Quest For An Earthly Paradise And The Anticipation Of A...

Lamentation and Hope in the Depiction of Paradise The quest for an earthly paradise and the anticipation of a heavenly one is a drive that has always prevailed in humankind s search for God and redemption from the original sin. The desire for a terrestrial manifestation of paradise, a so called lost origin is predominantly reflected in writers depictions of the fall of man. This can be seen in Milton s Paradise Lost and Lucy Hutchinson s Order and Disorder. Both these epic poems at times magnify the sadness and gravity of the loss of a paradisal home in which Adam and Eve as our fore parents dwelt under God s close guidance and love. The fascination with Eden s bliss is manifested in Adam and Eve s admiration, however it also extends to Satan s various instances of questioning his own actions in the shadow of such beauty. Perhaps crucial to both interpretations of the fall of man is that the knowledge gained from the forbidden fruit is the realization of loss, the sudden true appreciation of the beauty of a paradise that is now l ost. On the other hand the promise of redemption is provided through God s mercy in Death, thus allowing for a hope and anticipation of a heavenly paradise. This portrayal of a merciful God in Paradise Lost and Order and Disorder, grows out of man s search for redemption and a desire to be united with God in a heavenly paradise. Nostalgia and anticipation of paradise thus manifest through the lamentations of loss and mercy in death