Invocation of Light in Milton's Paradise Lost, Book Three
With little research, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that the concepts of knowledge and light share a long, intertwined history. Words such as “enlighten”, dating as far back as the 16th century, equates light to learning as it is defined as “the imparting of knowledge or increasing of understanding and insight” (Oxford English Dictionary). This very definition aligns the acquisition of understanding with an increased capacity for sight and perception. It is this relationship which John Milton complicates in Paradise Lost; in this 17th century epic poem, Milton develops an interesting tension between physical light as crucial to man’s vision and enlightenment as necessary to the faith and salvation of the human race. Perhaps nowhere is this tension as clear as in his invocation found in Book III. Through his thoughtful use of allusion and diction, Milton convinces his readers that not only are vision and true faith at odds, but that it is his blindness which positions him among an elite group of individuals qualified to understand and to explain the “ways of God to men” (). The darkness to which he is subjected, Milton argues, serves a function of its own rather than being the infortune lack of light, as it brings him closer to God and allows him to “see and tell/ of things invisible to mortal sight”. Ultimately, Milton suggests that the existence of God is too great to be adequately perceived by our earthly senses and it is only by forsaking these sensations that we may strengthen our faith and understand the true nature of God.
One means by which the poet explains the advantages of his blindness is through his allusion to Greek mythology. By comparing himself to other blinded heroes, Milton imports into his own work and into the identity of his narrator, the qualities of these figures of old. That is to say, it is not only the blindness of Thamyris, Tiresias and Phineus which Milton evokes, but also the arrogance of Thamyris which compelled him to compete against the Muses, costing him his sight; the gender- fluidity of Tiresias; and Phineus’ crime of blinding his sons, for which he was blinded. Milton counts himself in good company among these historical blinded figures and prophets, but what is most compelling in his choice of these figures is the manner in which these qualities align Milton with the figure of Satan within Paradise Lost. Satan, the ambitious angel who challenges God when he feels he is being overlooked is marked with arrogance, the ability to change from masculine to feminine as Raphael explains is common of angels, and the desire to transmit knowledge to the human race, as evident in his tempting Eve to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. As this paper will discuss, Milton feels physical blindness is a requirement for true wisdom, suggesting even the story of Phineus is comparable to that of Satan. In comparing himself to these figures, Milton is also expressing empathy for his own antagonist, recognizing that while their intentions varied greatly, they both struggled to an end, whish is the enlightenment of mankind.
The second allusion to Greek mythology that aids in Milton’s discussion of light and darkness is his mention of the legendary Greek poet, Orpheus. Milton describes his escape from the Stygian pool so that he can return to the light once more, clearly evoking the myth of Orpheus. Just as Orpheus travels the River Styx to redeem his lost beloved Eurydice from the dead, so does Milton write to redeem man’s faith in God and restore Christian ideology. The notable differences between the poets is Orpheus’ tragic failure to escape from the land of the dead, failing to observe the strict instructions to lead Eurydice to safety without turning to look upon her. Milton makes a point, in this invocation, to point out that though he is deprived of sight, he is not deprived of inspiration, citing the Muses and the mountain Sion as his source of inspiration and safe delivery through his tedious writing process. He is dependent on his faith, and not his senses, for knowledge. Thus Orpheus’ sight is his downfall because his dependence on it for knowledge- his lack of faith- costs him his own life and that of his wife.
Interestingly, though Milton cites his blindness as facilitating his faith, he realistically has no choice regarding his own blindness. This is relevant as just lines later, Milton posits that loving God is meaningless without free will because man is not choosing to love God, he simply has no alternative to obedience. Is Milton’s dedication to a true knowledge that is untethered to the lowly sensation suspect, considering that there is no means for Milton to exercise his will and actively choose blindness?
Milton argues that if he fails to justify the actions of God to man, it is not for lack of effort on his part, but rather because humans collectively suffer from a much more tragic form of blindness than Milton himself does. Milton doubts the common, seeing person’s ability to fully grasp and understand the concept and existence of God and throughout his invocation it becomes increasingly clear that he attributes this deficit to man’s tendency to try to understand the other-worldly existence of God using our worldly senses. This is evident in the language used to describe the direction of light and vision throughout the passage. It practically begins by establishing God himself as light (Milton, 3.3) and all light emanating form him as “brief effluence of bright essence increate” (Milton, 3.6). Effluence is not merely related to energy, but to direction of energy as it is defined as a “flowing out esp. of light, electricity, magnetism, etc” (OED). God is the source of light, a “sov’reign vital lamp” (22) from which all truth is derived. Though Milton initially seems to lament his loss of sight because it seems to exclude him from perceiving God’s light, “thou revist’st not these eyes, that roll in vain/ To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn;/ so thick a drop serene hath quenched their orbs,/ or dim suffusion veiled “ (23-26), it eventually becomes clear that Milton’s fears are unfounded. By the end of the invocation, Milton claims that if he should be cut off from wisdom through his senses (50) it can only be fortuitous for his endeavor of writing about God,
So much the rather though celestial Light
Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers
Irradiate, there plant eyes, all mist from thence
Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell
Of things invisible to mortal sight (51-55).
Perhaps the most important word of this claim is “irradiate” as defined as “to direct rays of light upon (OED). This is a significant word choice particularly as it complements effluence, suggesting not only direction but intention. One can imagine the ray of light, almost as an arrow, traveling with precision directly from God to the mind of Milton. In this way, Milton is getting his faith, inspiration, and knowledge, directly from God unpolluted by the faulty systems of sensation and perception. There can be no error of interpretation, no room for discussion when Milton’s perspective is coming directly from the source: God’s light.
Further, the suspect of human perception in adequately conceptualizing the awesome existence of God is suggested in the discussion surrounding the passing of time. God is consistently described as existing outside of our concept of time, with words such as “increate” and “coeternal”, words that escape most humans, as we are unable to truly fathom something as infinite, without beginning and without end. Humans understanding of reality is too invested in the concepts of space and time to be able to fully comprehend these terms. To bring attention to failure of human understanding, Milton contrasts these concepts with descriptions of human journeys with emphasis on time and duration, including “long detained” and “sojourn” (meaning “a temporary stay” (OED)). While I would argue that this discussion of time is warranted by its relevance to the inadequacy of human perception, it is also significant as Milton relates the understanding of time to his lack of vision:
Thus with the year
Seasons return, but not to me returns
Day, or the sweet approach of ev’n or morn
Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer’s rose,
Of flocks or herds, or human face divine (41-44).
Milton thus depicts man’s understanding of passing time, as dependent on natural cues and, most importantly, cyclical. Far from the unfathomable infinity of God, man is only able to think in circles. Due to his blindness and impaired capacity to measure the passing of time as other people might do, Milton is less impeded in his attempt to understand and communicate with the Almighty.
Throughout this invocation, Milton clearly develops a tension between darkness and light, between vision and blindness, and between divine wisdom and secular ignorance. It is through the emphasis on these binaries that the master poet is able to stratify forms of perception and knowledge and privilege the divine over the faulty and limited capacities of the human perceptual system. Far from considering himself in any way disadvantaged, Milton considers his lack of vision as putting him in good company and elevating himself to his purpose as eloquent and credible writer and his careful word choice and allusion elevates the form of Milton’s invocation to its content.
Works Cited
Milton, John. “Paradise Lost.” The Norton Anthology English Literature. Ed Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W Norton & Company, 1962. 1943-2175. Print
Simpson, J.A. and E.S.C Weiner. “Enlighten” The Oxford English Dictionary. 1989. Print.
Simpson, J.A. and E.S.C Weiner. “Effluence” The Oxford English Dictionary. 1989. Print.
Simpson, J.A. and E.S.C Weiner. “Irradiate” The Oxford English Dictionary. 1989. Print.
Simpson, J.A. and E.S.C Weiner. “Sojourn” The Oxford English Dictionary. 1989. Print.
