The Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The different views of "Paradise Lost" and Good Omens

In the description of the Apocalypse there are four horsemen that begin the End of the World. The four horsemen are Plague, Death, War, and Famine; a similar theme throughout all stories of the Second Coming. These horsemen have taken on both a metaphorical as well as a literal meaning in their abilities to usher in the Apocalypse. However there are many different ways to see view the coming of the Horsemen and then end of the world as we know it. 

First, I found an artist's depiction of the four horsemen through the database ARTstor. This depiction was created in the year 1527, one of the closest I could find to the time in which Milton wrote the poem, "Paradise Lost", by the artist Erhard Schoen. To see this painting go to: http://vpn.uconn.edu/library/ ,DanaInfo=library.artstor.org+welcome.html#3|search| 1 | 22|the20four20horsemen20of20th20apocalyse22 |Multiple20Collection20Search| | | type 3D3126kw3D22the20four20horsemen20of20the20apocalypse2226id3Dall26name3D  then select the depiction called "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" by Erhard Schoen (1527). In this depiction there are the four horsemen riding through complete with weapons as they triumphantly trample over humanity. The horsemen seem to be bringing the wrath of misery with them like an ocean that is overtaking the world around them. This storm of misery is one that seems to be fueled by the creature of hell that we see in the lower left hand corner. This shows the unnatural and evil connotations of the Apocalypse during the sixteenth century. This depiction of the Groomsmen and the Apocalypse has a serious tone; one that is specific to the time in which it was created an the beliefs of the people at that time.

Throughout the time that I was looking for an depiction of the literal meaning of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse I happened to find many satyrical depictions of the men. At first I brushed them off but then I realized that there may be a greater symbolism to these  cartoons than I initially allotted them. I eventually came upon one that showed the horsemen on these small and rather dinky horses with less than mediocre weapons and no menacing presence as seen in the first depiction. In this cartoon, one horseman is making a joke to another one of his fellow horsemen and there is an overall feeling to this cartoon that does not invoke fear as the first one did. To see this image go to: http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/ dba0024l.jpg  

 It seemed to me that the first depiction was more like Paradise Lost. It was serious and had an adherence to the traditional biblical story of the Apocalypse. This is in contrast to the cartoon that mocked the end of the world. This depiction poked fun at the concepts of the four horsemen, their forceful natures, and the overall concept of the end of the world. This seemed to parallel the book Good Omens. This book uses humor to put a twist on a traditional story in a satirical manner. It is interesting to see how the  different time periods viewed the same story from the bible. The painting and the cartoon I believe help to further show the contrast between "Paradise Lost" and Good Omens through further outlining the difference in tone.