Main Scenes and Main Themes (Poems, Hamlet, Paradise Lost, and Moby Dick)
"Nor less I deem that there are powers / Which of themselves our minds impress, / That we can feed this mind of ours / In a wise passiveness."
"Expostulation and Reply" - William Wordsworth
"Where are your books? that light bequeath'd / To beings else forlorn and blind! / Up! Up! and drink the spirit breath'd / From dead men to their kind."
"Expostulation and Reply" - William Wordsworth
"Expostulation and Reply"
Is by William Wordsworth. In the poem, Matthew, William's friend, asks him why he sits alone, dreaming away. Matthew thinks that William should be learning and reading books instead of this thoughtfulness. William responds by explaining that truth is more than books, and instead we should have a "wise passiveness", or a virtue of receptivity to the world around us.
"The Tables Turned: An Evening Scene, on the Same Subject"
Is by William Wordsworth. It is a continuation of "Expostulation and Reply", except here William is questioning Matthew. He reiterates much of the same themes such as being receptive to the world and learning from it. He goes farther, though, introducing nature as the teacher of things like morality. He also critiques reducing things to their specific parts, wanting to take everything in as a whole.
Michael's warning
This comes at the end of PL, in books 11 and 12. It is important because unlike Raphael's visit, Michael is given divine inspiration. Ironically, Adam is allowed to know perhaps more than he wanted. But this is something he needed to see for the sake of endurance. It also highlights the new state of the world: broken.
"Why, William, on that old grey stone, / Thus for the length of half a day, / Why, William, sit you thus alone, / And dream your time away?"
"Expostulation and Reply" - William Wordsworth
"Batter my hear, three-personed God; for you / As yet but knock, breath, shine, and seek to mend;"
"Holy Sonnet 14" - John Donne
"Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, / Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me."
"Holy Sonnet 14" - John Donne
"Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend, / But is captives, and proves weak or untrue."
"Holy Sonnet 14" - John Donne
"I heard a fly buzz when I died; / The stillness round my form / Was like the stillness in the air / between the heaves of storm."
"I heard a fly buzz when I died" - Emily Dickinson
"The eyes beside had wrung them dry, / And breaths were gathering there sure / For that last onset, when the king / Be witnessed in his power."
"I heard a fly buzz when I died" - Emily Dickinson
"With blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz, / between the light and me; / And then the windows failed, and then / I could not see."
"I heard a fly buzz when I died" - Emily Dickinson
"My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains / My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,"
"Ode to a Nightingale" - John Keats
"Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird! / No hungry generations tread thee down; / The voice I hear this passing night was heard / In ancient days by emperor and clown:"
"Ode to a Nightingale" - John Keats
Away! away! for I will fly to thee, / Not charioted by Bacchus and his parts, / But on the viewless wings of Poesy,"
"Ode to a Nightingale" - John Keats
"Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; / My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy."
"On My First Son" - Ben Jonson
"For whose sake henceforth all his vows be such, / As what he loves may never like too much."
"On My First Son" - Ben Jonson
"To have so soon 'scared world's and flesh's rage, / and if no other misery, yet age?"
"On My First Son" - Ben Jonson
"I met a traveller from an antique land, / Who said-- 'Two vast and trunkless legs of stone"
"Ozymandias" - Percy Shelley
"Nothing beside remains. Round the decay / Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away."
"Ozymandias" - Percy Shelley
"Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, / The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;"
"Ozymandias" - Percy Shelley
"A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands; / How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he."
"Song of Myself" - Walt Whitman
"I celebrate myself, and sing myself, / And what I assume you shall assume, / For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you."
"Song of Myself" - Walt Whitman
"Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems, / You shall possess the good of the earth and sun,"
"Song of Myself" - Walt Whitman
"In me thou see'st the twilight of such day, / ... / Death's second self, that seals up all in rest."
"Sonnet 73" - William Shakespeare
"That time of year thou may'st in me behold / When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang"
"Sonnet 73" - William Shakespeare
"This thou perceives, which makes thy love more strong, / To love that well which thou must leave ere long."
"Sonnet 73" - William Shakespeare
"A cold coming we had of it, / just the worst time of the year / For a journey, and such a long journey:"
"The Journey of the Magi" - T.S. Elliot
"And I would do it again, but set down / This set down / This: were we led all that way for / Birth or Death? There was a birth, certainly"
"The Journey of the Magi" - T.S. Elliot
"Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, / Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, / And feet kicking the empty wine-skins."
"The Journey of the Magi" - T.S. Elliot
"Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife: / Come, hear the woodland linnet, / How sweet his music! on my life, / There's more of wisdom in it."
"The Tables Turned: An Evening Scene, on the Same Subject" - William Wordsworth
"Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect / Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things: -- / We murder to dissect."
"The Tables Turned: An Evening Scene, on the Same Subject" - William Wordsworth
"Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books; / Or surely you'll grow double: / Up! up! my Friend, and clear looks; / Why all this toil and trouble?"
"The Tables Turned: An Evening Scene, on the Same Subject" - William Wordsworth (Well, well, well, how the turntables...")
Adam and Eve post Fall
After their sin, the soul of man has been thrown out of its rightful state. In the fallen soul, passion is holding will and reason hostage (this is evidenced by Adam and Eve's turning to lust).
"Cursed be that mortal inter-indebtedness...dissolve myself down to one small, compendious vertebra."
Ch. 108. Ahab's motto in life. Theme of inter-indebtedness and Ahab's hatred of it. Desires to become compact, self-sufficient unit, but ironically that cannot survive on its own.
"There is that in thee...which I feel too curing to my malady. Like cures like; and for this hunt my malady becomes my most desired health."
Ch. 129 The Cabin. Ahab to Pip, in whom he finds much similarity while still acknowledging his distinct personhood. Recognizes he is sick, but refuses healing to pursue vengeance.
The Grand Armada
Ch. 87. Into the whale nursery, "behind the pasteboard mask". Thematic significance: matrimonial and familial aspects missing explicitly from crew's lives yet descriptive of their highly interdependent relationships with each other.
"From the first corse till he died that day"
Claudius attempts to dampen Hamlet's sorrow with reason, calling it unintelligent and impious. The "first corse" was Able, which is ironic, as Claudius killed his own brother. It shows his lack of intelligence and his own self-condemnation
"O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven; / It hath the primal eldest curse upon't, / A brother;s murderer."
Claudius soliloquy after the play. He recalls that this murder was a sin, for sure. However, he is unable to repent, because he does not want to give up what he has gained (kingship and Gertrude). Just like Hamlet, he wants to control his life. He too wants to be the God of his own life. His reason tells him he's wrong, but his passion is too strong.
"Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature / That we with wisest sorrow think on him"
Claudius's opening monologue. He indicates that he is trying to move everyone past his brother's death, pointing to his marriage as a means of joy. Here he claims that his nature wants to grieve, but he must move past. The is ironic, as his nature (passions) caused him to kill, even though his reason told him otherwise.
Hamlet opening scene
Francisco and Bernardo run into each other on the wall. The phrase "Who's there" indicates that this is a story of uncertainty. Hamlet is uncertain of his identity, and the identity of those around him. It is a question of the relationship between appearance and reality. Hamlet then, is driven by his passion to know. When he figures it out, he does all he can to get revenge.
"My fate cries out / And makes each petty artery in this body"
Hamlet is about to go speak to the ghost, but he is already interpreting its meaning, believing himself to really have no choice (will) but to after the ghost. In a way, the supernatural controls his actions, or at the very leasts commands him. After he speaks to the ghost, he exclaims "Oh, my prophetic soul", which indicates he may have wanted all this to be true, indicating it was actually passion controlling everything.
"Come, come, and sit you down. You shall not budge. You go not till I set you up in a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you!"
Hamlet is confronting his mother abut her adulterous sin. She interprets this as a murderous threat, and Hamlet then kills polonius. It is important, because again, Hamlet wants some sort of control, this time control over his mother's actions. He seems to want control, but still views it as though it is God's will, claiming that God wanted polonius to die.
"Give him heedful note, / For I mine eyes will rivet to his face, / And after we will both our judgements join / In censure of his seeming."
Hamlet is discussing his mousetrap plan with Horatio, and after the actors play out a scene similar to how the ghost said he was killed, he expects to see Claudius's response. Ironically, he's too busy making crass remarks to Ophelia and commenting on the play that he misses Claudius's reaction. He doesn't pay enough attention to know if the ghost is trustworthy, but rather assumes he is right, proving that it is his passion driving him at the moment.
"Heaven make thee free of it! I follow thee. / I am dead, Horatio. Wretched Queen, adieu!"
Hamlet is dying, after Laertes dies. He refuses to admit his own imperfection. Once again, this is a critique of the prideful ways of Hamlet and the other "elite" in this story.
"Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners"
Hamlet tries to disuade Ophelia pursue any kind of relationship, as he details the depravity of men. It is interesting as he has a rich sense of depravity without a strong sense of God. To make it even more confusing, he seems to do this out of love, trying to save Ophelia from future pain. here, it seems his will and reason are controlling him rather than his passion.
"That I, the son of a dear father murdered, / Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, / Must, like a wh*re, unpack my heart with words"
Hamlet's 2nd soliloquy. He wants to act, and even fells compelled to act, but he reasons that he doesn't have enough grounds to act, so he must know the truth for certain.
"To take him in the purging of his soul, / When he is fit and seasoned for passage? / No."
Hamlet's response to Claudius speech. He sees an opportunity to kill him, but elects not to, because he thinks that Claudius will go to heaven if he kills him now. This highlights how Hamlet wants to have a godlike control, even to determine the fate of someone's soul.
"To be, or not to be: that is the question:"
Hamlet's third soliloquy. He again ponders the possibility of suicide. Yet, he retains an ambiguous stance, due to his own lack of knowledge. He doesn't know what comes after death. He also questions wether his quest is natural (passion driven) or supernatural (fate). If it is natural, he thinks there must be something better on which to pursue. Additionally, the fear of death "puzzles the will", which is important because the will leads to action. It indicates that more than anything, this is more about Hamlet and God than anything. God has given a law (don't commit suicide), but Hamlet wants to resist and control his own destiny (thus he pursues revenge).
"And there might assume some other horrible form, / Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason"
Horatio is trying to dissuade Hamlet from going after the ghost. This essentially foreshadows what happens to Hamlet, as he becomes so obsessed with what the ghost tells him, that he cedes his reason and will over to his passion for revenge.
"On My First Son"
Is by Ben Jonson. In the poem, Jonson describes the pain of losing his son, and his mistake of caring too much about the material world. It is the cry of a grieving parent who realizes he did not truly love his boy, for if he did, he would be content knowing that his son was in a better place.
"I heard a fly buzz when I died"
Is by Emily Dickinson. In the poem, she describes her death scene, as she is distracted by a fly right before she passes on. The fly represents things that are small, short-lived, and insignificant, yet still capture our attention, even in the most important moments.
"Holy Sonnet 14"
Is by John Donne. In the poem he uses two metaphors: siege and marriage. For the siege metaphor, he asks God to take him over, for he is trapped by his own pride. In the marriage metaphor, he claims to be betrothed to God's enemy, and needs to be divorced from it. It is a poem mainly about pride and humility. In his own eyes, he is great, but he needs to be defeated to actually become better.
"Ode to a Nightingale"
Is by John Keats. In the poem, Keats elaborates on the song of the nightingale (a bird often associated with poetry). He explains how the nightingale allows him to escape the dullness and pain of the world, and have access to the world where he truly belongs. It is an extended metaphor for poetry.
"Ozymandius"
Is by Percy Shelley. In the poem, the narrator describes his encounter with a traveller, who recounts his crossing the wrecked statue of Ozymandias. The statue depicts Ozymandias, who flaunted his power, but the statue is now in ruin. There are several themes running here. The main one is the insignificance of human achievement.
"The Journey of the Magi"
Is by T.S. Elliot. In the poem, he recounts the journey of the magi, as the title suggests, which paraphrases a sermon by Lancelot Andrews. The poem is essentially a metaphor for the Christian life. They travel for a birth, but realize that birth and death are the same. They have death to themselves, but birth into a new life with Christ.
"Song of Myself"
Is by Walt Whitman. In the poem, he muses about himself and his experiences. He seems to conclude that in everything (including himself), there is something that connects everything together. He especially focuses on the beauty of nature, and the universality and almost divine qualities it possesses.
"Sonnet 73"
Is by William Shakespeare. In the poem he compares himself to three fading things: the fall (fading summer), the evening (fading day), and embers (fading fire). As a result of this love, he says, his lover loves him all the much more, as he will not be there forever.
"The inward service of the mind and soul / Grows wide withal. Perhaps he loves you now,"
Laertes is speaking to Ophelia, warning her of Hamlet. While he may seem to love her, the passions of youth are often deceptive and short-lived (controlling the will and reason). He claims that she must fear the passions of youth. This scene is rather ironic, as it is discovered that Laertes is a hypocrite, which emphasizes the appearance/reality divide.
The depiction of Adam and Eve in PL
Milton has an extremely patriarchal view of the sexes, where there is clear inferiority on the part of the woman. This undesirable view is connected to Milton's flawed view of the Trinity, where the Son is less than the Father. however, he stills tries to relate man (natural) to the God (supernatural), claiming marriage is an analogy for the relationship between the Father and Jesus.
"but I came here to hunt whales, not my commander's vengeance. How many barrels will thy vengeance yield thee even if thou gettest it..."
Moby Dick Ch. 36 The Quarter-Deck. First Mate Starbuck resists Captain Ahab's perversion of his role and the Pequod's business for the pursuit of his own mad ambition, which is worth nothing to anyone but Ahab yet costs all involved.
"Nor, in some things, does the common, hereditary experience of all mankind fail to bear witness to the supernaturalism of this hue."
Moby Dick Ch. 42 The Whiteness of the Whale. This entire chapter has no redeeming significance to the novel, but it makes for an interesting paper. Actually, it is an example of a tendency demonstrated by early Ishmael and, to the last, Ahab, in which they project spiritual significance onto the material qualities of the whale. For Ahab and those following his ritualistic pursuit of Moby Dick, this is a dangerous method of increasing their fervor.
"Nay, keep it thyself...thou art soon going that way."
Moby Dick Ch. 71 The Jeroboam's Story. Gabriel, a madman who claimed to be the archangel once out to sea on the Jeroboam whaling ship. He refers to a letter for the first mate who died while hunting Moby Dick, against Gabriel's warnings. Gabriel believes obsessed Ahab to be hurling toward the same fate. The scene highlights an ironic contrast: Ahab persists in reading spiritual intelligence into Moby Dick's "reaping" of his leg, yet refuses to heed any warning from this charged event.
"This...is that other lesson; and woe to that pilot of the living God who slights. Woe to him...who would not be true, even though to be false were salvation!"
Moby Dick Ch. 9 The Sermon. Father Mapple preaches about the story of Jonah, "a lesson...of sin, hard-heartedness, suddenly, awakened fears, the swift punishment, repentance, prayers, and finally deliverance and joy..." The sermon begins the novel's theme of irrational defiance of God, and the misuse of leadership and subsequent danger to those under charge.
"Young men will do't if they come to't, / By Cock, they are to blame. / Quothe she, 'Before you tumbled me, / You Promised me to wed'."
One of Ophelia's songs in her last moments. These songs highlight the rotten state of Denmark. For Ophelia, specifically, there is little love. Hamlet has rejected her after seeming interested, her brother gives hypocritical advice, and she's used by her father and the king to learn about Hamlet. All of the major players are constantly trying to use the people around them of lower status to fulfill their purposes. Their proud egoism (and desire for control) ends up destroying everyone else.
"Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit / Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste / brought death into the world,"
These are the opening lines of Paradise Lost. This section is important because it details the reason why Milton would engage in such a lofty task. He essentially claims to attempt to use standard epic style, as in Homer or Dante, yet wants to surpass them in terms of greatness. Additionally, he seeks to assert eternal providence and justify the ways of God to man.
"How all occasions do inform against me / Ans spur my dull revenge! what is a man, If his chief god and market of his time / Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more."
This is Hamlet's 5th Soliloquy, right after he meets Fortinbras' captain. This is a very important scene thematically for Hamlet. Nothing is clear for him, as he claims. He claims to be "three parts coward" because the (traditional) three parts of his soul (will, reason, and passion) are in disarray. He wants to act (passion--the beast), believes this is the defining action of his life (reason), and it seems everything is driving towards this goal (fate), yet he does not act, making him a coward.
"O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew"
This is Hamlet's first soliloquy, where we see his main struggle. He wishes to die, but not by his own hand, wanting to escape responsibility. We see a struggle between him and God, who has laid down decrees against suicide. ultimately, Hamlet wants to control his own destiny.
"Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia, / And therefore I forbid my tears;"
This is Laertes response to learning of Ophelia's death. It is true a sadistic joke on his part, but it highlights the egoism of the characters, and thus pride's destructive tendencies. Also not the "competition" Hamlet has with Laertes about who grieves for Ophelia more. This again highlights the toxic nature of this method of using people for personal gain.
"Natives and sons of Heav'n possessed before / by none, and if not equal all, yet free, / Equally free; for orders and degrees / Jar not with liberty, but well consist."
This is Satan's rally for angels to join him in book 5 of PL. He claims to be equal with God (a further enunciation of the dangers of pride). He uses rebel language, in order to depict God as an unjust ruler. Milton is using this depiction to highlight the human condition of depravity and rebellion against God.
"Now, Queequeg is my fellow man. And what do I wish that this Queequeg would do for me? Why, unite with me in my particular Presbyterian form of worship. Consequently, I must unite with him in his; ergo, I must turn idolator."
This is from MD, when Ishmael decides worship with Queequeg. This is important because it is an ironic turnover of the Golden Rule, where in seeming to be pious, Ishmael is actually quite the opposite. [this is obviously proof that the entirety of MD is an argument against God] However, here Ishmael is trying to find commonality in his fellow man. This is indicative of Melville's unitarian tendencies and an obvious theme throughout this work, which is the universality of man.
"Call me Ishmael." (The opening chapter of Moby Dick)
This is from Moby Dick (amazing, I know). The opening chapter is important for the whole of Moby Dick as it sets the tone, and leaves with many questions to be answered. It hints at many of the main themes. First being ambiguity (or unfathomability) with the recounting of Narcissus. It also highlights the symbolic nature of everything and asks the question: what is true freedom; can man actually have control?
"Innumerable force of spirits armed / That durst dislike his reign, and me preferring, / His utmost power with adverse power opposed / In dubious battle on the plains of Heav'n, / And shook his throne. What though the field be lost? / All is not lost; the unconquerable will, / And study of revenge, immortal hate, / And courage never to submit or yield;"
This is from Satan's opening monologue. He is very rhetorically precise, spinning the story in his favor. He presents the war as an actual contest, when in reality it was a one-sided affair in favor of God. When he claims he "shook his throne", he makes it seem like God is afraid of him. Additionally, in the bottom half, his reference to the will is important, because for Satan, and Milton, the will is the source of opposition. It is an unconquerable thing.
"Me though just right, and the fixed laws of Heav'n / Did first create your leader, next, free choice, / with what besides, in counsel or in fight, / Hath been achieved of merit, yet this loss / Thus far at least recovered, hath much more / Established in a safe unenvied throne / Yielded with full consent."
This is from Satan's opening speech at the beginning of book 2. They re trying to figure out what to do next. He gives this list of things which seem to make it inevitable that he would be the leader of the fallen angels. It being "just" and the "fixed laws of heaven" are external, which shows he appeals to reality when its convenient. "free choice" and "consent" are of the demons rather than himself. this all suggests the he may be worried about his authority, and that he desires for a godlike control.
"O Sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams / That bring to my remembrance for what state / I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere; / Till pride and worse ambition threw me down"
This is from Satan's soliloquy in Book 4 of paradise lost. Satan has just come from hell to earth, in order to ruin God's creation. In this speech, Satan wrestles with his own predicament. He actually sees the justice in God's position and admits he didn't have to rebel, and even considers repentance. He decides not to, though, as he reasons that rebellion was inevitable, and that equality is the problem. This once again highlights the importance of control.
"The mind is its own place, and in itself / Can make a Heav'n of hell, a hell of Heav'n."
This is from book 1 of paradise lost, in the opening interaction between Satan and Beelzebub. This line is an indication of the strength of the will in Milton's universe. Though Satan and his followers are faced with a difficult challenge and situation, Satan thinks they can turn it around with the force of will. The mind (will) can make heaven a hell and vice versa.
"O Heav'n! In evil strait this day I stand / Before my Judge, either to undergo / Myself the total crime, or to accuse / My other self, the partner of my life;"
This is from book 10 of PL, where Adam "confesses" for the first time. Except his confession is merely a shifting of blame from both, to just Eve. He tries to pin himself as the victim and even blames God. Once again, this is a depiction of the human condition in relation to God: open defiance in spite of knowing the truth.
"He will instruct us praying, and of grace / Beseeching him, so as we need not fear / To pass commodiously this life, sustained / By him with many comforts, till we end."
This is from book 10 of PL, where Adam and Eve decide to repent. Here, the order of the soul is restored, and they are no longer controlled by their passion, as they reason their way to repentance, and then actually do it (will).
"So farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear, / Farewell remorse: all good to me is lost; / Evil be thou my good;"
This is from book 4 of PL, in Satan's soliloquy. This part highlights his decision (will) to turn away from God. He decides to not have hope, and consciously rebels. This is a metaphor for man's own sinful state.
"All things proceed, and up to him return, / If not depraved from good, created all, / Such to perfection, one first matter all, / endued with various forms, various degrees of substance"
This is from book 5 of PL, where Raphael explains the nature of the world to Adam. This is essentially the Great Chain of Being, where everything has some element of good in it, in varying degrees, but at the top is God, distinct in that He is purely good.
"such commission from above / I have received, to answer thy desire / Of knowledge within bounds; beyond abstain / To ask, nor let thine own inventions hope / Things not revealed, which th'invisible King, / Only omniscient, hath surpassed in night,"
This is from book 7 of PL, where Raphael is about to recount the creation story to Adam. He warns him not to ask of the things of God, for there are things in which man is not supposed to know. This is important because this is the very reason Adam and Eve take the fruit, as their desire to know overcame their reason, and caused them to sin.
"Her own, that what she wills to do or say, / Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best; / All higher knowledge in her presence falls"
This is from book 8 of PL, where Adam recounts his story to Raphael. Here, he describes how his will and reason are molded by Eve. His passion and desire for her seemed to overrule the other two. This is significant, because it is his passion which lets Eve work alone, and consequently be tempted by Satan. In a sense, he is describing the danger of passion.
"Great are thy virtues, doubtless, best of fruits, / Though kept from man, and worthy to be admired, / Whose taste, too long forborne, at first assay / Gave elocution to the mute,"
This is from book 9 of PL, when Eve gives into the temptation of the fruit. This is pivotal (obviously), as we see the reason she first eats. It is her desire to know which ultimately causes her to fall. Additionally, it is a desire for control which also leads her to fall. Satan uses language of political freedom to tempt her as well.
"But past who can recall, or done undo? / Not God omnipotent, nor Fate, yet so / Perhaps thou shalt not die, perhaps the fact Is not so heinous now"
This is from book 9 of PL, where Adam has just learned of Eve's sin, and decides wether or not to eat of the fruit. Here, Adam makes assumptions about God, in relation to his justice. This plays well into Raphael's warning where he tells Adam to not try to understand the things of God. Adam, however, has fallen to pride and claims to know these things.
"They therefore as to right belonged, / So were created, nor can justly accuse / Their Maker, or their making, or their fate, / As if predestination overruled / Their will, disposed by absolute decree / Or high foreknowledge, they themselves decreed / Their own revolt, not I:"
This is in the opening representation of The Father and The Son in book 3. Here we see the relation between man and God (natural and supernatural). While God has predestined the events of the world (with foreknowledge), it is ultimately man's choice to rebel and sin. Milton's Father is very concerned with justice, as we (and Satan) want to be in control of our own justice. He wants us to see our own fallenness in this aspect.
"There's another. Why may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddities now? now, his qualities, his cases, his tenures, and his tricks?"
This is part of Hamlet's interaction with the gravedigger. Hamlet (the elite) ends up thinking like a materialist, thinking of death in terms of solely the world. The gravedigger (the poor wretch) can pun and make jokes of death, as he sees it in a different light. He takes the afterlife and the supernatural seriously, believing in the soul, a sort of foil for Hamlet (and everyone else). Rather than try and control his life and prevent death, the gravedigger accepts his eventual fate, but embraces the notion of the afterlife and looks forward to it.