Sample Close Reading PL IV.46-57

Satan talks about his relationship with God in economic terms. This has the effect of turning God into a banker and removing the necessary personal element. He refers to "the debt immense of endless gratitude" (IV. 52), which makes the joy of deserved praise a burden to be endured. Satan understands the logic of his analogy, recognizing that "a grateful mind/by owing owes not but still pays, at once/Indebted and discharged" (IV.55-7). Freely offering thanks renders the debt void. The problem is not with Satan's ability to think clearly; he is absolutely right in his understanding of how his own will caused him to rebel. His error lies in the faulty underlying assumption that God is a cosmic scorekeeper - there is no room for God's grace in Satan's theology of monetary exchange.

NB: The first half of this paragraph is largely paraphrase of Satan's fairly complicated logic. The close reading lies in the analysis of Satan's starting point, not his conclusion, which, on its own terms, is sound.

Sample Close Reading PL III.98-102

In this passage, God stresses the free will of Man and the fallen angels. He claims they were "sufficient to have stood though free to fall" (III.99). "Sufficient" indicates that they had good defense against evil, but being "free" allows them to fall. The all-powerful God sounds defensive here, trying to deflect blame from Himself.  He states, "Freely they stood who stood and fell who fell" (III.102). The parallel construction suggests an equality between the two sides, as if freedom were a genuine choice. The constant repetition of words relating to freedom, though, reaffirms the sense of God's defensiveness, as if His statements about freedom somehow remove His power from the equation.

NB: This is presumably not how Milton or God would read the passage, but close reading looks at what the text actually accomplishes/enables for the reader, not the author or characters in the text.