John Milton 's Paradise Lost

Milton was, by no means, a feminist, and was of quite a conventional outlook when it came to gender roles as is apparent in the fourth book of Paradise Lost, which has inevitably been scrutinized over and over again under the modern gendered eye. “Paradise Lost,” says Shannon Miller, “is Milton’s most sustained attempt to represent in poetry, gander roles, relations and hierarchy.”It is evident, she points out, in the course of his introduction of Adam and Eve in book IV, the stories of creation they relate there and in book VIII, and finally in the way Milton presents the consequences of the Fall. The reader observes the process by which gender is created as a cultural category.

The portrayal of women in Milton’s Paradise Lost is very different from the other works. While women are often seen as being deceitful, devious, and smart, the depiction of Eve is different as she is seen as being dumber and more inferior to Adam in all areas besides beauty. This portrayal of Eve assisted in the progression of Paradise Lost as Eve ate the forbidden apple after being persuaded by Satan to eat the apple. While the incident caused Adam to also disobey God, it created a bond between Adam and Eve that was greater than before the incident when they were considered pure. The bond between Adam and Eve that is improved through the learning of new emotions, trying new things, and the

“To indict Milton on a charge of unabashed misogyny is not an easy task. We nevertheless intend to assemble evidence for such an accusation”(Erickson 155). This theme of “unabashed misogyny” in Paradise Lost has had widespread resonance for many Miltonic scholars. Sandra Erickson asserts that “for the source of Adam’s power and supremacy is his intellectual capacity, which is the basis for his moral superiority and freedom”(162). This statement seems reasonable, since Raphael tells Adam: “Of these skills, the more thou know’st,/ The more she will acknowledge thee her head” (PL 8.573-74). As a consequence, Erickson asserts that Eve shouldn’t be ashamed of her transgression resulting from this discrepancy over knowledge. However, I believe that Erickson’s

Man above woman, or woman above man? For the entirety of human civilization, this question of gender hierarchy has been divisive issue. Regardless, Milton does not hesitate to join the heat of the battle, and project his thoughts to the world. Since the publication of Paradise Lost, many of Milton’s readers have detected in his illustration of the prelapsarian couple, particularly of Adam, a powerful patriarchal sentiment: “he for God only, and she for God in him” (Milton, IV.299). In essence, this idea declares that Adam and Eve possess unequal roles – Adam is better than Eve, as men are better than women, in accordance to the deeply conventional reading of the relations between the sexes. Eve’s purpose for Adam makes her less

“...spirits bright/[...] whom my thoughts pursue/With wonder and could love…” (Milton 4.361-363). This is but one example of Satan’s sympathy toward humanity in Paradise Lost, John’s Milton’s epic poem that details Satan’s involvement in tempting Adam and Eve to rebel against God, and thus be punished with expulsion from the Garden of Eden. In both Christian and Jewish doctrines, Satan is often painted as a malevolent, treacherous being. Further, many readers often view Satan’s decision to tempt Adam and Eve in Paradise Lost as one that comes from a place of cruelty rather than concern. In this essay, I posit, however, that Milton’s Satan, can be read as a sympathetic figure who considers the best interests of humanity.

John Milton, in his epic poem Paradise Lost, reminds the reader of the inequalities presented between that of two of God’s most precious creations, Adam and Eve. Throughout this poem Eve is written as an equal partner for Adam, however, there are many instances throughout this story that dictates otherwise. Described more thoroughly throughout this paper will be looming topics that capture the events of Eve’s depiction of her nightmare, Adam’s overbearing masculinity, as well as the depiction that her presence alone leads to the fall of paradise. The argument being made is the indication that Eve was a character used by Milton, which established the true Eve readers see in Genesis. However, the stance I will be taking throughout this paper is that Milton’s characters of Adam and Eve pose a contradiction to the Adam and Eve of the Old Testament; whereas Genesis suggests that Adam and Eve were created as equals and the role of the subservient wife was established after the Fall, it is clear that the Adam and Eve Milton creates are not equals, and Adam treats Eve as his inferior long before their transgression.

This chapter is mainly focuses on responding to John Milton's paradise lost. Milton's depiction of Eve reflects his misogynistic attitude toward women. Adam is a powerful, rational, and curious persona. Eve is is defined in terms of her subordination, inferiority, inequality to Adam. Both eve and the animals are subject to Adam's reign and control. Jonathan Whitfield, in her article " The Invisible Woman: Eve’s Self Image in Paradise Lost", maintains that:

John Milton’s Paradise Lost is filled with fantastical tales from the depths of Hell, extravagant descriptions of the fallen angels, and a curious recitation of the council of demons in their new palace. How did Milton dream up such vivid depictions of such horrible demons as the ones we see in Book I? Most of his fallen angels originate in the form of Pagan gods condemned by the Bible, with actual historical backgrounds which Milton cites in his lengthy descriptions.

John Milton’s Paradise Lost illustrates the beginning of human destruction with the Fall of Man. Milton recreates the creation in an English epic and retells the events of the fall of Satan from Heaven, and the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden. Eve appears to be at fault for the fall of humankind and for her and Adam’s exile from Eden, because Eve gave into Satan’s temptation. However, if Eve is at fault for the fall of all humankind, than who is at fault for Satan’s fall? God provided Adam and Eve with free will, which allowed them to roam Eden and live freely. They had one rule from God; God told them to never eat from the Tree of Knowledge. However, given that they were granted free will and Satan lurked ready to tempt Adam and Eve,

Written during a time where women were seen as inferior to men, Milton’s Paradise Lost presents a view of women that could be described as proto-feminist and advanced for its time. During the 17th century, the stereotypical women lived as “either obedient as ‘Milton Mother’ or disobedient and wanton if they neglect[ed] their responsibilities as wife, which [signified] submissiveness and motherhood” (qtd. in Wang 4). Some scholars argue that Milton used this predominant viewpoint of his time in Paradise Lost; Sandra Gilbert (1978) writes that the poem is “satiated with the discourse of male supremacy, which perpetuates the gender stereotypes of women in a society characterized by the practice of male governance”. On initial reading of this epic poem, the concerns of the scholars about Eve’s portrayal appear justified. After all, the main character of Eve reflects the regressive religious views and dogma of Milton’s times n that she appears to represent a patriarchal ideal of womanhood without identity and trained to be obedient to Adam. Yet, on deeper evaluation of the poem, a more complex image of Eve emerges. The reader begins to realize that Milton’s version of Eve actually goes against the prevailing sexist perspectives of his times to describe a proto-feminist version of Eve who is strong, independent, honorable and capable of autonomous action.

During the early seventeenth century, more and more people were gaining access to information and knowledge of the world, it’s inhabitants and how it works. For a long time, people chose to believe what their authoritative figures—such as priests and kings—believed, simply because that was the only way the people had access to knowledge. Their leaders were known to have had more experience and a well-rounded knowledge of all things. As people learned more, they became susceptible to the thirst for knowledge that arises when one begins to attain more information. This led to the rise of many questions and doubts about humanity, why we are here and what our purpose is. Throughout the seventeenth century there have been many pieces of fictional literature dedicated to answering the questions of the people in an a way that would make sense to the readers, but would also influence how the readers understood those topics. John Milton’s, Paradise Lost, is a series of twelve Books that tell the story of creation and the world’s first sin, and he relates that to the political distress that was occurring in the seventeenth century and his political agenda in trying to advocate a Parliamentary system versus a monarchy.

John Milton's theodicy in Paradise Lost is an attempt to justify the ways of God to men. Many ask how God could let someone as innocent as a child die in a horrible way. How could a God that is all loving and all powerful let something like that happen? He answers this using the fall of Mankind as the trigger point. Cordelia Zukerman and Thomas H. Luxon, "The dominance of these themes comes from the fact that Milton is writing about the first humans on earth, humans who have no history and no way of knowing the world except through God's inspiration." (Zukerman, Luxon). He explains by utilizing three parts as his structure: Before humans, during Eden and after the Fall. Thus the explanation in this essay will be two-fold; the first section dedicated a summary of previously stated three points and the second section a critique of said theodicy.

John Milton’s Paradise Lost is most known for being one of the last epics ever to be written in literature. Milton’s epic was also extremely known for having one of the most detailed descriptions of Hell since Dante’s Inferno, written in the 14th century. Milton’s 17th century work was centered on the fallen angels of heaven, especially Satan, who were sent to Hell by God. Originally chained to the lake of fire in Hell, the devils are released by God. Milton’s epic then describes the fallen angels’ next course of action. They collaborate at the Pandemonium, the ‘capital’ building of Hell, and discussed each different alternative moving forward. Various different devils gave their opinions but finally, Satan got his plan across in which he planned to seek revenge against God. Satan, alone, was to corrupt God’s creation, Earth and humanity. During Satan’s revenge on Earth he comes to the realization that Hell is no longer just a place but rather a state of mind which can never escape him. Milton’s description of Hell progresses throughout the epic, first becoming a concrete place that appears to be a polar opposite of Heaven, then having the devils each have their different opinions to how they see Hell, then finally revealing that Satan discovers Hell to be a state of mind. Milton wants the reader to understand that Hell is many different things rather than a place. Milton does this by making Hell’s description a paradox, having the devils disagree with

In the epic, Paradise Lost, John Milton’s, characters dramatically establish theme. Milton tells the story of Adam and Eve, as well as the story of Satan’s rebellion against God. Milton emphasizes the major theme of “Man’s disobedience” through his representation of Adam and Eve and also partly through the interactions between Satan and God. Man’s disobedience in “Paradise Lost,” is defined by Sin. The word Sin is defined as the act of going against the law of God. In the epic, Adam, Eve, Satan and God perfectly set up the theme, while propelling the story along. Every action of the characters has the purpose of propelling the story forward. In this case God effects Satan; which, leads to Satan affecting Eve, which results in the climatic fall of Adam, who is the final sinner in the epic. Milton successfully links each character through action and reaction, to carry out his main trust for writing this epic, which is to emphasize the first offenders of man’s obedience towards God by way of sin.

Paradise Lost was written by John Milton in an effort to explain why, and how, the Fall of Man occurred; but he does this not by reiterating the biblical Genesis story, but by providing readers with an imaginative and poetic re-creation of the story. He is able to retell the story, “Fall of Man,” while also expressing his own perspective and personal truths through the characters. Milton also seems to meet most, if not all, of the epic poem conventions, with this epic, consisting of over ten thousand lines. While reading this epic, it is clear that it was not only the Genesis story that persuaded Milton 's writing, but there were many other sociohistorical contexts, perspectives and criteria that helped form Paradise Lost.