Religious Implications in John Milton ’s Paradise Lost and Thomas Hobbes

Paradise Lost (1667) and in Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan (1651). A comparison of the two 
respective authors illustrates seventeenth-century responsiveness to the implicit religious and 
political ideas of English authority at that time. This process unfolds itself through an 
investigation of Milton and Hobbes’ opinions on human freedom, and how it should be 
organized to maintain peace.
Following the English revolution, Milton and Hobbes witnessed a longing for a social 
order. Milton expressed his solution to the problem as complete individual, freedom without 
external interference from the state. Hobbes, on the contrary, believed that a concentration of 
power in an absolutist sovereign is what will accommodate social welfare.
Further, an analysis of Milton’s epic poem, with its genesis of the first disobedience, 
presents the deeply instinctual differences between Milton and Hobbes’ fundamental beliefs 
about the natural human condition. A thorough examination of Milton’s religious ideology is 
revealed through the poem’s characters Adam and Eve, and deals with the freedom of choice 
that led them to Fall in the Garden of Eden. This perspective allows me to introduce the falling 
nature of mankind that is established through Hobbes political doctrine in Leviathan. After 
reviewing the relationship between the two seventeenth century philosophers, I was able to 
formulate a conclusion based on the method that has the most promise for a safe performance 
of human freedom, and of religion as politics.

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4 
Acknowledgments
I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Michael J. Prince, 
who without my completion of this thesis would not have been accomplished. The patience, 
enthusiasm, and endless knowledge in his guidance is what has sustained me throughout this 
project. I am unable to express my indebtedness for his assistance, and so I offer my sincerest 
thanks for the countless meetings, calls, and unsought visits that I could not have made it 
without.
In addition, I wish to offer my infinite appreciation for my family and friends, who have 
shown me boundless support and love. Lastly, a special thanks to my sister, to whom I owe a 
debt of gratitude for her constant demonstration of confidence and faith in me. 

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5 
Introduction
As the tide rises and falls, the wind blows where it wishes, and the dusk turns to dawn; nature 
will continue to do as she pleases, and ultimately, human beings will become subject to 
change. What remains consistent for humankind, is the need for a society to organize itself in 
a useful way. In this thesis, I will focus on the implications of religion in the seventeenth- 
century worldview, and how it reflects human behavior contributing to, and detracting from 
social order. Echoes of past words continue to be repeated and brought to life into the present, 
and one document in particular is especially relevant for English speaking civilization, the 
Holy Bible. Using spiritual sensibilities current in seventeenth century England, I will discuss 
the notions of reason, will and morality as exemplified by John Milton’s Paradise Lost  
(1667): Further, I will examine one of Milton’s contemporaries, Thomas Hobbes, to see how 
his philosophical perspectives from Leviathan (1651) agree with and differ from the implicit 
ethical and religious standards in Paradise Lost.
John Milton’s means of communication has contributed to the English language 
literary traditions. Milton’s language, often described as biblical and divine, demonstrates a 
continuous hope for the individual. In 1667, he began writing his most important work,