Eternal Providence and Free Will: An Integral Part of Paradise Lost In the opening lines of Paradise Lost, Milton wastes no time conveying to his readers what his purpose is in write the epic. He writes at the beginning that he intends to «affirm eternal Providence, / and justify the ways of God before men» (I, 25-26). But what exactly does this mean? In order to clearly judge and evaluate what these lines imply, it is important to understand what exactly Milton's thoughts are regarding “Eternal Providence” and the “ways of God.” Building on this idea, it is also important to realize how the idea of ​​free will is intertwined with God's omniscience. For Milton, God's omniscience did not limit Adam and Eve's free will. However, this idea presents the reader with a paradoxical situation that Milton as an author was fully aware of. Paradise Lost presents the reader with eternal providence and free will as integral parts of each other, neither binding the other, and it is these two aspects, together with that of knowledge, that lay the foundation for understanding Paradise Lost. Although the epic poem focuses on the story of the fall of man, it is interesting that Milton weaves into this story the fall of Satan from heaven and the consequences it has not only for Satan himself, but for Adam, Eve and the world as a whole. Together. Milton allows the reader to see the fall from the perspective of Satan, God, as well as Adam and Eve. Since Milton provides insight into these characters' feelings about the fall, it is not surprising that he uses "eternal providence" along with the stories of Satan, Adam, and Eve. The providence described here is the knowledge of good and evil. However, each part of the paper moves away from God and that is why his mind falls further and further downward. On the other hand, Adam and Eve manage to realize the extent of God's power and are thus rewarded by God's grace. The theme of free will is highlighted at various points in Paradise Lost through different characters. Through each character's actions and the element of choice shown, Milton conveys his point of view that while God is omniscient and there is eternal providence, free will is unhindered. Milton also communicates through Eve that he has chosen to disobey God, he does so knowing there will be consequences, meaning he does not have the full ability to reason clearly. Although he was aware of the paradox that free will and eternal providence present to the reader, Milton did not believe that this limited the understanding of Paradise Lost..