# Epigraph explained — The Last Man

> Chapter companion for The Last Man by Mary Shelley.

## What happens

The epigraph quotes Milton, warning against seeking knowledge of the future, setting a tone of foreboding and the futility of prophecy.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fate and Free Will

The epigraph cautions against trying to know one's fate, highlighting the tension between human curiosity and the unknowable future.

## Key lines

> Let no man seek Henceforth to be foretold what shall befall Him or his children.

From now on, no one should try to learn in advance what will happen to themselves or their descendants.

_This Milton quote introduces the novel's theme of the dangers of seeking prophetic knowledge._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_last_man_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters