Milton’s speaker begins Paradise
Lost by stating that his subject will be Adam and Eve’s
disobedience and fall from grace. He invokes a heavenly muse and
asks for help in relating his ambitious story and God’s plan for
humankind. The action begins with Satan and his fellow rebel angels
who are found chained to a lake of fire in Hell. They quickly free
themselves and fly to land, where they discover minerals and construct
Pandemonium, which will be their meeting place. Inside Pandemonium,
the rebel angels, who are now devils, debate whether they should
begin another war with God. Beezelbub suggests that they attempt
to corrupt God’s beloved new creation, humankind. Satan agrees,
and volunteers to go himself. As he prepares to leave Hell, he is
met at the gates by his children, Sin and Death, who follow him
and build a bridge between Hell and Earth.
In Heaven, God orders the angels together for a council
of their own. He tells them of Satan’s intentions, and the Son volunteers himself
to make the sacrifice for humankind. Meanwhile, Satan travels through
Night and Chaos and finds Earth. He disguises himself as a cherub
to get past the Archangel Uriel, who stands guard at the sun. He
tells Uriel that he wishes to see and praise God’s glorious creation,
and Uriel assents. Satan then lands on Earth and takes a moment
to reflect. Seeing the splendor of Paradise brings him pain rather
than pleasure. He reaffirms his decision to make evil his good, and
continue to commit crimes against God. Satan leaps over Paradise’s
wall, takes the form of a cormorant (a large bird), and perches himself
atop the Tree of Life. Looking down at Satan from his post, Uriel
notices the volatile emotions reflected in the face of this so-called
cherub and warns the other angels that an impostor is in their midst.
The other angels agree to search the Garden for intruders.
Meanwhile, Adam and Eve tend the Garden, carefully obeying God’s
supreme order not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. After a long
day of work, they return to their bower and rest. There, Satan takes
the form of a toad and whispers into Eve’s ear. Gabriel, the angel
set to guard Paradise, finds Satan there and orders him to leave.
Satan prepares to battle Gabriel, but God makes a sign appear in
the sky—the golden scales of justice—and Satan scurries away. Eve
awakes and tells Adam about a dream she had, in which an angel tempted
her to eat from the forbidden tree. Worried about his creation,
God sends Raphael down to Earth to teach Adam and Eve of the dangers
they face with Satan.
Raphael arrives on Earth and eats a meal with Adam and
Eve. Raphael relates the story of Satan’s envy over the Son’s appointment
as God’s second-in-command. Satan gathered other angels together
who were also angry to hear this news, and together they plotted
a war against God. Abdiel decides not to join Satan’s army and returns
to God. The angels then begin to fight, with Michael and Gabriel
serving as co-leaders for Heaven’s army. The battle lasts two days,
when God sends the Son to end the war and deliver Satan and his
rebel angels to Hell. Raphael tells Adam about Satan’s evil motives
to corrupt them, and warns Adam to watch out for Satan. Adam asks
Raphael to tell him the story of creation. Raphael tells Adam that
God sent the Son into Chaos to create the universe. He created the
earth and stars and other planets. Curious, Adam asks Raphael about
the movement of the stars and planets. Eve retires, allowing Raphael and Adam to speak alone. Raphael promptly warns Adam
about his seemingly unquenchable search for knowledge. Raphael tells
Adam that he will learn all he needs to know, and that any other
knowledge is not meant for humans to comprehend. Adam tells Raphael
about his first memories, of waking up and wondering who he was,
what he was, and where he was. Adam says that God spoke to him and
told him many things, including his order not to eat from the Tree
of Knowledge. After the story, Adam confesses to Raphael his intense
physical attraction to Eve. Raphael reminds Adam that he must love
Eve more purely and spiritually. With this final bit of advice,
Raphael leaves Earth and returns to Heaven.
Eight days after his banishment, Satan returns to Paradise.
After closely studying the animals of Paradise, he chooses to take
the form of the serpent. Meanwhile, Eve suggests to Adam that they
work separately for awhile, so they can get more work done. Adam
is hesitant but then assents. Satan searches for Eve and is delighted
to find her alone. In the form of a serpent, he talks to Eve and
compliments her on her beauty and godliness. She is amazed to find
an animal that can speak. She asks how he learned to speak, and
he tells her that it was by eating from the Tree of Knowledge. He
tells Eve that God actually wants her and Adam to eat from the tree,
and that his order is merely a test of their courage. She is hesitant
at first but then reaches for a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge
and eats. She becomes distraught and searches for Adam. Adam has
been busy making a wreath of flowers for Eve. When Eve finds Adam,
he drops the wreath and is horrified to find that Eve has eaten
from the forbidden tree. Knowing that she has fallen, he decides
that he would rather be fallen with her than remain pure and lose
her. So he eats from the fruit as well. Adam looks at Eve in a new
way, and together they turn to lust.
God immediately knows of their disobedience. He tells
the angels in Heaven that Adam and Eve must be punished, but with
a display of both justice and mercy. He sends the Son to give out
the punishments. The Son first punishes the serpent whose body Satan
took, and condemns it never to walk upright again. Then the Son
tells Adam and Eve that they must now suffer pain and death. Eve
and all women must suffer the pain of childbirth and must submit
to their husbands, and Adam and all men must hunt and grow their
own food on a depleted Earth. Meanwhile, Satan returns to Hell where he
is greeted with cheers. He speaks to the devils in Pandemonium, and
everyone believes that he has beaten God. Sin and Death travel the
bridge they built on their way to Earth. Shortly thereafter, the devils
unwillingly transform into snakes and try to reach fruit from imaginary
trees that shrivel and turn to dust as they reach them.
God tells the angels to transform the Earth. After the
fall, humankind must suffer hot and cold seasons instead of the
consistent temperatures before the fall. On Earth, Adam and Eve
fear their approaching doom. They blame each other for their disobedience and
become increasingly angry at one another. In a fit of rage, Adam wonders
why God ever created Eve. Eve begs Adam not to abandon her. She
tells him that they can survive by loving each other. She accepts
the blame because she has disobeyed both God and Adam. She ponders
suicide. Adam, moved by her speech, forbids her from taking her
own life. He remembers their punishment and believes that they can
enact revenge on Satan by remaining obedient to God. Together they
pray to God and repent.
God hears their prayers, and sends Michael down to Earth. Michael
arrives on Earth, and tells them that they must leave Paradise.
But before they leave, Michael puts Eve to sleep and takes Adam
up onto the highest hill, where he shows him a vision of humankind’s
future. Adam sees the sins of his children, and his children’s children,
and his first vision of death. Horrified, he asks Michael if there
is any alternative to death. Generations to follow continue to sin
by lust, greed, envy, and pride. They kill each other selfishly
and live only for pleasure. Then Michael shows him the vision of
Enoch, who is saved by God as his warring peers attempt to kill
him. Adam also sees the story of Noah and his family, whose virtue
allows them to be chosen to survive the flood that kills all other humans.
Adam feels remorse for death and happiness for humankind’s redemption.
Next is the vision of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel. This story
explains the perversion of pure language into the many languages
that are spoken on Earth today. Adam sees the triumph of Moses and
the Israelites, and then glimpses the Son’s sacrifice to save humankind.
After this vision, it is time for Adam and Eve to leave Paradise.
Eve awakes and tells Adam that she had a very interesting and educating
dream. Led by Michael, Adam and Eve slowly and woefully leave Paradise
hand in hand into a new world.
