John Milton: Paradise Lost

1402 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical analysis of Satan in paradise lost

In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan seeks revenge against God and causes the fall of man. He deceives Adam and Eve and gets them to disobey God. God ends up seeming cruel because of the way He punishes Adam and Eve but, He’s not. God could have killed them for disobeying him, instead He’s giving them a second chance with life, its just going to be a harder life. God is just doing what He has to by sending them out of the Garden. He is the high and almighty God, He made Adam and Eve, He made the world, He can do whatever He wants and if you disobey him you will get punished. It’s the same thing with Satan, Satan rebelled, and God had to do what he had to do and that was to send him out of heaven to hell.

Satan, Adam, and Eve all lose the best things they had in there lives because they just couldn’t listen and follow what God wanted them to do. Satan rebelled against God when He chose His son, Jesus, to be the ruler of the world. Satan couldn't except this, he was the most beautiful and the most powerful next to God. He got other angels to rebel with him in hope of taking over heaven. Satan failed and along with other angels they were sent to hell. When God creates Adam and Eve, He puts them in The Garden of Eden, also known as Paradise. Paradise was a perfect and sinless place to live. However, God did make The Tree Of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which could change all of that. He had one rule for Adam and Eve and that was for them to never eat from that tree. Satan sees this as a perfect opportunity to get his revenge towards God.

The way God punished Satan seems like the most evident thing to do, but the way He punished Adam and Eve for eating from the tree can be questioned and seen as harsh and unfair, but it shouldn’t b...

... middle of paper ...

...ough they have fallen and now have to leave Paradise, that they can still have a great life. He tells Adam because of they tree they ate from he has all the knowledge he needs to make it in the world outside of Paradise. Michael says he does not need anything else. He also says to live a happy life they should live with faith, virtue, patience, temperance, love, charity, and obedience. Adam and Eve can still have a Paradise, it wont be a physical one but it can be one inside of them. God is powerful he can make their lives very peaceful and filled with happiness. With His help there state of mind can be just like the one they had in Paradise, and they would be happy. With the good comes the bad Adam and Eve will have to overcome further temptations to do wrong, and commit more sins.

God does not punish to hurt, He punishes to teach. Adam and did learn.

Show More
Related

  • Essay on The Holy Bible - Genesis 1-3 and the Downfall of Mankind

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    Now, to the untrained eye, it may be possible to interpret the aforementioned text as having certain "scheisty" tendencies coming from both the serpent and, believe it or not, God himself. As possible as it may seem, the main theme of the passages of Genesis are not trying to show God as being greedy with the knowledge of good and evil. It isn't like God was worried that Adam and Eve would gain knowledge that would empower them and make them as gods. That is almost preposterous to think that God, the almighty creator of heaven and earth, would be worried about two mortals obtaining a little bit of information. In all actuality, that idea is incredibly far from the truth. God gave Adam and Eve the world, literally. This perfect world, a "heaven on earth", was just given to them out of the goodness of his heart. All they had to do was look over God's creations and enjoy true eternal bliss. As a matter of fact, the only rule that God gave to Adam and Eve was to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All they had to do to live in the eternal paradise, with all the cookies and milk they could stomach, was to follow that one freakin' rule. Acknowledging the fact that the serpent (a.k.a. Satan Incarnate) did do its part in persuading Eve to eat the fruit and to give the fruit to her husband. Even still, Eve should have realized that she was risking eternal happiness for the words of a snake.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Paradise Lost And Frankenstein

    1615 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Paradise Lost, one of the differences God is aware of the betrayal his creations unlike Frankenstein. There is a point where Adam desires a companion to share the world with, thus God creates Eve from one of Adam’s ribs. He is in a predicament now, due to there are now two beings to love now, but who deserves the more affection. He “can neither love himself adequately nor love Eve as himself unless have love God adequately – and so make his love for Eve, the unity of their shared self, an expression of that higher love” (Gross 95). This scene displays one of Adam’s limitations of his free will. Thus creating her in being the submissive which eventually became her downfall, Adam’s and the rest of humanity. Eve is flawed, she has the inclination of self-love, a quality she should not be capable of possessing or acting upon. The only love that she should be expressing is her love for Adam in a way also loving God. This becomes their weakness. Satan learns about this weakness and exploits it as his advantage to enact his scheme. He influences a susceptible Eve, by coercing her into eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge. He claims to Eve about the fruit “By the fruit? It gives you life To knowledge by the threat’ner? Look on me, Me, who have touched and tasted; yet both live” (Book 9 l. 686-688). Satan is able to persuade them to consume the fruit that provides them

    Read More

  • Book VIII of John Milton's Paradise Lost

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...e in the relationship. Certainly Adam could speak wisdom to the animals in the Garden, but he speaks to Eve because she is his equal. She is the one to whom Adam prefers to relate his thoughts, simply because he is enchanted by her. In a sense, she is his “only listener”—the only listener for him. Eve has the choice of how she will receive wisdom, but “Her husband the relater she preferred/Before the angel, and of him to ask/Chose rather” (52-54). Not only does Adam choose Eve to relate his thoughts to, but she chooses him to relate wisdom to her. Though there are only two humans in Paradise, Milton presents the relationship of Adam and Eve as one of choice. Both partners could get what they need from other sources, but they choose to receive wisdom and respect from one another instead. The fulfillment of their needs is more enjoyable in the context of love.

    Read More

  • Man and Nature after the Fall in John Milton's Paradise Lost

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Paradise Lost, the consequences of the fall and the change in relations between man and nature can best be discussed when we look at Milton's pre-fall descriptions of Eden and its inhabitants. Believing that fallen humans could never fully understand what life was like in Eden and the relationships purely innocent beings shared, Milton begins his depiction of Paradise and Adam and Eve through the fallen eyes of Satan:

    Read More

  • Adam & Eve

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    God knew that since both Adam and Eve had now gained knowledge of both good and evil they would soon learn to really appreciate life and all it has to offer. And for this reason the couple was expelled from paradise. Had Eve ignored the serpent and refused to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil perhaps civilization would still exist as nirvana. However happiness and in effect perfection is relative. A beautiful spring day is only as beautiful as the worst s...

    Read More

  • The Power of Milton’s Paradise Lost

    2224 Words  | 5 Pages

    Paradise Lost is an epic poem portraying John Milton’s theological standpoints. The theme is knowledge and the fall of man. Milton uses his poem to state some of his theological beliefs and his personal reflections. Milton wrote Paradise Lost in the 17th century but uses influence from classic poets. Milton’s epic is an extremely important piece of literature. The excerpt used in this commentary takes on the subjects of sin and the punishment with regards to the atonement from God’s point of view. Milton’s states many of his own theological opinions but wants the reader to know that God is justified in everything that he does, and also wants them to know that man has free will.

    Read More

  • Religious Symbolism in Grimm's Rapunzel

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    The witch, indicative of the serpent, tempts the mother and father with her rampion so that she might steal their child. In the story of creation, the serpent has the same idea in mind for Adam and Eve. The serpent knows that if man sins against God, he is unable to enter heaven and therefore must face the alternative, a life of eternal suffering in hell. In eating the forbidden fruit, the parents are cursing their child, humanity, to a life apart from God. But, just as with Adam and Eve, the parents must also endure earthly hardships, characterized by childbirth. In Genesis 3:17, Eve is cursed to bear children through intense pain; consequently, Rapunzel was born. ...

    Read More

  • Relationship Between Good And Evil In Paradise Lost

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    Milton shows that the potential for evil was innate in these beings and was not the result of corruption from an external force. Lucifer believes himself to be God’s equal and desires omnipotence for himself. Lucifer’s pride is his undoing, and he is cast into hell where he becomes Satan. The pride is intrinsic to Lucifer’s nature and results from God giving angels free will. Indeed, Satan later considers repenting and seeking God’s forgiveness upon seeing Earth and all of God’s creation and being overwhelmed by emotion. However, he realizes that even if he did receive forgiveness, he would grow dissatisfied with his position in heaven once again and fall a second time “book four quote “ . This establishes evil as being a constant part of Satan; the evil could not exist without the good, but it is an inherent part of

    Read More

  • Theme Of Eternal Providence And Free Will In Paradise Lost

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...nces for straying from God and it is because of this that his mind further and further spirals downward. On the other hand, Adam and Eve manage to realize the scope of God’s power and thus rewarded by God’s grace.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Adam And Eve In Milton's Paradise Lost

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    Milton’s “Paradise Lost” refashions the falls of Satan, Adam, and Eve to create characters that better fit Milton’s own modern opinions. Although the Garden of Eden in “Paradise Lost” initially resembles a patriarchal society to the reader, it can be concluded that Adam and Eve each have an equality in the form of the free will they are gifted with from God. Adam and Eve work together as a unit to achieve the rules put forth by God, and they each have their own perspectives and roles in their partnership. Eve’s introduction to the Garden of Eden leaves her interpreting her environment, but eventually, she is able to adjust to her environment and experiences the same freedoms as Adam does in the Garden. Their positions while in the Garden of

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Eve And Paradise Lost

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    In episode IX of Paradise Lost by John Milton, Milton begins Adam and Eve’s act of disobedience towards God. The story begins with Satan’s return to the Garden of Eden the night after Raphael’s departure. Satan considers what disguise he should take on, and chooses to become a snake. Satan thinks that Earth is more beautiful than Heaven ever was, and becomes jealous of Adam and Eve. The next morning, Adam and Eve are preparing for their usual work load. Eve suggests that they work separately, Adam does not necessarily like the idea. He fears that if they are alone they can be more easily tested by Satan. Eve, however, wants to have her strength tested. Adam finally agrees. Satan, finds Eve alone and begins flattering her. Eve is amazed that

    Read More

  • Satan is No Hero in John Milton's Paradise Lost

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    Milton's introduction of Satan shows the reader how significant Satan is to Paradise Lost. He uses Satan's heroic qualities to his followers, and his ability to corrupt to show the thin line between good and evil. Satan was one of the highest angels in Heaven and was know as Lucifer, meaning, light bearer. This shows he was once a good angel. Milton makes the reader see him as a leader and a strong influence to all in his presence. He best describes Satan's ways when stating, "His pride/ had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host. / Of rebel angels, by whose aspiring/ To set himself in glory above his peers" (Milton Book I). Satan's pride was the main reason that God banned him from heaven. Satan always tried to be number one and a leader, instead of following in God's shadow. He would of lived a life in Paradise forever, but he had to follow his feelings as he states, "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" (Milton 31). This shows how strongly he felt about not being above everybody else.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Characterization Of Satan And The Devil In Paradise Lost

    1109 Words  | 3 Pages

    Seeing paradise only reminds Satan of what he lost as a result of his fall from Heaven. Satan comes to the conclusion that he is the very embodiment of hell, bringing it everywhere he goes : “The Hell within him, for within him Hell /He brings, and round about him, nor from Hell/One step no more then from himself can fly (20-22).” Compared to the Bible, we actually get to see the torment Satan suffers as he lives his life as God’s adversary. Satan actually takes responsibility for his fall , pointing out the flaws that led to it: “Till Pride and worse Ambition threw me down” ( 40 ) . Unlike the Satan in Genesis and Job, Milton’s Satan clearly understands why he has fallen. As Satan continues to ponder his situation , he realizes that even if there was a chance for his redemption, he would never be comfortable being God’s servant. Sooner or later, the same feelings of inferiority and the desire to overthrow God would rise. Satan becomes bitterer as his soliloquy goes on and resolves that his fate is sealed : “So farwel Hope, and with Hope farwel Fear,/ Farwel Remorse: all Good to me is lost;/Evil be thou my Good;”( 108-110). He then goes on to continue his revenge plot on God. Angry with God for putting him in the position to fall , Satan sees the same potential for failure in Adam and Eve. He then explains that it is in fact God’s fault that he must corrupt them and tells them to “ Thank him

    Read More

  • The Temptation of Eve in Milton’s Paradise Lost

    2743 Words  | 6 Pages

    “Dream not of other worlds,” the angel Raphael warns Adam in Miltons’s Paradise Lost (VIII.175). Eve, however, dreams of another world in which she will gain knowledge and power, a wish that is superficially fulfilled when she succumbs to Satan’s temptation and eats from the Tree of Knowledge. Awakening in the Garden of Eden as though from a dream, Eve searches for her identity and her place in Paradise. Satan provides Eve with a chance to gain knowledge and to become god-like. As Eve is not an equal companion for Adam, she seeks independence from her husband. Shifting her loyalty away from God and Adam and towards Satan and the Tree of Knowledge, Eve strives to find her identity in the Garden of Eden, gain knowledge and godliness, and obtain independence from her unequal partnership with Adam.

    Read More

  • John Milton's Paradise Lost as Christian Epic

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    A central theme of Paradise Lost is that of the deep and true love between Adam and Eve. This follows both traditonal Christianity and conventional epic style. Adam and Eve are created and placed on earth as "our first two parents, yet the only two of mankind, in the happy garden placed, reaping immortal fruits of joy and love, uninterrupted joy, unrivaled love, in blissful solitude."(...

    Read More

More about John Milton: Paradise Lost

Open Document