Paradise Lost and other poems Author:John Milton Paradise Lost
Samson Agonistes
Lycidas
These three major works by the 17th century English poet show why Milton takes his place beside Shakespeare, Dante, Homer and Vergil.
Most interesting to me is the character of Satan. Christ and God here are two-dimensional sketches, whereas Milton gives Satan complex motivation, much more engaging than run-of-the-mill comic-book iniquity. Enjoy!