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In the poem “Paradise Lost”, John Milton addresses a number of issues. One of the major themes of the poem is obedience and temptation. The author provides us with an appealing idea of freedom related to Christianity.
In fact, the entire work focuses on Christianity. When talking about Eve and Adam, Milton mostly focuses on the idea of freedom. From stanzas 1-55 in Book III, Milton talks about freedom in this regard. On the other hand, freedom is also discussed for reflecting the image of God, His Greatness, the Son, simplicity, truth, intelligence, and physical light.
The open performance of any human activity is not possible if a person cannot differentiate reason and will. According to Milton, the confidence in God is an openly performed human activity. Unlike Stanley Fish and others, Milton stresses that believing in God is an activity of reason. This does not mean that ordering Adam and Eve to keep away from the Tree of Knowledge was God’s way to refrain them from doing a deed that they could not perform otherwise. They could have performed the deed candidly. It was a test to check their level of freedom and their submission to God. Thus, human beings have a fallible nature even though they are the aftereffect of God and the Son. At the same time, man has his own reasons and sometimes fails to appreciate the flexibility that relies on it. If seen from Michael’s perspective, the imperfect human beings are allowed to defy their reason (just as Adam and Eve). Yet, it is also true that human beings disobey reason and permit it to be administered by longing and yearning. It can be said that the freedom of a man relies upon his obeying reason. Throughout Milton’s sonnet, he makes the audience realize that the submission and refusal are the precondition of internal opportunity and willful activity. In Book III, God clarifies the need of "will and reason" (Milton 108) as "confirmation/of genuine steadfastness" (Milton 104-105) to Him. It clearly states that God does not enjoy from submission of man paid out of "need". In fact, God loves freedom of man that is decided by not paid out of man’s reason and will. A man is considered submissive and dutiful only when he turns to God with authentic reasons and freedom of choice.
As the opportunity of reason is symbolized by man's submission to God, it also challenges the thought that man is "adequate to have stood" (Milton 99). How does reason make a man powerful enough to stand, or oppose sin, in Paradise Lost? Just as reason empowers man to act in accordance with God’s will, it also allows a man to make to mistake or commit sin. In simple words, the author does not appreciate freedom. Adam and Eve were asked to not eat the apple from the tree because God wanted to test their compliance. For the same reason, their freedom is considered ‘restricted’.
Paradise Lost expresses that the lyric's fundamental topic will be "Man's first Disobedience". Milton portrays the tale of Adam and Eve's disobedience and lure, clarifies how and why it happens, and connects the story with Satan's rebelliousness and Jesus' revival. According to Raphael, Satan wanted to manipulate Adam by tricking him and putting his obedience at risk. Basically, Paradise Lost presents two good ways that one can take after defiance: the downward expansion of sin and corruption of Satan and the street to recovery of Adam and Eve.
While Adam and Eve are the primary people to resist God, Satan is surely a creation of God to resist. His choice to revolt comes just from himself—he was not influenced or incited by others. Additionally, his choice to keep on defying God after his fall into Hell guarantees that he is unforgettable. On the other hand, Adam and Eve choose to apologize for their disobedience and ask God to forgive them. This is the major difference between Satan and Adam and Eve that is demonstrated in the poem. Unlike Satan, Adam and Eve chose to remain submissive to God instead of defying and adjusting their bad deeds.
Eve is a more straightforward person as compared to Adam. She is lovely, wise, and capable. In fact, the poet shows her character as better than Adam. She questions Adam from time to time but in a normal and respectful way. This was the reason Satan decides to trick her by sweet talk and to play with her innocent mind. He becomes glad discovering Eve alone. Recognizing Adam as a troublesome opponent, Satan tries to play with Eve's shortcomings. He succeeds as Eve gets enchanted by him and fails to look through his evil intentions.
Works Cited
Milton, John, and A. W. Verity. Paradise Lost. Cambridge: U, 1929. Print.
