Response to Rebecca's "Could Adam be the reason..." post:

In the article, "On Adam and Eve: Paradise Lost: The Conscious Meaning and The Unconscious Meaning" by E. M. W. Tillyard that I just discussed, Tillyard claims that "Mental levity is common to both Adam and Eve, but stronger in Eve" (450).  Levity is described as "lightness of mind, character or behavior; lack of appropriate seriousness or earnestness" by Dictionary.com.  I think Rebecca brings up a very important point that perhaps Adam is overlooked and critics are quick to judge Eve, simply because she is the one who physically caused The Fall.  Can we blame Eve for being beguiled by the serpent?  While Milton has depicted Eve as a women who can similarly reason like Adam, he has also shown her in a way that appears to be more flighty and carefree.  Is Adam, the man who is able to reason, to blame for allowing Eve to go off by herself, consciously aware of the dangers of such actions?  Or is Eve using the classic, "He told me to do it" excuse to get out of the sin she has just committed?  

Kellie M.

On Adam and Eve: E.M.W Tillyard- From Paradise Lost: The Conscious Meaning and The Unconscious Meaning

E. M. W. Tillyard responds somewhat bitterly in his article about Adam and Eve in Milton's Paradise Lost.  He claims that Milton's views are undeniably Adam's thoughts and that Milton's views on the subordination of women are evidently expressed in Paradise Lost.  After quoting Paradise Lost, Tillyard states, "It is of course Milton's own voice, unable through the urgency of personal experience to keep silent" (450).

Tillyard goes on to explain the sin of all humanity is the fear of being alone.  He claims gregariousness, meaning sociable according to Dictionary.com, is common in humanity as well, but this is only a sin for men, as women are not meant to stand alone.

Tillyard says, "uxoriousness is a purely masculine failing".  Here, uxoriousness is a means being "affectionately submissive towards one's wife" (Dictionary.com).  Clearly Tillyard recognizes Milton's obvious inequality of men and women in Paradise Lost, however, while Milton seems to have respect for mankind, Tillyard gives off the impression that he views men as unworthy in his description by stating that only men are sinning when they fear being alone.  Tillyard then criticizes Milton's depiction of Adam and Eve while stating that there was no way Milton could have described them accurately because no concrete visual of Adam and Eve exists.  Also discussed in this article is the idea that milton fully expresses his lifelong search for perfection in Paradise Lost.  This is the "unconscious" aspect of his epic poem, expressed in the relationship and events regarding Adam and Eve.

While Tillyard may be able to recognize some of what Milton is trying to convey, his article sheds somewhat of a negatively bitter attitude towards Milton's Paradise Lost in his description of what he believes to be the underlying theme of the poem: Paradise, not Paradise Lost.

Kellie M.

Satan's confliction's with time and self-love

In Regina M Schwartz’s article “Yet once more”: Re-creation, Repetition, and Return, Schwartz points out 2 ideas that I feel are important. The first is that time goes on, and neither humans nor Satan can stop it or go back. The only one with that power is God, and Satan struggles with this idea, leading him to repeat his wrong doings. The other idea that Schwartz points out is the effect of narcissism on oneself and how similar Satan is to Eve.

I would first like to focus on the idea of time. Satan has fallen, but he refuses to accept this, and therefore “repeats” his act of falling by going to earth and corrupting man. Satan refuses to accept that another being has put him where he is (hell), and is instead determined that he is there by choice. Satan cannot go back in time, so his only option is to continue forward in a series of repetitive movements of his past errors. Satan is forced to a world “of wrath and displeasure, and he wreaks revenge on whatever does not feel wrath and displeasure as he does…revenge is the will’s ill will against time”

Because Satan is unable t be in a paradise, he decides that Adam and Eve can no longer be in their own paradise. Satan’s plan is “not just of expelling mankind, but with the more comprehensive aim of wasting the whole creation.” In this act, Satan falls again as he repeats his motives for up heaving God.

The second point Schwartz makes is the narcissistic qualities shared between Satan an Eve. Satan expresses a “towering self-love” when he claims to be self-created and when that claim leads him to resistance to God. Satan’s incredible self-love makes it hard for him to watch Adam and Eve embrace because he cannot stand that “two are participating in that embrace”. This is because for him, the only love is self -love. There is no room for love of another.

Satan’s self love extends to his love of Sin who is from Satan, therefore a part of him. It is through Sin that Schwartz compares Satan and Eve. Eve herself showed self love as she looked at her reflection. Eve’s characteristics are strikingly similar to Sin’s. They were both formed “from the left side of their parent/mate.” I believe this came up in class, but I am not sure who said it. I would like to agree that it is a bit ironic that Eve is supposed to be pure but she comes from the same side of Adam that Sin comes from Satan. Furthermore, the “issue of her loins, like Sin’s, will be ‘Food for so foul a Monster.’” Both Eve and Sin suffer the same fate.

What is important to notice here is that the connections between Eve and Sin are s similar that it seems to link Eve to Satan, potentially a reflection that Eve was the one that needed to be deceived into falling first. Satan refuses to acknowledge his narcissism, and he even claims to have n recollection of Sin. At last Eve knew that she was staring at herself. Even though she was turned away she realized the power of self-love, where Satan rejects any such accusations.

 

Rebecca R.

 

Source: “Yet once more”: Re-Creation, Repetition, and Return by Regina M. Schwartz

Could Adam be the reason for losing Paradise?

I would first like to direct your attention to Sheryl's post, Was Paradise already Lost? Sheryl addresses the decision of Eve to work separately from Adam. I know that the bible shows Eve being tempted alone, and that the same event has to happen in Paradise Lost; but I cant help but feel that its somewhat Adam's fault. Adam gives in to Eves request and leaves her alone right after he is warned about Satan. This contradicts the idea of Eve getting directions from Adam, and instead portrays Eve as an authoritative figure, and Adam a bit submissive to her. 

Then after they both eat the fruit, Adam turns on Eve, blaming her for their actions:

Desire of wandering this unhappy morn

(I know not whence) possessed thee! We had then

Remained still happy, not as now despoiled

Of all our good, shamed, naked, miserable! (9.1136-9)

However, Adam was the one who allowed them to part that morning. So his decision to let Eve go on her own was a decision that put Eve in the position to make the decision to eat the fruit. Is Adam not supposed to have more reason? So would it not make sense for Adam to stay with Eve to be a source of reason and to prevent her from being tempted?

Yet it is still a common belief that Eve should be the one blamed for the fall because she was the one to take the fruit, eat it, and then feed it to Adam. It seems as though Adams lack of protection that day is overlooked to place the blame elsewhere. But I think that if Adam was with Eve, the blame would be placed equally on them- for they would both had been fooled. For now, I feel that responsibility rests on Adams shoulders, as he was the one to relinquish his role as Eve's protector that day. It was Adam who allowed Eve to wander on her own, when he knew of the increased dangers she could face.

Rebecca R.

Was Paradise already Lost?

In Book IX of Paradise Lost, Eve and Adam are having a discussion about whether or not Eve should go off on her own to do work. Adam believes that it would be far to dangerous for Eve to go off considering that they have been warned about the threat of Satan on Earth. Eve then beings up a very interesting point.

"If this be our condition, thus to dwell
In narrow circuit strait'n'd by a Foe,
Subtle of violent, we not endu'd
Single with like defence, wherever met,
How are we happy, still in fear of harm?" (9. 322-26)

In this passage, Eve points out that they are already not living the same blissful life they once were simply because they now must watch out for Satan within their Paradise.
This passage leads me to speculate if Milton was trying to make it seem as though Adam and Eve's fall was not so traumatic after all, and that because of Satan's threat, Paradise never had a chance of staying blissful forever. Or maybe, Milton was trying to point out that Eve may have had more reason than Adam after all.

Sheryl W.

Summary of Criticism

In Joeseph A. Wittreich Jr.'s article From Critiquing the Feminist Critique, Wittreich dispels the common notion that women should be and generally are offended by Milton's portrayal of Eve as the ruiner of man-kind. Wittreich explains that Milton's works were popular among both sexes during the eighteenth century, and that women actually respected Milton's work as much, if not more, than men of the time did.Wittreich also uses the views of other critics, such as Mary Wollstonecraft, to explain why many women find no offense in Paradise Lost. Wollstonecraft did not feel that Milton's Eve is not a stereotype by which women should characterize themselves because it is actually, "commentary not on women but on men from whose imagination she sprang- from Milton's Adam, before him, from Milton himself."
Other critics noted, such as C.P. Moritz, gave a completely different take on women's view of Paradise Lost, claiming that many women do not identify with Eve at all. Mortiz explains that women who felt that they were "victimized by male-dominated society," often identified most closely with Satan. These women felt that their life struggles were reflected within Satan's struggles, so they can easily connect with Satan as they read.
I find the above arguments very interesting because I had never considered that fact that women were just as enthralled with Paradise Lost as men were in the eighteenth century. Also, it intrigues me that women so were so easily able to rationalize Milton's thoughts without offense, sometimes regarding Eve's interpretation as one created by the minds of men, or simply instead identifying with the struggles of Satan. I cannot say that necessarily feel the same way about Eve's representation, but now will have an idea of how to look at Eve from different perspectives.

Sheryl W.

Reason for God's Test of Adam?

While Kellie has already mentioned Adam asking for “something to complete his wonderful life” and has examined the idea of love in Book VIII, I would like to address the why.( Creation of Women by Kellie M. )

 When Adam asks God for a companion, God responds “not displeased” (VIII. 398) showing he is not upset with Adam’s request. Why does God not take offense? Why doesn’t God see this as Adam being greedy? Has he not given Adam a beautiful world to live in and plenty of creatures to observe and interact with? I find it hard that God does not seem insulted when one of his creations tells Him that he was not given enough. Instead God seems to have expected this, and wanted Adam to ask fro a companion. Why is this?

Does God know what solitude feels like being superior to all other living things, and therefore wants Adam to realize that solitude is not pleasant. That the need for a companion is something even God needs. Has God experienced loneliness first hand in a way that makes him feel that no other being shall be alone, thus creating all species with companions? The only difference between the two is that God can give to Adam an equal, but there can be no Equal to God. If there were an equal to God he would no longer be a superior being, the “omnipotent”.

Furthermore, God admits that Adams loneliness was a test: Thus far to try thee, Adam, I was pleased” (VIII. 437) Why would God feel the need to test Adam? Is He taking precautions so that another rebellion does not occur? Or is He simply expanding Adams intellect? Must Adam feel the emotion of loneliness to fully appreciate a companion?

I personally think that God was testing Adam to see if he would stand up to God in an “acceptable” manner. By acceptable, I mean in a way that does not threaten God's position of power such as Satan’s stance in the rebellion. I believe that God may have realized that his creations may feel as though they need more then he initially gave them. Could God then be transforming himself from an autocratic ruler to one of Democracy?

I understand I have just posed a bunch of questions, some I hope to find the answers to and others I feel will never be answered. I have written this blog as I posed questions to myself in reflecting on God’s rule in Book VIII. These questions are things that I found either interesting, or contradictory to what we have seen so far in Paradise Lost.

Rebecca R.

Creation of Woman

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.

Individual Post: Journal Article Summary

Source: Dowling, Paul M. "Civil Liberty and Philosophic Liberty in John Milton's Areopagitica." Interpretation 33.3 (2006): 281-294

Summary of Journal Article:

Paul M. Dowling provides a thorough analytical approach to Milton's ideas of liberty in his book, Areopagitica. Coining the phrase, “Miltonic liberty“, Dowling questions whether Milton’s ideas of freedom of speech is what it seems to be. Milton likens his proposal for certain censorship for the right of authors to express themselves freely be limited to the Athenian laws of censorship, who gave that liberty to the Esoteric, to the “Learned”.
Dowling also goes into great detail about the ambiguities behind the literal meanings of Milton’s ideas in both the English language and in Latin. Milton’s ideas of philosophic liberty rests upon the notion that the government should grant permission for writers to express themselves freely without interference from the government who’s prone to licensing “men commonly without learning and of vulgar judgment”, to decide what book needs to be censored. Dowling also mentions that although Areopagitica seems to be like any other defense for the freedom to publish without interference, Milton might have written it with a different agenda in mind. He outrightly stated that “the problems censorship addresses would be better solved by authorial and Parliamentary restraint”. He argues that Milton might have felt conflicted with the idea of censorship and the idea that, yes, some books need to be censored, but it should only be done by those from the Learned Community.

- Marjorie D.

Group Post- Milton's works

Demaray, John. Milton and the Masque Tradition: The Early Poems,

"Arcades," & Comus.

Cambridge, Massachusettes: Harvard University Press, 1968.

 

Dobranski, Stephen B. “Letter and Spirit in Milton’s Areopagitica.” Milton’s Studies 32

(1995):131-152

 

Firth, C.H., and R.S. Rait, eds. “June 1643: An Ordinance for the regulating of Printing.”

British History Online. History of Parliament Trust. 28 Sept. 2008

<http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=55829.>.

 

Herman, Peter C, ed. Approaches to Teaching Milton’s Shorter Poetry and Prose. New

York: Mod.Lang.Assn.,200

 

 

Areopagitica, written in 1644, is John Milton’s response to the Licensing Order of 1643. This ordinance states that any book, pamphlet or paper had to be approved by a person licensed by Parliament before it was published (Firth). This strengthened the power of Parliament, by placing the decision of what is available to the public to read in the hands of “a few men” (Dobranski). It seems as though Milton believes that the people have a right to express their opinions thorough writing, regardless of the judgment of those in Parliament.  Similarly, Milton’s masque Comus, demonstrates ideas of free will and freedom of choice.  Comus, the antagonist, tries to tempt the lady from the narrative to surrender her virtue.  Her response to remain virtuous parallels Milton’s reaction to Areopagitica, demonstrating that Milton appreciates the power of free will.

For Milton the judgment of good and evil could only be distinguished by being exposed to both. In Areopagitica he mentions just how closely the two are tied together:

Good and evil we know in the field of this world grow up together almost inseparably; the knowledge of good… is interwoven with the knowledge of evil…what wisdom can there be to choose, what continence to forbear without the knowledge of evil?”

            Free will enables us to make our own distinctions between the two forces, favorable expressed by Milton. 

            In Milton’s Comus, the nymph Sabrina positively reinforces free will.  When The Lady stays true to her virtue, Sabrina uses her magic to release The Lady from captivity (Demaray, 90-91).  By demonstrating free will, The Lady triumphs, showing Milton’s positive view of expressionism. 

            Abdiel, an angel in Milton’s Paradise Lost, exposed to Satan’s plan of rebellion but not swayed by him, comparably underlines Milton’s views of the power of free will.  By consciously denying the influences of Satan, Abdiel becomes self-assured in his rightful decision, as he sees the outcome of the actions he rejected. 

            Milton appears to be a true advocate for freedom of choice and expression, expressed in his works, Areopagitica, Comus, and Paradise Lost.  

Individual Post - Comus

Brown, Cedric C., John Milron's Aristocratic Entertainments.  Cambridge University Press, 1985.

John Milton's masque, as defined in Sheryl's previous post,  Comus, encompasses some of the ideas of free will and personal motivation seen in Paradise Lost.  In John Milton's Aristocratic Entertainments by Cedric C. Brown, Brown reveals connections and meanings within Milton's works, especially in his chapter entitled 'Komos' - The Adversary for the Occasion.  In this chapter he draws connections between one of Milton's other works, The Arcadians and Comus, recognizing the importance of providence and the existence of the protective spirit, Jove in both works, enabling the reader to draw a potential reason behind the similarity.  In Aristocratic Entertainments, Brown describes Comus as "the deceptive spirit of that kind of luxurious feasting which habitually perverts its company" (Brown, 58), stating that the Greek word for komos is revelry, defined as "merry-making: boisterous gaiety or mirth" in the Oxford English Dictionary.  Here he is addressing the presence of evil and temptation in all of Milton's poems, making the main character a force of over exaggerated luxury.

Brown also draws connections between Comus and Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost.  One of his examples is how "the audience is made to understand how men are deceived by devilish illusion" (Brown, 63), both in Comus and Paradise Lost.  Similarly, Milton will "allow the action to reveal, by stages" (Brown, 61), much like his techniques in Paradise Lost where the reader is thrown into a post-fall discussion, only to be brought back to the true beginning of the story in later books.

Cedric Brown's John Milton's Aristocratic Entertainments analyzes the works of John Milton, including Comus, The Arcadians, and Paradise Lost in chapter 3, allowing the reader to obtain a deeper understanding of the thoughts and meanings behind Milton's other works, in our case, particularly Paradise Lost.

Kellie M.

Individual Post - Comus

Individual Post: Areopagitica

 Source:

Dobranski, Stephen B. “Letter and Spirit in Milton’s Areopagitica.” Milton’s Studies 32 (1995):131-152

Milton’ Areopagitica was written about the process of publishing books, particularly about Parliaments role in this process. Milton believed that, “The judgment of truth and falsehood, what should be printed and what suppressed, ought not to be in the hands of a few men.” (p.132) With this in mind, Milton wanted to make the process easier for writers, as by the time he had written Areopagitica he has several of his own works published. It is important to note that while Milton wanted less interference from Parliament, he did not want their participation to be obsolete. “He acknowledges that the industry would benefit from post publication licensing, perhaps as a safeguard from inaccurate reprints.”(p.134) This would ensure the protection of the authors, while giving them enough freedom to express themselves.

While Milton’s proposition allows writers freedom, Areopagitica is not just written about publishing. The style used in Areopagtica is worth noting. While many books published around this time (1644) were done so anonymously, Areopagitica went a step further. “Not only does Areopagitica lack a licenser, printer, and publisher, but on a literal level, the title page…also excludes the author of the printed text” (p.134) This puzzled me, leaving me wondering why someone who is fighting for publishing rights, would leave out such critical elements of their writing. Milton simply refers to himself in the title “Areopagitica:A Speech of Mr. John Milton For the Liberty of Vnlicenc’d Printing to the Parliament of England.”(p.134) It seems as though Milton is not even taking credit for Areopagitica, and makes me wonder if that is because he did not want to lose his standing with Parliament.

So while I agree with Milton’s ideas of limiting Parliaments authority over printing, and that writers should be able to freely express themselves; I do not agree with the format of Areopagitica’s first page. I believe that a stance so strong should be taken with at least enough confidence to place the authors name on the text. Milton had been knowledgeable with the publishing process, showing that he understood what he was talking about; and I believe his emphasis on freedom of expression is a way of foreshadowing his later works such as Paradise Lost. After all, I feel that a book that focuses so much on Satan, at least in the beginning, would have surely been “suppressed”.

 

 

Rebecca R.