Paradise Lost IX Flashcards
“The Sun was sunk”
“The Sun” is a symbol associated with the monarchy, however it has “sunk”, which highlights the fall of the monarchy during the English civil wars (1642-1651).
“full of anguish driv’n”
Satan
Lucifer was Banished to Hell by God after the rebellion he started in Heaven. He is resentful and deeply pained.
“stealth” “lie hid” “roam’d”
Satan
Semantic field of predatory ambush
Either he is cowardly (reinforced by the repition of “fled”) or sly and cunning (which is commonly associated with the nature of his possessed form: the snake - “wilie Snake”)
Earth is “a Seat worthier of Gods”
Satan
He is jealous of humans. His logic is convoluted - Earth is not superior to Heaven,
Cannot “find place or refuge” on Earth
Satan
He is an outcast, which encourages us to pity him because it implies he is a victim of tyranny
“all good to me becomes Bane”
He is bitter and vengeful
“to mee shall be the glorie sole among”
The spondaic foot and convoluted syntax highlights his selfish pursuit of glory, reinforced by the adjective “sole” - he wants power and fame exclusively for himself
“in one Night freed From servitude inglorious welnigh half”
self-aggrandising spiels are dishonest - only a third of the angels rebelled
“O foul descent!”
symbolises his descent both morally and physically (the Great Chain of Being)
“who aspires must down as low”
Implies he is a tagic hero in an unjust world, but this just drives his vengeful desires even more so - “I reck not” he will direct this resentment towards “this new Favourite of Heav’n, this Man of Clay”
“this new Favourite of Heav’n, this Man of Clay”
Adjective “new” highlights how he used to be God’s favourite, and now he has been replaced, further fueling his bitter jealousy towards mankind. The title “Man of Clay” implies humans are weak and pliable (pawns of God)
“Spite then with spite is best repaid”
Plosive assonance - we can hear the resentment in Satan’s voice, he wants revenge. He aligns his Machiavellian nature with God, implying that He was the initiator of evil
Adam and Eve, first described as the “human pair”
Evokes a sense of harmony and unity - characteristics associated with God (love), not Satan (selfish and self-aggrandising)
“Let us divide our labours”
She thinks rationally and speaks with a commanding presence (the imperative verb), which is unorthodox for a woman
“direct the clasping Ivie where to climb, while I In yonder Spring of Roses intermixt with Myrtle”
“clasping Ivie” is reminsicent of the emblem of the elm and the vine - a symbol of marriage. Roses and myrtle are symbols of passion and marriage. Either Eve is using symbolism to highlight her love for Adam, or using his love for her to manipulate him.
“nothing lovelier can be found in Woman, then to studie houshold good”
Orthodox 17th century views, however a modern reader would view this as misogynistic
“Hopeless to circumvemt us joynd”
Adam understands that they are stronger together
“Safest and seemliest by her husband staies”
refers to himslef with the thirs person use of “husband”, implying it a universal truth that men protect women, orthodox 17th century views
“rais’d unite”
Adam attempts to convince Eve that he is stronger when she is with him, thus they must stay together
Adam spoke “in his care and Matrimonial Love”
Adam’s immense love for Eve is his weakness
“How are we happie, still in fear of harm?”
Eve questions the legitimacy of Eden’s perfection
“what is Faith, Love, Vertue unassaid?”
She speaks in accordance with Milton - they cannot prove their loyalty to go if their faith is not tested. They cannot strengthen their relationship to God without overcoming challenge
“God left free the Will” but
“faire appeering good surpis’d She dictate false, and misinforme the Wil”
Personification of reason and free will - Adam agrees that man was granted free will and reason, however reason can be decieved and lead people to sin.
“Seek not temptation, which to avoid were better, and more likelie if from mee”
He admits that he would rather avoid challenge - cowardice, unorthodox for a man
“thou approve thy constancie, apporove first thy obedience”
He decides obedience is more important than faithfulness. He is frustrated with her for not conforming.
“Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more”
Monosyllabic imperative tells her to go. He states that her unhappiness is emotional absence
Eve agrees she will go “with thy permission”
debasing herself, flattering him, reminding him of his superiority
“from her Husband’s hand her hand soft she withdrew”
convoluted sytnax - the placement of the verb evokes a sense of finality, foreshadowing. The sybolism of “joynt hands” prior is broken
“deceav’d, much failing, hapless Eve”
failing in her duty to overcome decpetion
“This flourie plat, sweet recess of Eve”
Satan objectifies her
“Whose higher intellectual more I shun”
He targets Eve because she is weaker and less intelligent than Adam
“With burnisht Neck of verdant Gold”
Satan is lavish and seductive
“sovran Mistress” “Celestial Beautie” “Empress of this fair World” “Queen of this Universe”
He flatters her
Vanity is her weakness, or her feelings of inferiority?
“Shouldst be seen as a goddess among Gods”
He confirms her desire to be superior to Adam.
branches would reqire “thy utmost reach or Adams”
Eve’s weakness is her jealousy of Adam. Satan initiates competition here and Eve is determined to prove she doe not need Adam
“the Threatener”
Satan makes God sound tyrnannical
“If what is evil be real, why not known, since easier sunnd?”
Rhetorical question - how can evil exist if you don’t know what it is?
The tree can giver her knowledge of good and evil
Satan argues that he doesnt want them to eat from the tree “to keep ye low and ignorant”
implies God is corrupt
their eyes that “are dim, shall be perfectly op’nd and cleerd, and ye shall be as Gods”
Tempting her
“reach then, and freely taste”
imperative language is ironic (“freely”) he has decieved her, thus this is not an exercise of free will
“her rash hand”
“she pluck’d, she eat”
“rash” - she did not use her reason, only impulse
the blunt repetitve verb phrases imply she acted quickly and impulsively
“Greedily she ingorg’d without restraint”
Animalsitic, gluttonous
“give him to partake full happiness with mee”
She considers telling Adam.
“full happiness” - she believes the tree has blessed her
she considers not telling Adam to “render me more equal”
She doesn’t want to be superior to him, just his equal - can we hate her for that?
“sometime superior: for inferior who is free?”
radical revolutinary question
Milton supprted a republican government, free of rigid class structures associated with monarchy
“Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe”
The thought of knowledge encouraged her to keep her actions secret from Adam, but the thought of ensuing death encouraged her to tell him. We mistrust her
“also taste, that equal lot may joyne us, equal joy, equal love”
she attempts to manipualte him with the same sense of unity they had at the beginning
“from his slack hand the garland wreath’d for Eve down dropped, and all the faded roses shed”
the adjective “slack” implies Adam is overwhelmed by horror and shock
He made a garland for Eve out of love, reinforced by the symbolism of the roses, but they drop to the floor
“defac’t, deflourd, and now to death devote/”
Plosive alliteration highlights the pain and anger in his words
she has lost her purity
“should God create another Eve, and I another rib afford”
Despite his immense love for Eve, he will always view her as an object that he created
Adam resolves “never shall be parted, bliss or woe”
He repeats Eve’s previous words
“we are one, one flesh; to lose thee were to lose my self”
Metahphor - He believes they are unified as a single soul.
Highlights how his love for Eve comes before all else
Eve says “This happie trial of thy love”
But is it? Or is she manipulating him for fear she will die alone. It is also ironic, as she failed the last “trial”
She tells Adam “freely taste”
The same thing Satan had said to her
Adam hesitated to eat the apple but was “fondly overcome with femal charm”
Reinforces the idea of Eve as a temptress. However, it is not her fault men are easily seduced
“Carnal desire enflaming”
“lascivious eyes”
“in lust they burne”
Their companionship has descended from pure love to lust
“thir eyes how op’nd, and thir minds how dark’nd”
Paradox - the truth brings them darkness
“to guiltie shame hee cover’d”
They become ashamed of their nakedness, innocence and purity is lost
“leaves un naked thus, of Honour void, of Innocence, of Faith, of Puritie”
He feels only guilt and shame
Their minds were a “calm Region once and full of Peace, now tost and turbulent”
their minds are compared to a destructive storm
“understanding rul’d not, and the Will heard not her lore, both in subjection now to sensual Appetite”
They lost their gift of reason and free will because they controlled by their sins
Adam states that if “thou hadst heark’nd to my words, and stai’d with me, as I besought thee” they would still be happy
He puts the blame on her, reminding her that he had tried to stop her.
“thou couldst not have discernd fraud in the serpent”
Eve is defensive, arguing that Adam would have been mislead too
“As good have grown there still a liveless rib”
Eve argues that if she had not have eaten from the tree she woud still be inferior
A 21st century audience would sympathise
“hadst thou bin firm and fixt in thy dissent” they would still be happy
Eve puts the blame on Adam arguing that he should have been more assertive
“What could I more? I warn’d thee, I admonish’d thee, foretold the danger”
Rhetorical question and asyndetic list emphasises Adam’s feeling of helplessness
“Thus it shall befall him who to worth in Women overtrusting…left to her self, if evil thence ensue, shee first his weak indulgence will accuse”
The adverb “thus” implies Adam has come to his final conclusion, the tone is didactic. He deduces his only mistake was trusting Eve, because she made error and then blamed him for it. His use of the third person implies this is a universal truth for women and men.
