"Paradise Lost": Predestination to Sexual Knowledge

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in modern popular culture, John Milton's retelling of the first few books of Genesis, "Paradise Lost," has supplanted the Biblical work itself as a representation of the fall of man and original sin. Next,the author describes Milton's writings about the sexual relationship between Adam and Eve by which Adam becomes unconsciously prey to Eve's attractiveness and about the desire she excites as Eve is seduced by Lucifer. Although Milton may believe in free will as an idea, the paper concludes that the images and metaphors used in "Paradise Lost" question whether he had abandoned entirely all of his Calvinist beliefs.

From the Paper:

"The reference to pre-Christian antiquity and the looser morals of the gods, goddesses, and mortals of Greece and Rome further reinforces the idea that before their own fall from divine grace, Adam and Eve in Eden existed in a state of hidden sexual knowledge, hidden even to their own conscious minds. Contrary to the Christian tradition that sees sexualized knowledge beginning after eating the forbidden fruit, their later stage of knowledge is foreshadowed in the relationship they have before Eve has the chance to recount her dream."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Milton, John. "Paradise Lost." Online Literature Library. Jun 2008. http://www.literature.org/authors/milton-john/paradise-lost/index.html

More papers on "Paradise Lost": Predestination to Sexual Knowledge:

• Analytical Essay # 37106 : "Paradise Lost": An Assessment"
• Poem Review # 110148 : "Book 9 of Paradise Lost"
• Comparison Essay # 32576 : "Paradise Lost" and the "Rape of the Lock"

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