Paradise Lost

Book 9 deals with the actual action that precipitates the fall of Adam and Eve, bringing Milton to the climax of his story. Therefore, it is only fitting that Milton call upon the tradition of tragedy in his use of the muse. Milton twists the typical tradition of tragedy, however, when he asks the muse to focus his sight on moral strength instead of physical prowess. Ancient Greek epics dealt with the fall of their hero in battle, focusing on wars and physical strength, but Milton is more concerned with the intellect, soul, and mind of his hero. Milton is, in effect, mocking the very genre he is emulating, but this matches his desire to create an epic relevant to his own society.

The maze symbol recurs when Satan turns into the serpent, with “mazy folds” that allow him to slink around. In paralleling Satan’s new form with the maze of knowledge, Milton emphasizes the endless trouble of the pursuit of knowledge. As the serpent, Satan embodies the very quality of sin that Raphael specifically warns Adam to avoid.

The fall begins not with Eve’s consumption of the fruit but with another mistake: When Eve asks that she and Adam work separately, she is essentially violating the natural order of things. Adam and Eve always work together because, as Adam argues, they make each other better and safer. Eve insists, wishing to prove that she can be independent and still good. Adam is so in love with her that he concedes, which is Adam’s first mistake. This back-and-forth between Adam and Eve is not the first time that Eve has wished to be away from Adam. When she first awoke as a creature, she walked away from Adam and only returned to his side because God’s voice guided her there. Milton thus suggests that Eve (and all women) has always had this independent streak, one that is dangerous and destructive.

This conversation also highlights one of Milton’s major social beliefs: that marriage is a union between husband and wife in which both give and take. Men become stronger in marriage, and women become safer. While it seems extreme that Eve wanting to work on her own is akin to violating the sacred relationship of marriage, Milton uses her request to build the tension necessary to crescendo into Eve’s imminent fall. Milton further vilifies Eve by characterizing her as gullible and vain. When Satan approaches her disguised as the serpent, he knows she will be interested in his beautiful crown and figure. He also knows she will be easily swayed by his ostentatious compliments. That Satan is correct shows how easily manipulated Eve is, which represents Milton’s opinion that women are easily manipulated when away from their husbands.

Here, Milton emphasizes a character flaw already evident in Eve. When she first wakes up as a creation and walks away from Adam, she becomes mesmerized by her own reflection. This vanity is repeated in the woman she sees through the serpent’s compliments. Her ability to be manipulated into vanity is markedly fast, especially since she knows very well that there is a tempter trying to make her sin. Eve is further characterized as unintelligent because she falls for Satan’s arguments about why she can and should eat from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge, even though his arguments are contradictory and odd. Eve figures that if such a lowly animal as the serpent can eat from the tree and survive, then she would surely be fine as the superior being. Eve’s unwarranted superiority complex here is another characteristic of the fall—she suddenly believes that she is above the punishment promised by God. The moment is painful because it is so obvious that Eve is being fooled into sinning. In fact, Eve is not only eating from the forbidden tree, but she is doing so after many warnings and much conversation about sinning. It is possible that Milton make her sin so painfully obvious because he is trying to justify God’s punishment.

When Adam eats the fruit Eve offers him, it is so he can avoid being separated from her. Though Milton clearly places blame on the weakness of women, Adam is also culpable. He knows that Eve has sinned but he can still avoid sinning. Instead of trusting in God’s ability to give him a new partner and to fulfill the consequences he guaranteed would occur should Adam betray him, Adam chooses his overabundant love for Eve. Milton therefore reiterates that it was not just eating from the tree that brought on the fall of man but also Eve and Adam’s repeated decisions to consciously betray God. When both have fallen, more sinful behaviors are immediately introduced into the world, such as lust. When Adam and Eve wake up from their lustful sex and cover their naked bodies in shame, Milton provides a concrete example that not all knowledge is good knowledge. Some knowledge leads to shame.

Adam and Eve end Book 9 in a heated argument, accusing one another and the serpent of fault, but neither takes any personal responsibility. That they are embroiled their first fight shows that their fall is already demonstrating inner turmoil and pain. Furthermore, the use of the word “accuser” is an interesting one, as one of the original literal meanings of Satan is “accuser.” Milton therefore uses language to create new concepts to drive his point that knowledge can bring destruction.