"The Temptation and Fall of Eve" illustrated by William Blake for an 1808 edition of Milton's for "Paradise Lost". Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (December 9, 1608 - November 8, 1674). The poem concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to "justify the ways of God to men". William Blake (November 28, 1757 - August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His so-called prophetic works have been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry leads a 21st century critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced".