Paradise Lost - Plot Flashcards
Book IX
- Opens with a personal prologue (argument)and a restatement of the poem’s central theme
- The poem is said to be, from here on, of the tragic mode.
- What Milton has to relate is epic, and he means to demonstrate how the Fall is superior to other stories in which legend and myth play a significant part
- It is thanks to his celestial (heavenly) muse that he is able to commit his thoughts to paper.
- The action starts with Satan, compassing the earth, soliloquizing on his torment.
- He finds a way to sneak in to Paradise and adopts the guise of the serpent.
- As day dawns, Eve suggests that they divide their labours in the garden to work more effectively, unheeded by the distractions of ‘smiles’ and ‘casual discourse’
- Despite voicing at some length his fear for her safety, he eventually allows her to go. The narrator declaims against this
- Satan catches sight of Eve and he is momentarily disarmed
- But he gains her attention and begins his temptation
- Eve marvels at the serpent’s human voice and Satan leads her to the tree which he claims gave him the power of speech
- She resists when she discovers it is the forbidden tree, but Satan commands her to look at him, and to see that the tree has yielded him a ‘life more perfect’
- Astonished by Satan’s command of reason, persuaded by his flattery, and in hunger of knowledge and godhead, Eve begins to persuade herself to succumb, and plucks and eats the ‘intellectual fruit’
- The Earth then feels wounded and nature sighs in woe, for with this act, humankind has fallen
- She considers keeping it for herself, but decides to share all and brings Adam a sample
- Adam is horrified. However, he cannot bear to be separated from Eve, even if this means death, and he reconciles himself to what seems necessary: he completes the ‘mortal sin | Original’ by eating the fruit himself.
- He turns a lustful eye on Eve, and they run off into the woods for sexual play.
- Adam and Eve later wake to find themselves naked and miserable.
- They cover themselves, ashamed, and weep at the discord of the post-lapsarian world.
- Ends with them arguing and blaming one another
Book X
- The scene returns to Heaven, where God knows immediately that Adam and Eve have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge.
- God tells the angels that he allowed it himself without condoning it, and acquits his angels of any guilt.
- He then sends his Son down to pass judgment on the couple.
- In Paradise, the Son calls to Adam, who comes shamefacedly along with Eve - they are embarrassed by their nakedness.
- Asked if they have eaten from the tree, Adam admits that Eve gave the fruit to him to eat, and Eve blames the serpent for persuading her to take it.
- The Son first condemns the serpent, whose body Satan possessed to tempt Eve.
- He ordains that all snakes now must crawl on their bellies
- The Son decrees that Adam and Eve’s children will bruise the serpent’s head, while serpents will forever bite humans by the heel.
- As punishment for the couple, Eve and all women will give birth in pain, and must submit to their husbands.
- Adam and all men will have to labor to hunt and harvest food in cursed ground.
- After passing these sentences, the Son returns to Heaven.
- Meanwhile in Hell, Sin and Death remain at the gate of Hell
- Sensing that Satan has succeeded in his task, they finish the bridge linking Hell to Earth and begin to travel toward Earth to meet him
- At the edge of Paradise, Sin and Death meet Satan.
- They congratulate him for succeeding in his mission and promise him that they will infect the Earth - ‘Death’ will corrupt all living things, causing them to die, and ‘Sin’ will corrupt the deeds of humankind.
- They also tell Satan that his success must have allowed them to leave Hell, proving that he has established his control over humankind and Earth.
- Satan thanks Sin and Death for their praises and urges them to hurry to conquer Earth.
- Satan believes that he has in fact acquired the special powers Sin and Death spoke of, when in truth God allows them to enter Earth so that the Son can conquer them when he becomes human.
- Now, Satan goes back down to Hell, where his followers have been eagerly awaiting his return. Satan speaks to them from Pandemonium, tells them of his triumph, and expects to hear riotous applause. Instead, he hears hisses signifying scorn for him and his devastating act. The devils have all been transformed into snakes, along with Satan, who did not understand the punishment the Son foretold. A grove of trees appears in Hell, with fruit that turns to ashes as soon as the snakes try to bite it.
Sin and Death arrive on Earth and begin their work. From Heaven, God sees that they have come to Earth and tells his angels that he will allow Sin and Death to stay on Earth until Judgement Day. After then, they must return to Hell and be forever locked up with Satan and the other devils.
God now calls for his angels to alter the universe. They tilt the Earth’s axis or alter the path of the sun (the poem allows for both interpretations). Now humankind will have to endure extreme hot and cold seasons, instead of enjoying the constant temperate climate that existed before Adam and Eve’s fall from God’s grace. Meanwhile, Discord follows Sin to Earth and causes animals to war with each other and with humans too. Seeing these changes, Adam is sorrowful, and laments. He knows that the rest of humankind will suffer because of his disobedience, and wishes that he could bear all of the punishment upon himself. He curses life and wishes that Death would come at once to alleviate his misery. Instead, Eve comes to him. But Adam is angry; he blames and insults Eve’s female nature, wondering why God ever created her. She begs his forgiveness, and pleads with him not to leave her. She reminds him that the snake tricked her, but she fully accepts the blame for sinning against both God and him.
She argues that unity and love can save them in a fallen world. She longs for death and suggests that they take their own lives, but Adam forbids it. Eve’s speech affects Adam. He becomes calm, consoling her and sharing responsibility for their fall. They must stop blaming each other, he says. They must live with their mistakes and make the most out of their fallen state. Remembering the prophecy that Eve’s seed would bruise the head of the serpent, he feels that there is hope for humankind and advises that they obey God and implore his mercy and forgiveness. They return to the spot where they were punished. There, they fall to their knees, confess their sins, and ask for forgiveness.
