『복낙원』의 정치성

Abstract

Politics in Paradise RegainedSong, Hong-HanThe political aspect of Paradise Regained has been studied quite recently, but seldom in Korea. Probably, it is because Christ, the hero of this epic, looks too passive for the epic to be examined politically. The epic is assumed to have been written between 1667 and 1670. Taking the composition date into account, the poem cannot but be read in its political context. If Christ’s spiritual internalization is a preparatory process for religious salvation, the political salvation of oppressed people requires their spiritual readiness for it. Given its political context, we can read this epic as the poet’s message to the contemporary English republicans, some of whom were frustrated by the restoration of monarchy or others of whom were willing to use violence against the king and his supporters.In its political context, we can read the poet’s political message between the lines throughout the epic. Unlike its biblical counterpart, Satan’s first temptation episode of the epic does not merely suggest a resolution of hunger but pushes it up far enough to show the gorgeously rich table, which implies the luxury of the king’s palace. The second and third temptations of glory and wisdom reveal even more political aspects. Satan tempts Christ to save his oppressed Israelites by overcoming Rome, but Christ rejects it because they are “people victor once, now vile and base, / Deservedly made vassal.” And the ending of the epic also supplies a political dimension: It not only foretells the eschatological ending but also describes the hero’s return to his mother’s house, where he can prepare his future mission. In conclusion, Paradise Regained does provide the readers with a political behavior model as well as religious transcendence.