Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Character Analysis Of Adam And Eve In Paradise Lost

One of Milton’s most compelling interpretations in Paradise Lost and it’s the story of the creation involve its very first embodiments of mankind, Adam and Eve. The poem’s first depiction of Adam and Eve in their unfallen paradise accentuates their nobility, dignity and perfection, their unfallen aristocratic posture as they rule over the sacred garden of Eden. In this state of innocence, Adam and Eve discover themselves and eventually one another, allowing them to explore and interpret their own diverging creations. Milton initially presents Eve’s account for her birth from Adam’s rib in Book IV through her conversation with Adam, later followed by Adam’s interpretation with Raphael in Book VIII. Their recountings of their self†¦show more content†¦This illustrates a misinterpretation of pride, as she may not be aware that the image is of herself, but simply that she is deeply attracted to it. God’s ambiguous yet cautious voi ce soon assures â€Å"what there thou seest, fair creature, is thyself,† (4.468) affirming that the image Eve is so mesmerized by, is in fact herself, whilst still reiterating her fairness. God immediately warns of her â€Å"vain desire,† suggesting an acknowledgement of inherent sin and a sense of familiarity and parallelism with Satan’s excessive pride. Eve immediately obeys his invisible voice, leading her away from her reflection and vanity toward her â€Å"other half,† (4.489) Adam. At this point, Eve recognizes the reflection as her own, displaying a gesture toward self-regard. God’s compelling voice as he leads her â€Å"where no shadow stays,† (4.471) echoes back to her awakening underneath the shade. Through this, God could be implying that Eve must be removed from â€Å"the shade† and her own reflection, and instead follow the light, being Adam. God assigns Eve as a derivative of Adam, â€Å"he whose image thou art,† emphasizing Eve’s inferiority to Adam and furthering her distance from God and his light. Her display of displeasure towards Adam’s appearance, describing him as â€Å"less fair, less winning soft, less amiably mild† (4.478-79) reveals a natural attraction towards herself, as she immediately wishes to return to her own reflection. The conduplicatioShow MoreRelatedThe Female Character in the Epic Stories Paradise Lost and the Ramayana1555 Words   |  7 PagesTHE FEMALE CHARACTER IN THE EPIC STORIES PARADISE LOST AND THE RAMAYANA [Name of the Student] [Name of the Instructor] [Subject] [Date] The Ramayana and Paradise Lost hold stories of ancient times that tend to explain the existence of two different cultures in the present world. 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