Summary
The scene returns to Heaven, where God knows immediately
that Adam and Eve have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge. Gabriel
and the other angels guarding Paradise also know, and they fly back
up to Heaven. They report that they did all they could to prevent
Satan from re-entering the Garden. God tells them that he allowed
it himself without condoning it, and acquits his angels of any guilt.
He then sends his Son down to Earth to pass judgment on the couple.
In Paradise, the Son calls to Adam, who comes forth shamefacedly
along with Eve. They are embarrassed by their nakedness. Asked if
they have eaten from the tree, Adam admits that Eve gave the fruit
to him to eat, and Eve blames the serpent for persuading her to
take it. The Son first condemns the serpent, whose body Satan possessed
to tempt Eve. He ordains that all snakes now must crawl on their
bellies, never to carry themselves upright again. The Son decrees
that Adam and Eve’s children will bruise the serpent’s head, while
serpents will forever bite humans by the heel. As punishment for
the couple, Eve and all women to follow will give birth in pain, and
must submit to their husbands. Likewise, Adam and all men after
him will have to labor to hunt and harvest food in cursed ground.
After passing these sentences, the Son returns to Heaven.
Meanwhile in Hell, Sin and Death remain at the gate of
Hell where Satan left them. Sensing that Satan has succeeded in
his task, they finish the bridge linking Hell to Earth and begin
to travel toward Earth to meet him. At the edge of Paradise, Sin
and Death meet Satan. They congratulate him for succeeding in his
mission and promise him that they will infect the Earth. Death will
corrupt all living things, causing them to die, and Sin will corrupt
the thoughts and deeds of humankind. They also tell Satan that his
success must have allowed them to leave Hell, proving that he has
established his control over humankind and Earth. Satan thanks Sin
and Death for their praises and urges them to hurry on their way
to conquer Earth. Satan believes that he has in fact acquired the
special powers Sin and Death spoke of, when in truth God allows
them to enter Earth so that the Son can conquer them when he becomes
human. Now, Satan goes back down to Hell, where his followers have
been eagerly waiting his return. Satan speaks to them from Pandemonium,
tells them of his triumph, and expects to hear riotous applause.
Instead, he hears hisses signifying scorn for him and his devastating
act. The devils have all been transformed into snakes, along with
Satan, who did not understand the punishment the Son foretold. A
grove of trees appears in Hell, with fruit that turns to ashes as
soon as the snakes try to bite it.
Sin and Death arrive on Earth and begin their work. From Heaven,
God sees that they have come to Earth and tells his angels that
he will allow Sin and Death to stay on Earth until Judgement Day.
After then, they must return to Hell and be forever locked up with
Satan and the other devils.
God now calls for his angels to alter the universe. They
tilt the Earth’s axis or alter the path of the sun (the poem allows
for both interpretations). Now humankind will have to endure extreme
hot and cold seasons, instead of enjoying the constant temperate
climate that existed before Adam and Eve’s fall from God’s grace.
Meanwhile, Discord follows Sin to Earth and causes animals to war
with each other and with humans too. Seeing these changes, Adam
is sorrowful, and laments. He knows that the rest of humankind will
suffer because of his disobedience, and wishes that he could bear
all of the punishment upon himself. He curses life and wishes that
Death would come at once to alleviate his misery. Instead, Eve comes
to him. But Adam is angry; he blames and insults Eve’s female nature, wondering
why God ever created her. She begs his forgiveness, and pleads with
him not to leave her. She reminds him that the snake tricked her,
but she fully accepts the blame for sinning against both God and
him. She argues that unity and love can save them in a fallen world.
She longs for death and suggests that they take their own lives,
but Adam forbids it. Eve’s speech affects Adam. He becomes calm,
consoling her and sharing responsibility for their fall. They must
stop blaming each other, he says. They must live with their mistakes
and make the most out of their fallen state. Remembering the prophecy
that Eve’s seed would bruise the head of the serpent, he feels that
there is hope for humankind and advises that they obey God and implore
his mercy and forgiveness. They return to the spot where they were
punished. There, they fall to their knees, confess their sins, and
ask for forgiveness.
Analysis
If Book IX presents the climax of Paradise Lost, then
Book X presents its resolution, as the punishments that the Son
hands out restore some sort of order to the world. Satan and the
other supporting characters disappear from the rest of the poem,
eliminating the source of human temptation and thus focusing the
poem on Adam and Eve’s regret. But Adam and Eve begin to redeem
humankind with their repentance at the end of Book X. As a result,
these characters will disappear from the story, and humankind’s
predicted redemption will take precedence as the story continues,
with Adam and Eve learning about their fallen future.
