Themes: Free Will and Responsibility
Milton was a Puritan but not a Calvinist. Free will was essential to his theology, and he continually emphasizes that Satan, Adam and Eve all exercise agency in deciding to rebel against God’s commands. Satan has the greatest responsibility of all, since he was “self-tempted, self-depraved.” Abdiel’s lone refusal to follow him shows that although millions of angels rebelled, they too had free choice, even though Satan exercised his demonic powers of persuasion against them, as he did against Eve.
Though Eve is the first to fall, Adam’s guilt is particularly great, since he has just been warned against precisely the sin he commits. Raphael warns him that he must not allow Eve’s physical beauty to beguile him into loving her more than he loves God, but this is precisely what he does when he decides to eat the forbidden fruit because he cannot bear the thought of life without her. Instead of the possibility of being separately from her, he freely and knowingly chooses separation from God. Just as Satan, a pure spirit and a superior being, is more fully responsible for his fall from grace than any mortal, so Adam is more responsible than Eve, as the Son points out when rebuking him in book 10.
Although the principal focus in the poem is on the disobedience of Satan, Adam, and Eve, God looks forward to a time when mankind will freely choose to obey and worship him again. He refers to this several times, first of all during his earliest appearance in book 3. This future exercise of free will on the part of some men will make their devotion to God worth more than any coerced obedience, with a correspondingly greater reward in the form of admission to heaven.
Expert Q&A
Can you explain these lines from John Milton's Paradise Lost?
"Of Man's First Disobedience and the Fruit / Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste / Brought Death into the World, and all our woe."
This opening line explains that the focus of Paradise Lost will be on Adam and Eve's fall from grace when they are tempted by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Beginning with this overview helps to orient the reader to what will happen in a poem in which the climactic moment does not occur until book 9.
What's the significance of “Awake, arise, or be forever fallen!” in Paradise Lost?
The significance of these words lies in the context of Satan's defiance. Having arisen from the lake of fire, where he's been plunged at God's command, Satan calls on the other fallen angels to stand up and be counted. If they don't do this, if they don't stand tall and challenge the Almighty, then they will be “forever fallen.”
What is the message of Adam and Eve's story in Paradise Lost?
The message of Adam and Eve's story is twofold. The first is that it is wrong to disobey God. The second is that God is in control and has a plan: the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden is part of God's larger plan of redemption for humankind.
In Paradise Lost, what is Satan's main motive for tempting Adam and Eve?
Satan's main motive for tempting Adam and Eve is to sabotage God's plan and create evil out of good. Following his failed rebellion against God, Satan, unrepentant and prideful, decides to "wage by force or guile eternal war" against God. By tempting Adam and Eve, he aims to pervert God's mission and regain some power and influence after losing paradise.
What are the consequences of man's disobedience in "Paradise Lost"?
The consequences of man's disobedience in "Paradise Lost" include expulsion from the Garden of Eden, a cursed earth requiring hard labor for sustenance, and mortality due to the prohibition from the tree of life. Additionally, women suffer increased pain in childbirth and are placed under male authority. These punishments reflect the loss of innocence and the enduring struggle against a now hostile natural world.
Analyze the following quote from Paradise Lost: "Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall."
The quote highlights Milton's view on free will in "Paradise Lost." It suggests that God created beings capable of standing with moral integrity but also free to choose their paths, including the potential to fall, as Satan did. This reflects the theme of free will versus predestination, emphasizing that individuals are responsible for their choices. God's foreknowledge of events does not equate to causing them, underscoring the significance of choice in sin, repentance, and grace.
Interpret the characters and events in Paradise Lost as metaphors for human consciousness conflicts.
Paradise Lost can be interpreted as a metaphor for conflicts within human consciousness. Satan represents pride and the desire to transcend one's natural place, leading to downfall, similar to human pride causing personal and communal harm. Adam and Eve's temptation and fall symbolize human struggles with selfishness and defiance, reflecting daily moral conflicts where individuals face consequences for their choices, underscoring the universal struggle between good and evil.
Satan's temptation of Eve and its consequences in Paradise Lost
In Paradise Lost, Satan tempts Eve by convincing her to eat the forbidden fruit, promising it will grant her knowledge and make her god-like. As a consequence, Eve and Adam fall from grace, leading to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and bringing sin and death into the world.
The presentation and depiction of free will in Paradise Lost
In Paradise Lost, free will is depicted as a crucial aspect of human existence. Milton portrays it as the ability to choose between good and evil, emphasizing that humans are responsible for their actions. The fall of Adam and Eve illustrates the consequences of misusing free will, reinforcing the idea that true obedience to God must be freely chosen, not compelled.
Eve's and Adam's exercise of free will in Paradise Lost
In Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve exercise their free will by choosing to eat the forbidden fruit, despite being warned by God. Their decision to disobey God's command demonstrates the complexity and consequences of free will, leading to their eventual expulsion from Eden and the introduction of sin and death into the world.
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