Paradise Lost has had a profound impact on writers, artists and illustrators, and, in the twentieth century, filmmakers.
In literature
In addition to printing an illustrated edition of the poem, much of the mystic poetry of William Blake is a direct response to or rewriting of Paradise Lost. Blake emphasized the rebellious, satanic elements of the epic; the repressive character Urizen in the Four Zoas is a tyrannical version of Milton's God. In addition to his famous quip in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell about Milton belonging to the devil's party, Blake wrote Milton: a Poem which has Milton, like Satan, rejecting a life in Heaven. Paradise Lost influenced Mary Shelley when she wrote her novel Frankenstein. Shelley uses a quote from Book X of Paradise Lost on the epigram page of her novel and Paradise Lost is one of three books Frankenstein's monster finds; this, therefore, influences his psychological growth. The concept of the "Fallen Angel," an epithet of Satan, is used to both describe the protagonist, Victor, and to describe his monster. Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley specifically notes in the preface to his lyrical drama Prometheus Unbound that he constructed his character Prometheus in part as an attempt to revise Milton's Satan. In H.P. Lovecraft's short story Dagon published in 1919, the unnamed narrator finds himself stranded in "a slimy expanse of hellish black mire which extended about [him]", and upon reaching an immeasurable canyon, he relates that "Through my terror ran curious reminiscences of Paradise Lost, and of Satan’s hideous climb through the unfashioned realms of darkness." In C. S. Lewis' novel The Great Divorce the narrator meets writer George MacDonald in heaven, who uses the quote "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav'n" as answer to the narrator's questions about heaven and hell. Frederick Buechner's debut novel, A Long Day's Dying, takes its title from Book 10 of Paradise Lost. John Steinbeck's novel In Dubious Battle takes its title from Book 1 of Paradise Lost. In his controversial novel The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie adapts major motifs and plot elements from Paradise Lost, such as a "fall" and subsequent transformation. The epic was also one of the prime inspirations for Philip Pullman's trilogy of novels His Dark Materials (the title itself a quotation from Book II of Paradise Lost). In Pullman's introduction, he modifies Blake's line to quip that he himself "is of the Devil's party and does know it." Libba Bray uses a quote from Paradise Lost to name the second book of her trilogy, Rebel Angels, quoting from it "To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav'n." In his Sandman comics/graphic novels series, Neil Gaiman uses Lucifer as a character, most notably in the Season of Mists arc/collection, and makes reference to the poem, having Lucifer openly quote Milton. The Day After Judgment by James Blish ends with Satan making a long speech in Miltonic blank verse. John Collier's Paradise Lost: Screenplay for Cinema of the Mind. was published in 1973. In 1976, British pianist, cabaret performer, songwriter, and actor Billy Milton published his autobiography, Milton's Paradise Mislaid.Burton, Peter (24 November 1989). "Billy Milton". The Independent. p. 20. Retrieved April 30, 2026. "'My birth was a bitter disappointment to my parents who desperately wanted a girl,' Milton wrote in his candid autobiography Milton's Paradise Mislaid (1976). 'In fact they had a girl's name and clothes all ready. I believe that many of the problems I later faced emanated from the feeling that I wasn't wanted.'" In 1994, American author Joseph Lanzara wrote Paradise Lost: The Novel based upon the epic poem. In Jón Kalman Stefánsson's novel Heaven and Hellpublished 2007 in Iceland, published in 2014 in US, translated from the Icelandic by Philip Roughton the character Barthur is enamored of the poem, and suffers tragic consequences when he does not pay attention to gathering his gear for a fishing job, instead dwelling on one passage from the poem. Various snippets from the poem are quoted with admiration during the course of the narrative. The poem was first published in Icelandic in 1828, translated by Jon Thorlakson.Heaven and Hell pp. 15, 50 John Keats's Hyperion is influenced by Paradise Lost. In Cassandra Clare's young-adult fantasy series The Mortal Instruments, one of the main antagonists, Valentine Morgenstern, was inspired by Milton's Lucifer. Valentine can be seen quoting Milton at various times. Lord Byron alludes to Milton in his works. In the web-based collaborative fiction project the SCP Foundation, an organization known as the Chaos Insurgency uses a quote from Paradise Lost as their motto: "Should intermittent vengeance arm again his red right hand to plague us?" In 2014, Pablo Auladell adapted Paradise Lost into a graphic novel published by Pegasus Books. Rafael Nicolás's 2022/3 novel Angels Before Man is a queer retelling of the fall of Lucifer, loosely based on Paradise Lost.
In music The libretto for John Christopher Smith's oratorio Paradise Lost (1760) was by Benjamin Stillingfleet after Milton. Paradise Lost was, apart from straight quotations of biblical texts, the basis on which the libretto for Joseph Haydn's oratorio Die Schöpfung (The Creation, 1798) was built, by, among others, Baron van Swieten. In 1878 the oratorio Le paradis perdu by the composer Théodore Dubois on a libretto by Alfred-Édouard Blau was performed for the first time at the Théatre Lyrique du Châtelet in Paris. In 1895, the English composer Clement Harris composed a symphonic poem titled Paradise Lost based on Milton's poem. In the late 1970s, the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki wrote an opera based on Paradise Lost. The American choral and orchestral composer Eric Whitacre composed an "Electronica Opera" entitled Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings, inspired by this text. A musical adaptation of Paradise Lost was written by Ben Birney and Rob Seitelman and was performed in New York City in March 2006. This sung-through musical augmented the main story of Paradise Lost with the addition of the character 'Sophia' who represented the feminine divine. It explored her relationship to the events of the Milton poem and offered explanation as to her virtual elimination from Canonic text. The British metal band Cradle of Filth was inspired by Paradise Lost and wrote the concept album Damnation and a Day which takes place over the fall and eventual rise of Lucifer. The English gothic metal band Paradise Lost is named after the poem. Norwegian metal band Dimmu Borgir quote Paradise Lost in the song "Architecture of a Genocidal Nature" in their album Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, released in 2001. American progressive metal band Symphony X's seventh album is titled Paradise Lost. It is a musical adaptation of the poem's story, and includes a song also titled "Paradise Lost". The Swedish metal band Morgana Lefay's song "Paradise Lost" from their album The Secret Doctrine is based upon the poem. The Austrian/French gothic band Elend's Officium Tenebrarum trilogy is based upon Paradise Lost. Australian underground progressive metal band Saeturnum wrote their song "Eruption" based around the fall of Lucifer and the temptation of man, heavily inspired by Milton's Paradise Lost. German power metal band Blind Guardian based the song "Control the Divine" from the album At the Edge of Time on the poem. The band Hollywood Undead based a song on the poem, "Paradise Lost", as it is member Johnny 3 Tears's favorite poem/book. Their song "S.C.A.V.A." also appears to be based on the poem. Dr Chair's 2001 album Witter and Beard has a track entitled "Paradise Lost". Lift to Experience's song "When We Shall Touch" consists largely of a reading from "Paradise Lost", at the point where Adam tells Michael he submits to God's will and will leave the Garden of the Eden despite his dismay. Nick Cave's songs "Song of Joy" and "Red Right Hand", mention Paradise Lost and quotes from it. In the aptly named Paradise Lost album by Cirith Ungol, the last three songs (Chaos Rising, Fallen Idols and Paradise Lost) are about the poem. Rap artist Eminem used pictures and transcripts from Paradise Lost in his music video for "Rap God". The opening six songs from Glenn Danzig's classical album Black Aria act as a soundtrack to Paradise Lost. Heavy metal band Carnal Agony based their tracks "Rebel's Lament" and "Rebellion" from the album Preludes & Nocturnes on the poem. "Paradise Lost (You’re the Reason Why)" is a song on the 2002 album Cammell Laird Social Club by the band Half Man Half Biscuit. It is self-quoted in the song "Lord Hereford's Knob" on their 2008 album CSI:Ambleside. 'The Argument' by Grant Hart released in 2013 based on the poem. Paradise Lost serves as inspiration for the lyrical content of David Gilmour's latest solo album, Rattle That Lock (2015). The deluxe edition of the album even comes with a hardback 48-page copy of Book II of the poem. The song "Paradise Lost" by Korean singer Gain is heavily influenced by the epic poem. The music video also depicts the singer as Eve and the Korean version of Eve, Hawwah, as well as the snake. There is a contemporary dance depicting the snake also present in the video. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' music video "Otherside" references Lucifer's fall from the heavens. The 10cc song "The Dean and I" mentions the title in the lyrics. The Style Council song "Come to Milton Keynes" mentions the title in the lyrics. The Marillion song "WaterHole (Expresso Bongo)" mentions the title in the lyrics. The title of "Long Hard Road Out of Hell" (1997) by Marilyn Manson and the Sneaker Pimps is derived from a line of the poem. Paradise Lost is the title of Delta Heavy's debut studio album (2016). The song "Darkness Visible" from the 2018 Mumford & Sons album Delta quotes from the poem. The Used released a song titled "Paradise Lost, a poem by John Milton", a direct reference to the poem. The Swedish metal band Ghost's 2022 song "Kaisarion" references Paradise Lost with, "When a Paradise is Lost go straight to Hell" "Paradise Lost" is the name of the 2022 Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps show, following the poem's story through musical selections and marching visuals. The song "Eve & Paradise Lost" from the 2024 Bastille album "&" directly references the poem in its title and lyrics.
In art UC San Diego's famous "snake path" (part of the Stuart Art Collection) was inspired by Paradise Lost. Leading from the university's library, the path symbolizes the conflict between innocence and knowledge. Graba' made a cycle of 19 jewels "Paradise Lost" in 2007 exhibited in the Harmagedon Gallery in Courtrai, Belgium. A monument to the Fallen Angel inspired by Milton can be seen at the Retiro Park in Madrid. Raqib Shaw’s introspective painting titled Paradise Lost is on exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago.
In film The 1997 film The Devil's Advocate makes references to the poem and its author. For example, the main antagonist, John Milton, is named after the author, and in the finale of the film the main protagonist, Kevin Lomax makes a quotation: "'Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven,' is that it?" The first book of the Philip Pullman's trilogy of novels His Dark Materials has been made into a 2007 film, The Golden Compass. However, most of the Christian symbolism of the books has been stripped, thus the inspiration from Paradise Lost has become less pronounced.