"Paradise Lost" by John Milton is an epic poem published in 1667. It retells the biblical story of humanity's fall: Satan's rebellion against God, his expulsion to Hell, and his vengeful plot to corrupt God's newest creation—mankind. Through the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Milton explores profound themes of free will, disobedience, and redemption. The poem features one of literature's most complex villains in Satan, while seeking to "justify the ways of God to men."