key quotes

• 'for what can 'scape the eye of God all-seeing' 


  emphasises the futility of actions throughout the poem due to God's omniscience. It also helps show the value of free-will, god is not preventing humanity from being tempted.
• 'I shall temper so / justice with mercy' 


  the son. Son willing to show mankind mercy - almost seen as a heroic act. Milton's ultimate hero he has in mind is Jesus.
• 'methinks i feel new strength within me rise, wings growing, and dominion given me' 


  sin. The sense of ambition and opportunity growing at the expense of the fall. Link to Eve thinking she is growing wings when she eats the fruit. Negative perception of women in general. Also ambition to rule dominion links to milton's anti-monarchy attitude
• 'a greater power now ruled him, punished in the shape he sinned' 


  shows gos supremacy over satan and the realisation that there is nothing satan can do to combat it. Satan is not heard of after the moment. It emphasises how the notion of Satan's heroism cannot be sustained.
• 'out of my sight, thou serpent!'

  this was in response to Eve trying to improve things between the two of them. Extremely misogynistic response - comparing her to satan as devious and not to be trusted.
• 'a rib/crooked by nature' 


  Adam's misogyny

  context - Joseph Swetnam - the arraignment - 'women are crooked by nature'
• 'let us seek death'


  Eve displaying suicidal thoughts in response to the fall - selfish tendencies? rash decision making?
• 'his hands/clothed us unworthy, pitying while he judged' 


  Adam's epiphany. Stops the story of paradise lost from turning into a tragedy. Also re-emphasises Adam's higher level of understanding and intelligence to Eve when compared to her reaction
• "The serpent subtlest beast of all the field."

  P.L B9 Satan hides in a snake. Highlights that he aims to rebel sneakily. Ambition, defiance, deception
• but first from inward grief

  His bursting passion in plaints thus poured'

  - torment is external but he is also tormented by his lack of ability to control emotion

  - also shows how he turns to complaining - type of speech made by character in a play who has fallen from power

  - self pity and vengance
• "revenge at first though sweet, bitter ere long back on itself recoils. Let it"

  - highlights self-destructive nature of satan - he knows what his actions will result in yet he does not seem to care

  - shows he values the satisfaction of vengeance over his own happiness
• Eve first to her husband thus began'

  - Eve is outspoken and not submissive. - not respecting the natural order and heirarchy

  - significant that she speaks first - desire for independence

  - She comes up with the plan to work more efficiently.
• Sole eve, associate sole, to me beyond compare above all living creatures dear!'

  - makes marriage sound like a mutual companionship - something which was not the case during the time Milton was writing this

  - the superlative suggests Adam's inability to keep logic or reason when he is around Eve
• Safest and seemliest by her husband stays'

  - suggestion that Eve is more vulnerable than Adam

  - in line with traditional gender roles + appropriate social standard during 17th century
• "And what is faith, love, virtue unassayed

  Alone, without exterior help sustained?'

  - Eves argument to Adam

  - how can they be sure of authenticity of love if you do not test it

  - she could be talking about god when referencing exterior help

  - could be talking about each other
• reason is free

  - reminder of the free will given to make choices

  - will remain free if they continue to reason

  - link to malfi with the sudden marriage possibly being a surge of pride to defy brothers
• if what is evil/Be real, why not known, since easier shunnd?'

  - suggestion that evil isn't real

  - ironic as Satan is a personification of evil

  - suggestion that it easier to avoid something if you know what it is
• she plucked, she eat.

  - intresting that the act of eating the fruit is only 4 words

  - such a small act could lead to such a large amount of downfall

  - rash move without thought

  - milton sharing decisions and thought process as more important than the actions
• Greedily she engorged without restraint'

  - displays the evil of gluttony.

  - now she has eaten the fruit she is a slave to sin - milton compares this to being drunk - inability to restrain herself or her actions
• Sometime/ superior for inferior who is free?'

  - a convincing argument for a modern feminist reader - why is it that a constant sense of inferiority is attached with the idea of gender - eve wants to change this
• o fairest of creation, last and best/of all God's works

  - another superlative is used to describe eve by adam

  - putting eve above god?

  - inability to see reason when around eve
• so rose the danite strong, herculean samson, from the harlot-lap of philistean dalilah

  - first reading suggests that Adam is samson and Eve is daliah

  - however they could be both samson and the tree of knowledge is dalilah

  - or it could possibly be satan/ temptation

  - this is an epic similie - taken from the book of Judges chptr 16.
• "for what can 'scape the eye of God all-seeing, or decieve his heart omniscient?"

  - rhetorical question highlighting that nothing can ever escape gods vision
• mortal sentence pass on his transgression

  - god is now ready to judge adam and eve - subject to death? - warned before to Adam and Eve in genesis
• hid themselves among the thickest trees

  - mirrors satan's actions in book nine

  - associated with sin

  - trying to hid their nakedness

  - by trying to conceal themselves they are just highlighting their guilt
• that from her hand i could suspect no ill

  - Adam lying to the son of god

  - drops the crown of flowers he made for her when he sees eve once she has fallen

  - shows willing to try and decieve god once he has fallen
• The serpent me beguiled and I did eat'

  - 1 line answer in comparison to the speech made by Adam

  - shows their different responses to guilt and shame - has she resigned herself to her place in humanity

  - Eve does not dance around the answer

  - this is her word for word answer in bible
• For dust thou art, and shalt to dust return

  - emphasises humans mortality

  - showing how humanity will never be able to gain a power anywhere close to gods - are subject to his will