In Book Eight, Adam asks God for something to complete his wonderful life. He is overwhelmed by the gifts God has given him, as described on page 185 (which reminded me of the Geico gecko frolicking through the fields in a commercial a few years ago). Despite these feelings of bliss, Adam questions God, "In solitude / What happiness? Who can enjoy alone / Or all enjoying what contentment find" (8. 364)? So God then goes and creates Woman from one of Adam's ribs. I thoroughly enjoyed the next few passages, smiling at God's insistence of Adam's true appreciation for the essence of a woman, commenting on the fact that he must learn to love her soul, her mind, and her heart rather than solely her body. The way Adam describes Woman made me wonder what Milton's beliefs of true love were. Are Adam's words simply thoughts from the story of Creation? Or does Milton actually have a soft spot for women, deeply hidden beneath his obvious sense of manly superiority?
"And in her looks, which from what time infused / Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before / And into all things from her air inspired / The spirit of love and amorous delight" (8. 474-479).
"Grace was in all her steps, Heav'n in her eye, / In every gesture dignity and love" (8. 488-489).
My favorite parts of Paradise Lost seem to involve Adam and Eve and the Creation. Are these thoughts mostly taken from the actual story of the Creation? Or are Milton's feelings of men and women reflected within their relationship? I would like to see a different side to Milton than we have so far - less depressive and sympathizing with Satan and more of a relationship with God and an understanding of his works. Maybe my religious background keeps me from sympathizing with Milton and feeling sorrow for Satan. Perhaps that is why I am so interested in the Creation and not so much the actual story of Paradise Lost.
Kellie M.
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