Originally Posted by
JCamilo
I didnt intend to imply there is no action in Paradise Lost, only how it is read, how the presence of Lucifer and his development is the great "postcard" for Paradise Lost. Sure, there is action, like most epics, but it is a bit like Shakespeare. We care for the characters, but there is fights... Or Moby Dick... There is a lot of action there, but we want Ahab. While Achilles and Ulysses are interesting, they really work more like comic book characters or King Artur, their dynamic is the dynamic of an action hero, Lucifer dynamic is different (of course, I know Jesus was supposed to be there hero, but such is life).
I wouldnt say the Comedy is an epic, it is something quite different. You mention Lucretius, I think of Ovid. Of course, despite Virgil being the guide, Ovid is everywhere because he was the wikipedia of classical mythology, but also, Ovid capacity to entangle histories... Dante is a bit like this, more an Altman or Tarantino than a Spielberg or Leone. No action except walking like a hobbit.