The Importance Of Communication In John Milton's Paradise Lost

Communication is key in every aspect of life. It is necessary for politicians to communicate with society, and it is necessary for a family to communicate to function. In Paradise Lost, John Milton writes speech after speech to force the importance of that communication between characters and with one’s own conscience. By taking the potentially blasphemous risk to speak for God, Milton reiterates to readers in a single speech that even if God knows every outcome of every conversation, there is still necessity in communication between Him and His followers, so that even as the almighty and all powerful, He can one day be the benign god He wishes to be. God is fully aware of the fall and the future of humanity. While He theoretically could

The fallen have obviously destroyed their credibility with the maker, and apologies and excuses alone will not save them. Continuing with His speech, He explains to His listeners that He wants them to be saved, but by doing so Himself He is against risking the truth of their free will. Basically, God is not so subtly looking for a volunteer to “Die he or justice must, unless for him/ Some other able and as willing to pay/ The rigid satisfaction, death for death” (3.210-212). Acting as all fathers do, He implements the tough love and says that if they’re going to act like that, someone has to take responsibility. And, as God’s creations, the angels are unwilling to suffer for the sins of another. The Son, however, jumps at the chance. This is by all means a fatherly tactic. Just as a human father may vaguely refer to a cookie he doesn’t want that he knows his son will ask for, God places a task in from of his ‘children’ that He knows the Son will volunteer to take. Being God, He knows exactly who will make the sacrifice, who will offer their service. Yet He asks them all instead of tells the Son to do so. This is an example God is setting. He is communicating His wishes as a request, for even the angels and the Son have free will. Just because He knows the answer, doesn’t mean He should skip the