Paradise Lost

'Paradise Lost' is an epic poem by John Milton.The poem represents the great inevitable story of the Milton's tale-Adam and Eve's disobedience and the Fall of man and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.If we look at the Biblical story of the fall of man than we see that the all stories were said form the divine perspective.God was the center of the Bible.While in the Paradise Lost divine perspective were retold from the human perspective.Milton 'justify the ways of God to men'.In fact he moves on the justify Man's ways in this world.

Question 1. Write a critical note on the character of Eve.

As per point of view Eve is the central character of the Book IX.  Eve was made from Adam's rib and she is a intellectual and beautiful one.But than even throughout the story we see the Eve's progression from an independent woman to a dependent woman.During the argument between Eve and Adam we find Eve's arguments are more powerful than Adam.Adam warns Eve about God's warning and that time she says,

       "How are we happy,still in the fear of harm?"

Here the Eve is portrayed as a courageous woman and also she disobeys the God.Eve has a intellectual but than even she is convinced by Satan to eat the Fruit of the knowledge.As far as Eve is rational in thinking that's why her curiosity leads her towards the Forbidden tree.Her intention to test the fruit is to gain knowledge or to be equal to Adam.She wants to be free.But if we analyse the character of Eve by applying Feminist perspective,we can analyse it in a batter way. Eve's desire to gain knowledge which leads her towards forbidden tree is portrayed as downfall of man. The other one is Adam's statement that a wife is 'safest and seemliest' with her husbands reflects the attitude of 17th century and they need their husband guidance.Here the character of Eve is portrayed weak,she is intellectual and rational than why she has a need for her husband's guidance?She is still blamed for it because she disobey the two male figure Adam and God.In the Biblical narration Eve has no voice,here Milton tries to give the voice of Eve's character as she argues with Adam and Satan,but on the otherside she is blamed as a downfall of man.

2]Whose arguments did you find more convincing?

   In the book XI of Paradise Lost I found that Eve's argument  was more convincing then Satan and Adam.All of first when Eve proposed to Adam that they both had to work separately instead of together.But Adam did not approve that idea as he had a fear about Satan's temptation.But Eve tried to convince him by saying that she awared about it but she wanted to proved herself that Satan should attack her alone.And Eve also argued that if they both defended against Satan alone than surely they would be gain double honor of God.Here we found out that Eve was thinking in more rational way rather than Adam and also convinced him by his powerful argument.

And while serpent came and started overpraising her as he wanted to lead her towards the tree of knowledge.But Eve was not driven by her praising and argued with him by saying that,

 

"Serpent,thy overpraising leaves in doubt

 The virtue of that Fruit,in thee first proved"

 Eve suspected on Serpent that there should be something wrong intention of Serpent behind his overpraising.Eve also wondered that how Serpent could also speak like her.She was curious to know about it and that's why she was misleaded to the tree of prohibition by Satan.after reaching there Eve found that it was fruitless to come there and said that,

But of this tree we may not taste nor touch;

God so commanded,and left that command

Sole daughter of his voice:the rest,we live

Law to ourselves;our Reason is our Law".

Serpent praised her a lot to eat the fruit but she bravely answered that she did not eat it because she believed that their reason was their law.And also Eve had a great convincing power,after eating fruit, she thought that if she would be die because of this fruit and if  Adam would be weeded to another Eve than she could not bear and that's why she tried to convinced Adam by saying that

This Tree is not, as we are told, a Tree

Of danger tasted, nor to evil unknown

Opening the way, but of divine effect

To open eyes, and make them Gods who taste;

And hath been tasted such.

After such powerful argument by Eve,Adam ate the forbidden fruit.Eve embraced him and he was 'fondly overcome with female charm'.

Que.3] How do you look at the Divine perspective in Genesis of the Bible and Human perspective in John Milton's paradise lost book XI.

Before the Renaissance and Reformation there was a God-centric world and people had a blind faith in God.But after the  Renaissance and Reformation God centric world was replaced with Human centric one.All the stories in scriptures which were earlier told from divine perspective,now all were retold from human perspective and human was at the centre of universe.

Milton also tells  the story from Bible with human perspective and he also tries to justify ways of God to man.While in the 'Genesis',the fall of man is narrated from God's perspective.In Genesis Eve is  punished for her disobedience and also cursed her by multiply her pain in childbearing.Adam and Eve both are equally guilty for it but than even Adam seems in God's good book,he is not punished for his act of eating fruit.While in the Milton's Paradise lost the character of Eve is portrayed with human perspective.Although Eve is responsible for man's downfall, but she eats the fruit out of her curiosity because she wants to gain knowledge and wants to be equal to Adam.Here Adam does not

remain in God's good book like Genesis but he is also driven by human emotion.

"Should God create another Eve, and I

Another rib afford, yet loss of thee

Would never from my heart. No, no! I feel

The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh,

Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state