Table of Contents
Major themes in “Paradise Lost"
Introduction
Milton’s subject in Paradise Lost
was the failure of humankind to live according to divine order and its slow
deliverance (God-given) from the consequences of the fall. The myth with which
he chose to deal, and in which he believed literally, was, like many other
parallel myths and folktales, an exploration of the moral consequences of
disobedience. The discovery of the knowledge of good and evil is neither
accidental nor happy. The central character Adam has no heroic destiny. Through
Eve’s corruption, all humankind is corrupted and as both are finally obliged to
understand, the spiritual struggle to regain paradise equity and equability
(self-control) extends through each generation of their descendants. In a profound
sense, Adam and Eve fall from the ideal into the human condition. The poem's great theme is obedience to an omnipotent God's creative order. The
will of God is imprinted in the harmony of nature, and the disaster of the fall is
as ecological as it is moral. Despite the temptation, we see the rebellion of
Satan as a heroic gesture of liberation and the fall of Adam as a species of
attentiveness towards his wife, Paradise Lost insistently attempts to assert
the ultimate justness of a loving God’s ‘Eternal Providence.’
Milton’s Paradise Lost: God is powerful
He creates man from his own image. They were in Eden and Satan live in Hell. Satan revolted against God and challenged the authority of God so sent to Hell. Adam is lesser than angels; Eve is created as Adam’s partner. They were sent to paradise in Eden Garden and said please don’t go near this tree of knowledge and prohibited to eat the fruit of knowledge. But they committed the sin to eat that prohibited fruit. It is in conman human nature, that if someone said that it is a prohibited thing then we attract to do that thing. Eve was tempted by Satan because Satan wants to take revenge on God and he knows very well that if he wants to take revenge with God he has to harm His creation. As he is not able to harm him directly, he tempts Eve to eat that apple and for the love of Eve Adam ate that apple willingly and in a conscious manner. Knowledge makes a man more unnatural, when both ate that apple they came to know about the good and evil, sexuality and other things. In Paradise Lost, Milton used many themes to write further about the epic. But the main theme of Paradise Lost is the Disobedience of Adam and Eve.
The purpose of Paradise Lost is
religious and has three parts.
(1) Disobedience
(2) Eternal providence
(3) Justification of God to men.
Disobedience
The first part of Milton’s
arguments hinges on disobedience and its opposite obedience. The universe
that Milton imagined with heaven at the top hell at the bottom and earth in
between is a hierarchical place. God sits on the throne at the top of
Heaven Angels are arranged in groups according to their proximity to God. On Earth, Adam is superior to Eve humans rule over animals. Even in Hell,
Satan sits on a thrown, higher than demons. The proper way of the world was for
inferiors to obey superiors because superiors are well superior. A king was not
because he was chosen but because he was superior to his subject. It was, therefore, not
just proper to obey the kind that was merely required. Satan’s rebellion because of
jealousy is the first great act of disobedience and commences all that happens
in the epic. The crucial moment in the poem results from disobedience and a
breakdown of hierarchy. Eve argues with Adam about whether they should work
together or apart. The problem here lies with both humans. Eve should not argue
with her superior, Adam, but like arise, Adam should not yield his authority to
his inferior, Eve. Likewise, when Adam also eats the fruit, he disobeys God. Further, he disobeys by knowingly putting Eve ahead of God. Disobedience
and disruption of the correct order result in sin and death.
Justification of ways of God to Man
Eternal providence moves the
story to a different level. This divine love would never have been demonstrated without the fall because Adam and Eve disobeyed God. By obeying God, he can
achieve salvation. The fall actually produces a new and higher love from God to
Man.
Eve’s revolt
There is an argument between Adam and Eve for the Division of work. Adam insists that Eve should be close to him and they work together. Eve wants to work independently without Adams's supervision. She wants to; live an independent life.
If so near.... good works in her husband to promote.
She furthers her argument saying
that their presence is a barrier to their work assigned by God. Adam tries to
pursue Eve not to part from him because they have a threat to their lives from
the enemy. But Eve is not convinced by the argument and ultimately decides to
part from Adam.
Stan’s Revolt
He revolts against God because is
disobeying Him. He speaks against God so he was punished and thrown into Hell. He knows that he is not capable to take revenge on God so he harms the
creation of God. Satan takes advantage of Eve and Adam’s separation. He
seduces Eve in the form of a serpent. Satan enters Eden
Garden unobserved at midnight
to take revenge against God. Satan’s motto is to destroy the creation of God.
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