Milton’s Paradise Lost Essay -- Milton’s Paradise Lost

Miltons Paradise woolly has been praised as being the greatest English epic of all time, most stunningly in its authors depiction of the parents of humanity, Adam and Eve. How Milton chose to portray the original mother and father has been a focus of much criticism with contemporary readers. One of the main subjects of these comments is in reference to Eve, who, according to many, is a trivial character that is most definitely inferior to her couple up. Nonetheless, many do not recognize that, after the fateful Fall, she becomes a much more evolved character. When Eve is introduced to the storyline of the epic, her character is shallow and extremely undeveloped, meant simply for display. She is quite firmly set as being inferior to her mate as a female in a predominantly male world. However, upon her decision to eat the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, her change is dramatic and she is no overnight the simple character seriously lacking in depth of intellect or knowledge. Thus, as portrayed by Milton, the Fall of the parents of humanity is, in fact, an educational and developing process for Eve. Immediately upon the introduction of Eve to the epic she is clearly portrayed as being slightly dimwitted and unsophisticated, and seems to simply exist for the exhibition of her smasher and grace. She is shown as being desirable and extremely beautiful to look upon, as Milton often describes her beauty. Actually, the first time that Eve sees Adam she flees from him in fear, as he was not as beautiful as the image that she saw of herself in a pool of water. In fact, she was so infatuated with the image of herself that she would have remained had beau ideal not taken her away to meet her mate Pleasd it returnd as soon with answering looks/ Of sy... ... 1959. 222-246.11. Gulden, Ann, Torday. Miltons Eve and Wisdom the dinner party Party Scene inParadise Lost. Milton Quarterly. 32.4 (1998) 137-143.12. Hart, Thomas, E. Miltons Eve and the Ramayanas Sita Two Female A rchetypes. 1995.13. Lewis, C.S. A Preface to Paradise Lost. capital of the United KingdomOxford University Press, 1942. 116-121.4. Milton, John. Paradise Lost and Other Poems. Intr. Edwards Le Comte. New York Mentor Books, 1961. 33-343.15. Milton, John. Milton Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. Ed. Chrisropher Ricks. New York New American Library, 1982.16. Sampson, George. The Concise Cambridge History of English Literature. 2nd ed. London Cambridge at the University Press, 1961. 357-370.17. Stone, James, W. Mans Effeminate Slackness Androgyny and the Divided Unity of Adam and Eve. Milton Quarterly. 31.2 (1997) 33-42.