John Milton
Paradise Lost, Extract from book 1

Addio, felici campi
Dove la gioia per sempre vive. Benvenuti orrori, benvenuto
Mondo infernale; e tu, Inferno più profondo,
Ricevi il tuo nuovo possessore: uno che porta
Un'anima tale da non essere cambiata dal posto o dal tempo.
L'anima in se stessa alberga, e in se stessa
Può fare un Paradiso dall'Inferno, o un Inferno dal Paradiso.
Che importa dove io sia, se son lo stesso,
E qual dovrei essere, poco meno di Lui
Che il fulmine ha fatto più grande di me? Qui almeno
Saremo liberi: l'Onnipotente non costruì
Qui per suo desiderio, dunque scacciarci non vorrà:
Qui regnerem sicuri, e per me
Regnare è pur una degna ambizione anche in Inferno:
Meglio regnare in Inferno, che servire in Paradiso.

Paradise Lost is John Milton's most famous poem, and it was published in 1667. In its 12 books it challenges important biblical issues such as the creation of the world, the original sin and Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
In the extract from book 1 it is reported Satan's speech after his fall into Hell. Satan says farewell to the "happy fields" of Heaven, which he has lost forever, and he welcomes the horrors of Hell. Satan talks about himself, stating that his "mind", which stands both for his opinions and his soul, will not be changed by place or time; thus the reader understands that his feeling of hatred and his desire of revolt, which have caused his expulsion from Heaven, are still there. The following lines make clear that he considers Heaven as a Hell, and Hell as a Heaven; so there is a complete reversal of what is usually considered right and wrong, good and bad. Satan also thinks that the only fact which matters is being himself, because he is still the same everywhere, and he is just a bit less powerful than God. At the end of the speech he recognizes he enjoys reigning in Hell, which is even better than being forced to serve God in Heaven.
The speech effectively conveys Satan's hatred and boldness towards God; indeed he appears without any sign of regret or fear. Satan initially seems to feel nostalgic because of his ejection from Heaven; indeed the expression "happy fields" is put in a highlighted position. However, the reader is immediately informed that Satan does not feel guilty because of his actions; on the contrary, he thinks God was wrong. Indeed he says his mind will not be changed by "place or time", meaning that, even if he has been confined in Hell, this punishment will not change his opinions. So he would create his Heaven in the Hell, while he will consider, from then on, Heaven as a Hell. The chiasmus created by the alternate position of these words shows the reversal of values which Satan has put in act. Moreover, Satan is so arrogant and presumptuous that he considers himself just barely inferior than God ("He whom thunder hath made greater"), and in the following lines he tries to show himself as a god in Hell. Indeed he wants to be a king: while in Heaven he was just one of God's servants, now he has the possibility to be like an anti-God who reigns in his own kingdom, assured of the fact that God will not send him away from there.
Reading the extract it is clear that Satan is becoming more and more conscious of his power; while images referring to Heaven becomes darker going on reading the speech (at the beginning, Heaven is associated to joy and happy fields, at the end to the condition of servitude), the images referring to Hell become brighter (from the "horrors" of l. 2 to the "reign" of l. 15). To reinforce this awareness, Satan initially talks to himself using the pronoun "I", and then he uses "We", as if he had become more self-confident and secure of his newly gained position.
In the extract Satan is deeply analyzed by Milton and he seems to be an important character, whose ambitions, although they are against God, are typical of a fallen hero who is sure of his own great possibilities.

First lines of Paradise Lost: analysis

In the first lines of Paradise Lost the poet makes a list of the issues he is going to analyze in his epic poem. The first two lines are characterized by a Latinate syntax; indeed the repetition of the preposition "of" at the beginning of the lines and the use of incidental sentences (such as "whose mortal taste brought death into the world", l. 1-2), are typical of Romance languages. The poet also uses words which comes from Latin, like "Muse" in l. 6 or "mortal" (instead of deathly) in l. 2. This shows Milton's great knowledge and admiration towards Greek and Roman culture, which was still a point of reference for any epic poet.
The semantic field which dominates in these lines is the one relating to sin and punishment ("disobedience", "forbidden", "Mortal", "death", "woe", "loss"), so the reader understands the poem challenges religious topics, and in particular the original sin and the loss of Eden. "The fruit of that forbidden tree" is a reference to the famous apple which caused Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. However the apple is a symbol which stands for knowledge; indeed the conquest of knowledge is one of the greatest human desires, and it has tempted men from the origins. Nevertheless, the fruit is "forbidden" because human beings must not go beyond the boundaries imposed by God. Temptation arises as a consequence of the imperfections of human nature: men suffer their limitations and their desire to trespass is the cause of their fall.
In line 4 the image of a "Great Man" is introduced; it is a clear hint to Jesus Christ, however Milton prefers to highlight his human side and not his divine one. Perhaps this is meant to communicate that God has sent his human-form Son on Earth to recreate the broken link between himself and humanity.
The final reference to the Muse may seem pagan, but Milton avoids this interpretation by adding the adjective "Heavenly", which may suggest that the Muse he is referring to is not a classical muse but the Virgin Mary. Thus the reader may conclude that Milton's poem, even if takes inspiration from classical culture, is written according to the Christian view of the world.