What is the name of John Milton's heavenly muse?

Correct option is C

In Paradise Lost, John Milton's heavenly muse is named Urania.

She is the muse of astronomy and divine inspiration, representing a source of higher knowledge and wisdom.

Milton invokes Urania to help guide him in the creation of his epic, Paradise Lost, seeking her inspiration to tell the story of mankind's fall from grace.

Urania’s association with the heavens and divine knowledge makes her the ideal muse for Milton’s epic theological and cosmic narrative.

Information Booster:

John Milton (1608–1674) was an English poet, best known for his epic Paradise Lost (1667), which explores the biblical story of the fall of man and the consequences of Satan’s rebellion.

Milton’s invocation of the muse Urania in Paradise Lost symbolizes the connection between divine inspiration and the grand, cosmic scope of the poem’s themes.

Urania, as the muse of astronomy, represents Milton’s desire to explore the vastness of the universe and the profound theological and philosophical questions related to mankind’s existence and fall.

Urania in Paradise Lost:

In Paradise Lost, Milton calls upon Urania, the heavenly muse, to aid him in telling the story of creation, the rebellion of Satan, and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden.

Urania's role is to inspire Milton with wisdom and guide him to create an epic that engages with questions about God, fate, free will, and divine justice.

She helps him move beyond earthly concerns, giving him the divine inspiration to recount the cosmic battle between good and evil.

Additional Knowledge:

Gloriana: Gloriana is not the muse in Paradise Lost. The name Gloriana is associated with Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, where she is a queen and a symbol of virtue, not a muse for Milton’s epic.

Umbriel: Umbriel is a character in Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock, and not a muse in Paradise Lost. In Pope’s work, Umbriel is a mischievous sprite who plays a role in the fantastical and satirical elements of the poem.

Raphael: Raphael is an archangel in Paradise Lost, not a muse. He plays an important role in the narrative, delivering knowledge and wisdom to Adam and Eve, but he is not the muse invoked by Milton for divine inspiration.