israelites, and then glimpses the Son’s sacrifice to save humankind. After this vision, it is time for Adam and Eve to depart Paradise. Eve awakes and informs Adam that she had a very interesting and educating dream. Led by Michael, Adam and Eve slowly and woefully leave Paradise hand in hand venturing into a new world.