Paradise Lost
The first words of Paradise Lost state that the poem's main theme will be “man's first disobedience.” Using this idea of obedience Milton forms the basis of his poem presenting two moral paths that one can take after disobedience: the downward spiral of increasing sin and degradation, represented by Satan, or the road to redemption, represented by Adam and Eve. Throughout the rest of the paper I will try to show Milton’s use of disobedience and obedience using various characters in his epic. In book I of Paradise Lost we first learn of Satan’s disobedience to God, his subsequent fall from grace and banishment to hell. Satan’s disobedience to God stems from his refusal to accept God’s only son as his sovereign king, feeling that none should stand higher than him in the eyes of God. After being thrown from heaven Satan, using Beelzebub, convinces the fallen angels in hell . . .
However this does not mean Adam and Eve is like Satan because Adam remembers their punishment and believes that they can enact revenge on Satan by remaining obedient to God. Also just as Adam and Eve must obey God, Eve feels that she must obey Adam as she was created from his rib and therefore is subject to his will. So together they pray to God and repent, something that Satan can never do. Not wanting to share her fate alone she convinces Adam to eat the fruit as well, who eats it also because he loves her so much he is willing to disobey God to be with her. After having decided to corrupt man Satan goes to the gates of hell where he discovers Sin, his daughter and keeper of the keys to the gates of hell, who though commanded by God to allow no one to pass decides to open the gates as Satan is her father. A parallel can be drawn between Satan actions and his subsequent fall from heaven and Adam and Eve’s disobedience and their fall from paradise. This provides a means by which man can either obey or disobey the will of God. that one of them should go to earth and corrupt God’s new creation man, yet another example of Satan’s disobedience to God. Finding Eve alone Satan approaches her in the form of a serpent convincing her that having eaten from the tree himself gaining knowledge and not death, why should she not also? Having been convinced Eve is lead to the Tree, then just as Eve was about to bite into the fruit she repeats God’s commandment showing that she knew she was disobeying God’s will. The ideas of obedience and disobedience were a central theme throughout Paradise Lost stemming from not only Adam and Eve but also from Satan, whom committed the first act of disobedience when he defied God. Eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge however is the ultimate disobedience in Paradise Lost and is the result of Satan, overhearing Adam and Eve discuss God’s commandment to not eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge decides that he will tempt them to disobey God’s will. This shows how Satan continues to sin and disobey God and cause those around him to do likewise. This idea of obedience and disobedience is continued when we meet Adam and Eve and learn of God’s command that they cannot eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge under penalty of death. Notice also that this is very similar to why Sin bows to the will of Satan and allows him to pass through the gates of hell.
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