How does Milton's interpretation of Genesis differ in Paradise Lost?

Milton's avowed aim in Paradise Lost is to justify the ways of God to man. His emphasis, therefore, is somewhat different from that of Genesis. Milton is a humanist, albeit a Christian one, so his main focus throughout is on the tragic consequences of man's first disobedience.

Milton's humanism also leads him to include the fall of Satan as an important element in the poem. This is Milton's own addition to the creation story of Genesis. He needs to give Satan such a significant role in man's downfall in order to show the limitations of the human mind. Milton's overall purpose in writing Paradise Lost is didactic; he is making an attempt at nothing less than the inculcation of virtue in his readers.

The Genesis story, on the other hand, purports to provide an account of how the universe came into being. It is cosmological where Paradise Lost is moral. It sets out a God's-eye perspective on creation rather than a human one.

In keeping with Milton's humanism is his insistence on free will in human nature. This is a gift from God which Adam and Eve can choose to exercise for good or ill. Satan can tempt us, but temptation must be resisted. And that requires the use of our rational free will. Independent reasoning can go one of two ways for Milton: either it can lead us closer to God; or, as with Satan and Adam and Eve, it can lead us completely astray. Human reason is not the problem; it is how it is exercised that matters, and to what purpose.

It is also of note that Milton changes the Genesis account of creation by having Jesus the Son, rather than God the Father, create the earth and the heavens. There are two possible reasons for this. One is Milton's unorthodox embrace of Arianism, the heretical doctrine that Jesus was somehow less than God within the Holy Trinity. Another is that Milton uses the figure of Christ as a bridge between the utterly transcendent God and the equally imminent human figures of Adam and Eve. Whatever the reason, Milton's fresh take on the creation story represents a radical departure from Genesis.

In Paradise Lost Milton is by no means trying to rewrite Genesis. However, what he is trying to do is flesh out the original text in order to give us an object lesson in virtue and the correct way for a Christian to use his or her God-given capacity to reason. Milton grabs cripture with both hands, as it were, and brings it down to earth. In doing so, he seeks to bring God and man closer together, while at the same time doing justice to their respective characters.

How does Milton represent Paradise in Paradise Lost?

In Paradise Lost, Eden is presented as an idyllic, harmonious land. Animals live in peace with one another. Food is bountiful. The surroundings are gorgeous. This harmony all hangs upon one factor: mankind's good relationship with the Creator. As long as Adam and Eve are obedient to God the Father, all is well in paradise. Just as the two must tend to their garden, so must they also tend to their relationship with God. The outer perfection of Eden reflects Adam and Eve's spiritual health.

One of the most notable elements of Milton's paradise is that Adam and Eve have sex while in their state of innocence. Most theologians at the time viewed sexuality as sinful, even when in service of procreation. Religious theory linked pleasure with animal impulses. It was not uncommon to assume that Adam and Eve did not have sexual relations until after their fall from grace. At the time, sex—even in the context of a loving marriage—was viewed as dirty. However, Milton shows Adam and Eve consummating their marriage while still in paradise. Through that scene, he shows that sexual desire is healthy and holy.

Ultimately, Milton's paradise is both earthy and spiritually elevated. Harmonious is the key adjective to describe his paradise. Adam and Eve succumb to temptation, and in doing so, the earthy and spiritual harmony is disrupted. God expels them from Eden.

How does Milton apply the Bible in Paradise Lost?

There are literally hundreds of allusions to the Bible peppered throughout John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, particularly to Genesis. Genesis is the first book in the Christian Bible and provides the foundation for Milton’s epic poem and the entire Biblical narrative.

In Genesis, God creates the world and humanity in seven days. He places Adam and Eve, the first humans, in the Garden of Eden. Milton draws the “paradise” in the title of his epic poem from this mythical garden. In the Biblical story, Adam and Eve are given free reign of the garden but receive a single restriction:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen. 2:17 KJV)

Adam and Eve are tempted by a Satan in the form of a talking serpent to eat the fruit from the tree so that they can gain the “knowledge of good and evil.” In the end, both Adam and Eve succumb to the wiles of the Devil and are ejected from the Garden of Eden forever, losing their paradise.

Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost presents an alternative perspective on the opening chapters of Genesis and the events leading to the “fall of man.” In Milton’s version, Satan is the protagonist. The narrative chronicles his rebellion against God and his efforts to destroy humanity, the pride of God’s creation. It is important to remember that Genesis provides the big-picture framework that Milton uses in his poem. Although much of the poem is original, Milton draws his characters and plot largely from the Bible.

I hope this helps!