Milton-Paradise Lost Book9-03/26

In Book IX of Paradise Lost by Milton, the reader finally gets to understand how mankind fell by Milton’s interpretation of the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are happy in the garden and go about their daily chores where Eve decides that she wants to work separately from Adam to show independence. However, this concerns Adam even though he ultimately agrees to work separately from her. Satan sneaks his way into the garden and looks at all the different animals and decides to disguise himself as a snake. While Eve is working alone, Satan, disguised as a snake, goes up to Eve and speaks to her. He tells her that he ate fruit from a certain tree and that it gave him the ability to talk and become knowledgeable. Satan continually showers Eve with compliments and the temptation for knowledge in order to persuades her to eat the fruit. Then, he takes her to the Tree of Knowledge and tells her to eat from it, “his words replete with guile Into her heart too easy entrance won… Yet wrung of his persuasive words, impregned With reason, to her seeming, and with truth…” (902). Eve, tempted by the chance for knowledge, takes a bite of the apple, “Forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she eat. Earth felt the wound, and nature from her seat Sighing through all her works gave signs of woe…” (903). She decides that Adam must join her in this newfound knowledge, “Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe; so dear I love him, that with him all deaths I could endure, without him live no life.” (904). She takes the apple to Adam and tells him he must eat it but he does not want to; ultimately, Adam eats the apple because he knew that if Eve was guilty he would have to be guilty as well, “She gave him of that fair enticing fruit With liberal hand: he scrupled not to eat Against his better knowledge, not deceived, but fondly overcome with female charm. Earth trembled from her entrails, as again…” (907). After they do so, they enjoy some sexual pleasures but then soon realize the guilt of their actions and the knowledge of guilt flows into their minds.



Comments

  1. Lindsay (Luna Royal)March 26, 2019 at 2:55 PM

    This is a well done post. You used a lot of quotes in this one, but that shows you going above and beyond

    ReplyDelete
  2. julieburkett12March 26, 2019 at 2:57 PM

    why do you think that milton uses guilt as a retorical device? what devise do you think that is?

    ReplyDelete
  3. gstroudMarch 26, 2019 at 2:58 PM

    You have a great understanding of text, and I would love if you could further this and maybe the language and descriptive words the characters use when referring to one another, or perhaps the references and symbols within the text itself.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Haley WilliardMarch 26, 2019 at 2:58 PM

    This is a good, thorough summary and analysis of Book 9. You captured the most important parts and explained them in a way that is easy to understand.

    ReplyDelete

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