An Exercise in Close Reading - Paradise Lost - John Milton

And chiefly Thou O Spirit, that dost prefer
Before all Temples th’upright heart and pure,
Instruct me, for Thou know’st; Thou from the first
Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread
Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss
And mad’st it pregnant: What in me is dark
Illumine, what is low raise and support;
That to the highth of this great Argument
I may assert th’Eternal Providence,
And justifie the ways of God to men.
-- John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book One Lines 17-26 --

An exercise in analytical close reading of the text:

And chiefly Thou O Spirit, that dost prefer: 

“And” implies something or someone else. Milton has already mentioned the Shepherd and the Heav’nly Muse. Now he comes to a third entity. “Chiefly” signifies that this particular entity is the most important. “Thou” with a capital T implies a number of things: 1. That the speaker is speaking directly to someone, 2. That the person is someone to whom great respect is owed, but paradoxically 3. Because of the use of “thou” instead of the more formal “you”, this person is also someone with whom the speaker may have an intimate relationship. “O” implies a sense of wonderment. “Spirit” with a capital S and “O” in front of it tells us this is not just any spirit, this is a great Spirit. A description of the Spirit follows. “That” links the Spirit to what follows. “Dost” puts an emphasis on “prefer.” This could have been written “that prefers” instead, but “That dost prefer” makes the statement stronger. “Prefer” means to elevate one choice over another. 

Before all Temples th’upright heart and pure,

“Before” in this case means “even more than.” “All” indicates any or every one of the temples. “Temples” are places of worship, dwelling places for God. It is “the” and not “an” upright heart. We are not talking about just a heart, but the upright one.” “The” defines both “heart” and “pure” making “pure” a noun, not an adjective. To be “Upright” means to stand straight. To “walk upright” in the Christian faith means to be faithful to the truth, to do what is right and just. The “heart” is more than just an organ. The heart alludes to the soul. It was thought that that is where the soul resided. “The upright heart” suggests a person who is faithful to God. “And” joins “th’upright heart” to the “pure.” Both are preferred to temples in the Spirit’s eyes. The “pure” are those without wicked intent. They do not desire to hurt others. 

Instruct me, for Thou know’st; Thou from the first
Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread
Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss
And mad’st it pregnant:

“Instruct” means to show, to teach and to guide. It is in the imperative tense. The speaker wants the Spirit to instruct. “Me” is the object of “instruct.” The speaker is asking the Spirit for direction and inspiration in what he is about to undertake. “For” is a conjunction that indicates “why”. What follows is the reason for the speaker to ask the Spirit to instruct him. “Thou” refers back to the Spirit. “Know’st” appears here without an object. This is very important. The Spirit does not just know things. He knows. Period. He is all-knowing. “Thou” again indicates the Spirit. “From” indicates movement, either through time or space (or both.) “The” specifies “first.” “First” is not used as an adjective here, there is no noun to modify. “The first” indicates “the beginning.” “Wast” is the state of being, second person, singular. In the beginning, the Spirit was. “Present” confirms this. The Spirit was present at the beginning of time. “And” confirms that there is more to this idea. “With” joins the Spirit to what comes next. “Mighty” indicates something all-powerful. The Spirit is all-knowing, all-powerful and has been present from the first. “Wings” are suggestive of birds or angels or some other Spirit. Flight gives a creature greater mobility, which is why spirits are often depicted with wings. They can go anywhere, be anywhere. “Outspread” implies “flight” or protection. “Mighty wings outspread” gives the impression of power and majesty. If we had not already guessed who this Spirit is yet, “Dove-like” confirms it. The dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirt, the third person in the Trinity. “Satst” involves occupying a space, usually on some kind of seat. “brooding” has two meanings. It means either to mope, or, as in the case of a chicken, to incubate. “Mighty wings outspread”, the Spirit sat, like a hen sitting on her eggs, incubating them, growing creation inside. “On” indicates where the Spirit was in relation to “the vast Abyss.” “The” specifies “vast Abyss.” If the Abyss is “vast” then how much vaster is the Spirit “brooding” on it? The “Abyss” alludes to chaos, the “Tohu-Bohu” that was in the beginning. God spreads his mighty wings over this Abyss, and out of the chaos, He broods life. Creation is putting order into disorder. “And” indicates there is more to this idea. The speaker is still speaking directly to the Spirit, when he says “Thou.” Thou “madst” is a commendation. He gives praise to the Spirit for what he has made happen. “It” refers back to the “Abyss.” “Pregnant” entails new life. God broods over the Abyss, creates order and makes it capable of giving life. “Pregnant” also implies “full of meaning.” This new life, this new creation is full of meaning. 

What in me is dark
Illumine, what is low raise and support;

 “What” in this context means “that” or “whatever.” “In” indicates the relationship of “what” to “me.” “Me” refers to the speaker. “Is” designates existence. “Dark” in Christianity symbolises being lost, unable to see clearly, unable to walk “upright” without stumbling or bumping into things. A state of darkness is a state of deceit and sin. It can also mean lack of clarity or knowledge. “Illumine” is imperative. The Speaker is asking the Spirit to shed light on anything that might be unclear. “What” is defined by “low”. “Is” indicates a state of being. “Low” alludes to something or someone that is inferior. It implies either humility or inferiority. “Low” places itself in relation to “high.” The speaker asks the Spirit to “raise” what is low. God’s plan for humanity is exactly this. To raise us to equality with Him. Despite our weaknesses God can work through us for a higher purpose. “And” indicates more to this idea. The speaker also asks the Spirit to “support” him. 

That to the highth of this great Argument
I may assert th’Eternal Providence,
And justifie the ways of God to men.

“That” begins the description of the desired outcome. “To” implies a forward movement. “The” specifies “highth.” “Of” links “highth” to “argument.” “This” indicates a specific argument out of many other possible ones. “Great” implies something that is wonderful, powerful and expansive. This is no small undertaking, which is why the speakers requests the aid of the Holy Spirit to complete it. “Argument” indicates reasoning. The speaker intends to back up his point of view in such a way as to achieve the “highth of this great argument.” In other words, to convince his audience as much as possible of its validity. He intends to go through every possible counterargument and refute it. “I” refers back to the speaker. “May” is conditional, it indicates something he hopes to do, but has not done yet. To “assert” is to confirm without a doubt. “The” specifies “Eternal Providence.” We are not talking about just any “providence.” “Eternal” appears with a capital E, showing that we are again talking of God. Only God is “eternal.” “Providence” implies that God is a source of eternal bounty and goodness. “And” joins two parts of the same idea. To “Justifie” is to validate. The speaker wishes to validate, uphold, defend and explain “the ways of God” to those who might not understand them. There is a reason why God does things, and the speaker hopes (with the help of the Holy Spirit) to clarify the reasons. “The” specifies “ways of God.” The “ways” of God are His actions, his decisions, his ultimate design. “Of” links “ways” to “God.” “God” is the all-powerful, all-knowing, Eternal, good Creator. “To” indicates movement. “Men” are the recipient of the justification of the ways of God. “Men” refers to all humanity here. The Speaker wishes to defend God’s ways and affirm his greatness to all humanity. Period. 

Argument that can be made from the analysis:

Milton’s speaker exhorts the Holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, eternal Spirit, creator of all, to instruct him and guide him in his purpose. He seeks the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help him present and then refute through clear reasoning any possible doubt, contradiction, or counterargument against the justification of God’s ways and to reaffirm God’s greatness to all.