10. 1- 33:
In this very first section of Book 10, the speaker is narrating the events after Adam and Eve have already eaten the fruit and have started to feel the disastrous effects.
The speaker talks of how God, in his omniscience, has already come to learn of Man's downfall. It is reiterated how God did not stop Satan from doing his will, since he is strong and has the free will which God had endowed to both Man and Angel. The reader is assured that Adam and Eve should have remembered fairly easily the warning of what would happen if they did decide to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Additionally, it is said that Adam and Eve "Incurr'd, what could they less, the penalty, / And manifold in sin, deserv'd to fall" (10.15-16). By the phrasing in this section, it seems to indeed be implied that He is a jealous and vengeful god.
The passage continues as the angels who stood guard over Eden ascend to Heaven to both inform Heaven/God of what happened, and to plead forgiveness for allowing Man to fall. These angels wondered how Satan could have done such a nasty trick without being seen. The other angels in Heaven were greatly dismayed to hear of the news, but the guards didn't stop to chat long. They rushed to God's throne instead, to try and gain His forgiveness, when suddenly His voice boomed through the clouds like "Thunder."
10. 34 - 62:
In these lines God acknowledges the sins of Adam and Eve. He begins by stating to the angels that they should not be troubled by the fall of the humans and that it is through no fault of theirs that the humans have fallen. God then echoes his speech in Book III line 92-97 as he says that he has always had knowledge that these events would come to pass. He further states, “no Decree of mine / Concurring to necessitate his Fall, / Or touch with lightest moment of impulse / His free Will, to her own inclining left / In even scale”(10. 43-7) suggesting that he did not intervene in their fall because of the importance of willful obedience. The point of Free Will in the eyes of God is to have the humans willfully obey even when given the option to transgress. Therefore, God does not interfere because they must willingly choose to obey him on their own. The use of gender specific pronouns is also interesting in this passage are interesting. As god refers to the humans as “Man” (10.41), it seems reasonable to assume that when saying “His Free Will” (10.46) that he is referring to both Adam and Eve. However, he then switches the pronoun to “her” when referring to the falling act. This seems to suggest that God holds Eve alone responsible for the fall.
God then goes on to say that now the humans will die as he said they would if they disobeyed him. He says this sentence was determined the day and moment that the sin occurred; however, the humans’ vanity presumes this sentence void because they are not yet dead, and feel no different. God then turns to the Son, saying that judgment of Heaven, Earth, and Hell is now in his power.
10. 63 - 7:
In this passage, the narrator explains that as God is speaking, his son is being focused on. His son is shown as his right hand man. We see his son as "Blaz'd forth unclouded Deitie; he full" (10.65). On line 65, I see that the son is "blaz'd forth" as in bright and noticed as well as "unclouded" which means that he is clear and precise. That line represents the personality of God's son. God's son is everything that God manifested him to be and expresses the way that God would want him too, calm and collected.
10. 68 - 84:
This is the second time I have had the Son's lines; unfortunately he is no less smarmy than before. Four lines of perfunctory deference toward the Father are followed by a generalized gloss of his functions both immediate and distant.
In executing justice upon Adam and Eve, two objectives are at play: appeasing the Father and satisfying the transgressors - in other words, giving them some kind of hope. But why not simply punish them? It is thanks to the Mercy and self-sacrifice of the Son, previewed in the angels' song of Book 3 (3.401-410). Despite recognizing that he will be taking on their judgment, the Son seems somewhat unfazed by the reality of human suffering and his entrance into earthly affairs. Even if the reader factors in the Son's augmented knowledge of future events, his bland attitude nevertheless contrasts with angelic reactions to the Fall: the ascending Guards of Paradise are "mute and sad" (10.18) and their news brings a response of displeasure: "dim sadness" (10.23) and "pity" (10.25) in Heaven. However much we wish to identify Milton's Son character with the Jesus of the Bible, this is not the same personality who wailed over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44) and wept at his friend's death (John 11:35). The reader can only infer that the Son's descent without a Train of attendants is a merciful accommodation of Adam's fallen state; from the latter's perspective "those heavínly shapes / Will dazzle now this earthly, with thir blaze / Insufferably bright" (9.1082-84).
Finally, the Serpent's fate is illustrated by a bit of wordplay: Satan is a convict in God's eyes, but he will never know true conviction if we take the following meaning: "the bringing any one to recognize the truth of what he has not before accepted" (OED).
A note on usage: when the Son states "that I may mitigate thir doom / On me deriv'd" (10.76-77), the phrase only makes sense when considering an obsolete meaning for the verb, 'to derive,' found in the OED. Instead of flowing or conducting from a source, the doom, in this case, figuratively flows into the Son. If Christian orthodoxy is maintained, the mitigation of doom will of course be accomplished through the crucifixion.
10. 85 -102:
In these lines the speaker describes the swiftness and quickness of the Son of God as he descends to Earth. The sun was setting to the west and it was cooler with a breeze outside. The Son of God is called “the mild Judge and Intercessor both” (96) because he is there on behalf of his father and to tell the humans their sentence. Adam and Eve are obviously frightened by what is to happen to them so they hide in the trees until he approaches them. [Late]
10. 103 - 8:
In lines 103-108, the Son is speaking and calling to Adam. The Son finds himself alone in the garden as both Adam and Eve have hid themselves in the trees. The Son questions Adam on his absence and at the end of the lines, he demands Adam to “come forth” (10.108). The Son knows what Adam and Eve have done and he has been sent by God to question them on their decision to eat the fruit.
10. 109 - 115:
In lines 109- 115 the speaker is describing Adam and Eve's reaction to being summoned by God. They are ashamed by what they have done, and know that they will have to face the consequences of their actions. They no longer looked at God with love, "but apparent guilt, / And shame, and perturbation, and despair" (10.112-13). Adam starts to reply to God, but his answer is hesitant because he is feels so guilty.
10. 124 - 43:
This passage consists of Adam’s reasoning for eating the forbidden fruit. He admits that he stands before the judge in “evil strait” and he has two options (125). He can either take the blame “undergo/ Myself the total Crime” or he could blame Eve “or to accuse/ My other self” (127,128). He claims that does not want to blame “the partner of [his…] life” “but strict necessity” has left him with no other choice (128, 131). So “Lest on my head both sin and punishment,/ However insupportable, be all/ Devolv’d” Adam blamed his transgressions on Eve (133-135). In an effort to justify his blame shifting Adam claims that even if he attempted to protect Eve from he consequences, God in his omniscience “Wouldst easily detect what I conceal” (136). His claim having been validated Adam begins his case against Eve.
Instead of stating the facts Adam presents his case in a way that not only makes Eve look bad but that also takes a jab at the perfection of God. It was God that made Eve to be his help and in so doing made her “so good,/ So fit, so acceptable, so Divine” and essentially irresistible (138/39). Whatever Eve did seemed to be justified in such a way that he “could suspect no ill” (140). It was this woman this “perfect gift” form God that caused him to eat of the fruit (138).
I found it interesting that the line that reads “Whose failing, while her Faith to me remains” supports a claim that we made earlier in class where we said that Adam was Eve’s God (129). She worshipped Adam more than God and was therefore prone to disobey.
10. 145 - 56:
In this passage the speaker is the "sovran Presence" (10.145) who we know from previous passages is the Son sent down by God to speak with Adam and Eve. In this passage he is telling Adam that he should not have listened to Eve because he was/is the more intelligent one. He says that Adam was above Eve, "whose perfection far exchll'd / Hers in all real dignity" (10.150-151). He continues on to tell Adam that even though Eve is so beautiful Adam should not have done what he did, from my understanding here they were blaming Eve or at least Eve in relation to her beauty to explain away why Adam had sinned and attempting to take the blame off of him. However, to me this does not seem like a good argument because earlier Adam was being praised for his previous intelligence. If he were so smart than he should be responsible enough to accept the consequences of his own actions knowing better that Eve who has many times through the poem been described as the weaker character in many senses. Furthermore In lines 150-151 by stating that Adam is smarter than Eve I think that take a bit of the blame off of her because it is sort of like saying he was the one who knew better, yet did what someone weaker and less wise did.
10. 157 - 62:
In this brief passage the Son asks Eve what she has done. She replies in the next passage, with emphasis on her shame and humility. Eve's confession is described as neither "bold nor loquacious" (10.161). The past confidence which she used to convince Adam to fall for temptation is no longer present and is instead replaced by shame before the Son of God.
10. 163 - 74:
After listening to Adam pass the blame on to Eve, and Eve pass the blame on to the Serpent (for having eaten from the tree), the son seems to point out that the reason why the Serpent does not continue passing the buck further down the line is that the next person in line would be Satan, and Satan is the one who talks for the Serpent. Therefore, if Satan were to talk through the Serpent and say that Satan used him as his instrument of mischief, Satan would be making his own self accountable for persuading Adam and Eve to eat from the tree. At the end of the passage, the son believes the serpent should be cursed simply for helping Satan carry out his evil plans, and starts to announce what this curse should be.
10. 175 - 81:
In this passage, the Son is speaking and is placing a curse on the serpent. The serpent is cursed "above all Cattle, each Beast of the Field" (10. 176) and is meant to grovel on its belly and consume dirt for "all the days of [its] Life" (10. 178). This contradicts the earlier promise that the serpent would remain innocent (10. 84). He plans to place hatred between women and serpents, and between the serpent and children, whom the Son says "shall bruise thy head, thou bruise his heel" (10. 181). Just as Adam and Eve's sin affected all people, the curse on the serpent would affect all serpents. This seems a bit unfair, considering how the serpent was used only as an instrument in Satan's scheme rather than as an active participant. However, given the fact that Adam and Eve were punished for eating fruit it shouldn't be all too surprising. Largely, the curse seems to act as another means of displaying the power of God.
10. 182 - 92:
In this passage, before the Son turns to tell Eve her punishment, the narrator explains the myriad meanings of God’s curse on the serpent. Interestingly, this passage is less clear on whether ‘Serpent’ refers to the animal species or Satan himself, or whether the two have become inseparable. The above curse referred to the snake crawling on his belly, an enemy of mankind who bites at their heels and will be ‘bruised’ by women’s children, but in this passage the curse is translated into Satan’s defeat by the Son. ‘Woman’ becomes ‘Mary second Eve’ [10.183], so ‘her Seed’ becomes Jesus. The ‘bruising’ of the serpent goes from the natural enmity between mankind and a poisonous animal to the blow dealt Satan by Christ.
Obviously the literal nature of God’s curse becomes clear later, but the fact that the animal and mankind’s greatest enemy remains woven together, despite the fact that the serpent itself had no agency in the matter, is interesting. It echoes the question implicitly present in the rest of the poem regarding agency, and whether someone (or something) can justly be punished for being used or acted upon in a way that is outside of their control. However, there is no sense of ‘felix culpa’ for the snake, who remains a symbol of evil and temptation for many, continuing—or suspected of continuing—to ‘bite men’s heels’.
10. 193 -6:
In these lines, The Son is speaking and he is telling Adam and Eve what their punishments are. Specifically these lines contain Eve's punishment, which is described as, "Children thou shalt bring / In sorrow forth. And to thy Husband's will / Thine shall submit" (10. 194-196) which means that childbirth will be painful and difficult, and that she will have to submit to Adam. The addition of pain to childbirth makes sense as a punishment; however she was already supposed to submit to Adam, as we read over many of the past books. She has always been told she was not equal to Adam and that he was in charge and to lead her, yet now she's just being given that status as punishment. I connected this again to my analysis containing Lilith in this world, because in mythology Lilith is associated with tormenting mothers and stealing the breath away from newborns. If we take that into consideration I found it kind of fascinating to compare both women in their relations to the danger and violence of childbirth. Lilith, the one who viewed herself equal to Adam has an active role in this, while Eve's role is much more the victim. Following this interpretation, it could relate to the fact that the fall was unavoidable, which would explain why Lilith was already prepared as the demon to cause this torment. It could also be supported by the fact that her punishment of submission is being repeated, because Lilith was the one who refused to submit, Eve will be the one forced to submit. My general observation was just that the women have punishments very connected to reproduction, and even if you remove the possibility of Lilith's existence, we still see a very tragic fate for Eve: She is forced to have children even though she is warned about the danger, and is unable to refuse Adam.
10. 198 - 208:
God is speaking to Adam and tells him that because he listened to Eve instead of listening to God that Paradise is cursed and that he and Eve will live out their days there. God also tells him that he will "eat th' Herb of the Field" (204) which I interpreted as them having to work to make food (bread) instead of having food ready to eat whenever they get hungry. God also puts Adam in his place in the last few lines by saying "for thou / Out of the ground wast taken, know thy Birth, / For dust thou art, and shalt to dust return" (206-208). I think this is to humble Adam and for him to realize that he is created in God's likeness but he is not the same thing. It is also the first time that Adam is told his origin story as well as his first explanation of death.
10. 209 - 34:
The speaker is speaking in this section, and it is dealing with the commuted sentence of death that is dealt to Adam and Eve. Their failure to resist is shown as being one of the greatest failures that humanity has ever accomplished in the eyes of God. The fact that all other creatures suffer because of our mistake seems to be something that we ought to feel guilty for as a species, as we now have to wear their skins and kill them, much to the happiness of Death and Sin, as our species is now vulnerable to their efforts. "Within the Gates of Hell sate Sin and Death, / In counterview within the Gates, that now / Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame / Farr into Chaos, since the Fiend pass'd through" (230-233). The criticisms of our error seem to set up the idea of the fortunate fall, as before this point in our history we did not need to attone and as such we could not prove our devotion. The fact that we are described as having "...[inward] nakedness..." (221) would seem to show our state as an empty vessal, with our inward issues being greater than our shame at our physically nakedness. With the idea that we are getting farther and farther from how we were in the garden it would seem that we are only getting more distant in non-visual ways, rather than in our physical appearance.
10. 235 - 63:
In lines 235-263, Sin is talking to her son Death. Sin senses that Satan has been
successful in his plan to destroy paradise. She deduces that he has been successful, as
he has not returned in anger and because she feels stronger than she ever has. Sin
specifically says that she feels “Wings growing” (10.244), which is a reference to Adam
and Eve growing wings of intoxication after the fall (9.1009-1010). Given that the fall
takes place as this conversation is happening, Sin can feel her power growing in real time
. Like some “connatural force” (10.246), Sin is being drawn to Earth. She implores death
to follow her to the new world, as no power can separate Death from Sin. She says that
they must continue building their path “Over this Maine from Hell to the New world”, so
that they may join Satan on Earth where he “now prevails, a Monument / Of merit high”
(10.257-259). In Book 2, “Maine” was introduced as the sea of Chaos (2.919), while “merit
high” is a reference to Satan being raised to his bad eminence (2.5-6). Sin then finishes
her dialogue by restating the use of the path they are building, which is to ease the
journey from Hell to Earth for the evils of the universe.
10. 265 - 71:
Lines 265-271 are spoken by Death to Sin. He tells Sin that she should follow any inclinations brought on by Fate, and that he will stay with her. The mention of fate is notable considering the ongoing question of fate versus free will throughout Paradise Lost. While God insists on free will, those in Hell believe in fate. Death asserts that he will faithfully remain with Sin as they work to create the bridge between Earth and Hell, in spite of the temptation of the scent of "carnage, [and] prey innumerable" (l.268). He moves on to say he will not taste the "Death from all things there that live" (l.269), with the ìthereî being Earth, which now has mortal beings that Death could prey upon. Finally, Death pledges that he will "afford [Sin] equal aid" (l.271) instead of leaving her with the entire burden of building the bridge.
10. 272 - 353:
For the TLDR (Too Long Didn't Read):
This section describes the construction of the bridge from Hell to Earth
1.Death's reaction to Satan's success
2.Constructing the bridge out of parts of Chaos
3.Satan's flashback of escaping Paradise, and reuniting with Sin and Death
Notes: The act of love of Sin and Death compared to obedience of the Son
1.This section describes the building of the bridge over Chaos to Earth where the speaker is speaking. The scene starts off with Death and how he can smell the change in the Earth and how it carries the sense of "death." The speaker describes this action similar to a vulture (ravenous Fowl) and how they flock around the dying waiting for their prey to die. Death enjoyed this new smell in the air so much that he even took a deep breath with his nose to the air. This part reflects Death's reaction to the success of Satan and the smell of "death" is the failure of mankind (of Adam and Eve). Their failure reeks of something only Death can enjoy. This reminds me of how someone "reeks" of guilt and so Adam and Eve reek from their failure.
2.The next big chunk of sections describes the actual formation of the bridge to Earth. It is a little difficult to point out all of the specific changes, however it is generally a large description of taking each part of Chaos to build the bridge. With their new power (Satan's success fills them with stronger power), Sin and Death tore Chaos apart to get pieces to build the bridge. This scene also demonstrates how large Hell is because we have descriptions like "Upon the Cronian Sea" (10.290) which is the Arctic Ocean. And then there is the description of the Pechora (Siberian river) and Cathay Coast (China), "Beyond Petsora Eastward, to the rich / Cathaian Coast" (10.292-293). Basically, this scene shows that Sin and Death are taking all parts of Hell from all directions to create the bridge for Satan. Other references include the floating island of Delos, Gorgons (Medusa's race), and other Greek mythology examples. I find it very interesting how Milton takes this biblical story and adds other "historical" components (other forms of literature) to it. The story becomes more sound when other concepts of the time period are brought in for support. Moving on in the section, the speaker describes that the bridge has been build from Hell to the now "fenceless world" (the fall of man has destroyed their safety walls). The bridge is compared to that of Xerxes' Pontoon Bridges, a series of boats tied together in order to travel across Hellespont from Asian to Europe, in its greatness and how artistic it is.
3.The last part of the section describes Satan's arrival. Sin and Death travel along the new, durable bridge to the spot where Satan first left for Earth. The speaker describes the Hell as being the "left hand [of the world]" (10.322) where traditionally the left side of anything was considered the bad half (evil). An interesting point to note is that Eve was created from Adam's left rib. Continuing, the speaker describes that the new bridge is part of the three ways to Earth: Jacob's ladder (Heaven to Earth); Mount Sion (Universe to Earth); and now Sin and Death's bridge (Hell to Earth). Sin and Death see the end of the bridge and that's when they see Satan, like a bright Angel. The speaker then says "Betwixt the Centaure and the Scorpion stearing / His Zenith, while the Sun in Aries rose" (10.328-329) which refers to the astrological constellations that display behind him (I believe so anyway). Satan is still in his disguise but his children (Sin and Death) still recognize their father. The speaker then describes Satan's escape from Paradise (flashback). After he seduced Eve, Satan slunk into the woods and then changed again to watch the fall and the punishment of Adam and Eve until the Son came down to which he got scared and left. Later, eavesdropping on Adam and Eve, he hears their sadness and their pain, but he also hears his own doom but does not understand it, "By night, and listening where the hapless Paire / State in thir sad discourse, and various plaint / Thence gatherd his own doom, which understood / Not instand, but of future time" (10.342-345). This foreshadows his later punishment in the book of turning into a snake. After hearing the punishment, Satan heads home to Hell which ends the flashback. Now, at the end of the bridge, he meets up with Sin and Death (his Ofspring dear) and they exchange joy and happiness for their interaction, his success, and for the bridge construction. The section ends with Sin about to break the silence.
Notes: I find it interesting how Sin and Death help Satan as the Son helps God. Both are the offspring of their respective leaders, however, Sin and Death help Satan naturally without Satan asking for it. The Son is told by God to go down to Paradise and this makes me wonder about the respect that each of them have for their leader. Sin and Death love Satan and respect what he is doing (alone I might add) that they decide to help him come home. The Son just listens to God and does what he is told and so I don't see it as an act of love, but more obedience. I understand that obedience is considered an act of love, but I can't help but think about how doing things naturally out of love is better. Some would argue that it is obedient to do things naturally, but I would argue that obedience means to listen and do as you're told and to do so is to show love. Sin and Death come up with this idea when they felt the success of Satan and so they show appreciation and love by building the bridge for an easy arrival for Satan.
10. 354 - 82:
Sin is speaking here.
Sin congratulates Satan on his success in causing the fall of man, calling him "author and prime architect" of these events and thus conflating him with God as he has done himself throughout the poem. She says she, Satan, and Death are bound together by their grim purpose (10.354-365).
Sin tells Satan that all are now free to leave Hell and conquer Earth. Again stroking his ego by putting him on the same level as God, she tells him he is master of this domain (almost certainly referring to Earth, but possibly to hell as well) and may divide it from God's kingdom and rule it as his equal. (10.366-382)
10. 384 - 409:
Satan is speaking to Sin and Death. Death is noted to be a product of incest as he is Satan's son and grandson. Satan compliments Sin by saying that she has proven to be of Satan's race and that she is right to say that he is the ruler of Hell and Earth. He also says that he is the ruler of the Empire (Hell and Earth) because of merit, which is a fundamental different from God. Satan gives dominion over Earth to Sin and Death while given the impression, to them, that he is going to Hell despite all of the suffering that he will feel to speak to the fallen angels, and to stop them from feeling that pain.
10. 410 - 59:
The Speaker is speaking, and states that Satan dismissed Sin and her son/his grandchild into the sky to do his bidding. The structure of their relationship is a twisted version of the Holy Trinity, this time made up of a father, daughter, and grandchild/son. Satan then descends into Hell, passing through the gate that he has detested the entire time he has been forced to live in Hell. He mentions how it is now unguarded and he can pass right through, reinforcing his belief that he has triumphed over God and is now free. As Satan renters Hell, he notices that the guards are completely gone, up onto the Earth, and that all the Legions are still back where he left them, awaiting his return. The people Milton chooses to use to describe Satan's return are all great kings/emperors who retreated back home after battle. The use of the word ["]retreat["] implies they lost their battle, and possibly foreshadows the fact that Satan has not won; however, ["]retreat["] can also simply mean return for shelter, regardless if the battle is won or lost. The speaker goes on to describe the Legions waiting in the exact same spot, anxiously awaiting his arrival. (How long was Satan supposed to have been gone for?) Satan is then described as walking calmly through their midst to his throne and sitting down on it. He appears to act all cool, not letting any of them know if he succeeded until he cannot seem to hold it back and a glow appears about him; he looks happy and is finally allowed some form of glory since being kicked out of Heaven. The Legions all rush up to him and bow before him, and are overall happy that he succeeded.
10. 460 - 503:
This passage describes Satan speaking to his legions after having just revealed himself. He tells them he has come “to lead ye forth/Triumphant out of this infernal Pitt,” (10.463-4) to possess the new world he has conquered. He then goes on to tell the story of how he tricked Adam and Eve, saying, “I am to bruise his heel/ His Seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head.”(498-9) These lines seem to be referencing Gen. 3.15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Milton’s lines are spoken by Satan, while in the bible they are spoken by God, to Adam, as admonishment for his lack of faith. The main idea of both quotes is that Adam and Eve’s offspring (Mankind), will oppose Satan and his offspring (Sin) which will lead to a representative of mankind (Jesus) to be crucified (bruised at the heel), who will ultimately judge Satan an all those who are tempted by him. Satan ends his speech by expecting a raucous applause from his followers. [Late]
10. 504 - 90:
In this section the speaker is describing the after math of Satan's speech. He is looking for an uproar of applause, but instead he is greeted by hissing noises from his audience members. Slowly, he begins to shift into a serpent: "His Visage drawn he felt to sharp and spare, / His armes clung to his ribs, his legs entwining / Each other" (511-513). After this has happened to Satan, it begins to happen to all those around him. Satan's audience changes into serpents as well because the[y] feel "sympathie; for what they saw" (540). Everyone is reliving what Satan did when he was in the Garden of Eden. This was considered "punisht in the shape he sin'd" (516). Satan is being punished for tempting Eve, and his audience is being punished as accessories to the crime (520-1).
When the serpents are reliving the times in Eden, it is like a nightmare. They see the Tree and the fruit. They begin biting into the fruit to cure their hunger, but instead bite into ash. This illusion reminds me of the movie Oculus. The movie is simply that there is a haunted mirror that creates nightmare like illusions that kill the people within the story. Here the serpents are in an illusion, they eat the fruit and "die," as serpents, though they end up returning to their "natural" state.
It ends with Satan leading, Sin behind him and Death behind sin.
10. 591 - 5:
Sin is speaking to Death upon their arrival in Paradise. She seems fairly smug and content at the situation, and asks him what he thinks of their "Empire", after being so hard-won. She emphasizes how much better it is to be in this place, rather than sitting idle and starving at Hell's gates. It is interesting that she refers to him as "Second of Satan sprung, all conquering Death" (10.591) because yes, he is Satan's son/grandson, but also Sin's son. It is interesting that she should not include herself in this roundabout way of addressing him, and also attribute such power to him. It is as though as a mother, she is trying to 'pump him up' so to speak and reinforce her role as the weaker sex, even though she and her son work so closely together and she, in part, created him. It is also interesting to me how she introduces Death to his real role, which he has never before been able to fill - that is, taking life. Previous to now, he was "Unnam'd, undreaded" (10.595); as in, until now he hadn't been known outside of Hell because he couldn't do his work. Now, however, he can wreak as much havoc as he likes.
10. 597 - 601:
In the lines, Death is speaking to Sin. He says, that their place of empire does not so much matter to him as he is eternally starved. He says that although Earth is bountiful and plenteous, it’s abundance will still never be enough to fill him. I feel this emphasis how all-encompassing Death truly is, as everything natural will fall victim to him regardless of time or space.
10. 603 - 9:
In this passage, Sin is talking about how Hell, paradise[,] or heaven are alike. I seem to think that Sin is saying that he can appear in any of these places and attack his prey (["]ravin["]?). Line 600 that reads "Which here, though plenteous, all too little seems" (10.600) made me think quite a bit. I see it as an oxymoron. Another quote to mention is: "To stuff this Maw, this vast unhide-bound Corps" (10.601). I had to look up the meaning of Maw, which I found meaning "the jaws or throat of a voracious animal" (google) or "the mouth or gullet of a greedy person" (google). So between the use of prey (ravin) and the word "Maw" I see sin portraying himself as unavoidable and able to attack at any time or any place.
10. 610 - 15:
With these lines, the speaker shifts the setting from Paradise to the Almighty's "transcendent Seat" (10.614). This transition feels abrupt, because the usual pattern has been to indicate the sheer distance between the realms of Heaven, Hell, and Earth with lengthier intermediary passages that actually describe an agent's movement and whereabouts. The jump in line 613 amounts to a massive cosmic zoom-out by an observing camera; in effect, the reader is reminded that God's vision extends throughout the poem's locations and events. Otherwise, by what virtue could the Muse (and/or Speaker) access this knowledge?
Returning to the work of Sin and Death, the destruction they sow on earth is varied, complete, and intended to "mature" over time (10.615). It is a pithy account of total corruption, thus subverting what God had created as a good world.
10. 616 - 40:
God is speaking in these lines, and the first line already has references to Hell when he uses “with what heat”(10.616) and then “Dogs of Hell” (10.616), with the dogs reminding me of Cerberus. He is essentially complaining that now his Paradise that he created is ruined due to man and he must let Sin and Death enter Earth and wreak havoc until judgement day arrives. When this day arrives the Son of God will take care of them by putting them away, back in Hell forever. [Late]
10. 641 - 719:
In lines 641-719, the speaker is speaking and describing all of the changes that are happening on earth. At the first of the lines, the angels are rejoicing after they hear God’s speech about what will happen to death and sin. The angels are now sent to alter the world. The earth will now be introduced to hot and cold temperatures and “from the North to call / Decrepit Winter, from the South to bring / Solstitial summer’s heat” (10.654-666). Earth will now have different seasons rather than one continual climate. On earth, there will now be storms, wind and thunder along with “ice / And snow and hail and stormy gust and flaw” (10.697-698). Along with the change in temperatures, animals create war with each other and “Fowl with Fowl / And Fish with Fish; to graze the Herb all leaving / Devour’d each other” (10.710-712). The animals have now turned against and kill each other. Adam is able to see all of the changes on the earth and feels guilty for all that is happening.
10. 720 - 844:
In lines 720 -844, Adam is speaking, and he is expressing his fear at his newfound knowledge of death. He feels like it is the end of his world, because it is the end of their paradise; the Garden of Eden. He is ashamed of himself and says, "hide me from the face / of God" (10.723-24). Adam laments that if he were to die he would deserve it. Since the fall he feels cursed, and he is going to pass down this curse to all of his children. He thinks that his children will hate him for his part in the fall, and for their knowledge of death. Adam did not ask to be created or placed in Eden, and because of this he thinks, "it were but right / And equal to reduce me to my dust" (10. 747-48). Adam thinks that the loss of Eden and knowledge of death is a sufficient penalty for his actions. He thinks that he should have refused the terms that God created for them to live in the Garden of Eden. He thinks that it is fair that he will return to dust because he got God's grave by serving him, and his punishment is therefore just at God's will. Adam feels mocked by death, because it's now something he knows is coming but can't stop. He wants to die to stop fearing death and all the consequences of the fall. He still has one doubt, that the spirit of man will be eternal; therefore he would experience a living death. He counters this by reasoning that it was his spirit that sinned, and the body is just its vessel. Adam hopes that God's wrath is not eternal, and wonders if God will draw out his anger at man, thereby extending Adam's life infinitely "beyond dust and Nature's law" (10. 805). Then Adam wonders if death is not one act, but an endless misery. He fears not knowing what happens after death and he wishes that he didn't have to leave his sons. Adam feels guilty for cursing all mankind, "why should all mankind / For one man's fault thus guiltless be condemned, / If guiltless?" (10. 822-24). He wonders what his sons can inherit from him other than something corrupt; like his own mind and will. Adam's conscience and guilt about his actions drive him to fear death and its consequences, and he cannot see anything positive about his situation.
10. 867 - 908:
This a pretty complex passage and I therefore broke it down into three parts namely: Adam to Eve, Adam to God, and finally Adam to future mankind. From line 867 to 888 Adam speaks directly to Eve holding back nothing as he lets her know to what degree her presence disgusts him. He compares her physique and inward qualities to that of the Serpent himself. He claims he was content and happy living within the means God had provided until Eve had to just go and mess everything up. He warned her this would happen but her vanity and pride got the best of her and she chose to disobey him and in so doing caused his destruction. In an effort to further present himself the victim he says that he thought he had no reason not to “trust thee from my side” and therefore took the fruit innocently (881). He thought of her as “wise, / Constant, mature, proof against all assaults” but apparently he was mistaken; she is nothing more than a bent bone from his side (881/2). She no longer has benefit to him and should therefore be thrown out.
In the second part from lines 888 to 893 Adam speaks towards God demanding to know why he would forsake him so by giving him such a partner. Again he labels Eve as a novelty; in essence commodifying her solely for her use value. Due to the fact that her use value has been depreciated he no longer needs her and questions why God would tease him with such a “fair defect / Of Nature” if it was not meant to last (891/2). If God knew she was going to cause him to fall Adam suggests that he should have just made males and found a different way for them to repopulate.
In the final passage Adam speaks to future mankind saying that feminine influence will only worsen thus creating “innumerable / Disturbances on Earth” (896/7). He then proceeds to predict four possible future situations each of which result in the tainting of the male gender. In the first scenario the man never finds a suitable mate. In the second he meets someone he likes but “Through her perverseness” she chooses to love someone who he deems lesser. In the third situation the woman loves the man in return but is withheld from actualizing their mutual love by her parents. Finally Adam says the fourth situation is that his female choice is already locked into a marriage that she cannot be loosed from. The moral running through all four scenarios can be summed up by the last two lines of Adam’s rant where he states that women: “Which infinite calamity shall cause / To Human life, and household peace confound” (907-8).
Instead of this rant garnering sympathy for Adam it does the exact opposite in my opinion. God created Eve because Adam complained he was lonely. Time and time again he rejoiced at her beauty and perfection describing her as a crucial part of his existence. It is ironic to see just how quick the introduction of sin has changed all of this. Adam attributes Eve’s fall to her pride and vanity but he exhibits these same manifestations of sin as he brazenly assumes he can predict the future of the female gender. In my opinion Adam has no right to talk to Eve in this way especially since he was warned that he could not blame her for his fall in the first place.
10. 909 - 36:
In lines 909-913 the Speaker is the narrator describing Eve who is crying and kneeling at Adamís feet. Her hair is a mess and she wants Adamís forgiveness. In my mind she looks hysterical and a little insane.
Next in lines 914-936 it is Eve speaking to Adam. She is begging him not to forsake her, not to renounce her, not to turn his back on her. She says that she still loves him and reveres him even though she has unwittingly offended him and unhappily deceived him. She is effusive in her groveling; she calls herself his "suppliant["] (917) and asks him not to deny her his "gentle looks["] (919), his help and his counsel in her distress. In line 921 I believe she is calling Adam her only strength and support. She asks that there be peace between then for as long as the[y] both live, even if it's only for another hour. In line 927 she mentions Satan saying that they share "that cruel Serpent" as an enemy. She goes on to beg him not to hate her because she is already miserable. She says that even though they both sinned, her sin was worse because while he sinned only against God she sinned/betrayed both him and God. She finally begs Heaven to let all the consequences fall on her because she is the sole cause of "all this woe["] (935) and therefore should bear all of God's anger. I'm not sure that I like Eve all that much in this passage. While I approve of her taking responsibility for her actions, I feel like she is shouldering all the blame and begs too much for Adam's forgiveness. To me this is reminiscent of abusive relationships. In my mind I see Eve as a strong female but this portrayal messes with that image. In this passage she seems weak, and if she is so weak why should all the blame rest on her shoulders?
10. 937 - 65:
This passage is broken into two parts. In the first few lines (936-946) the speaker I understood to [be] speaking. These lines tell of how Eve is sad and is attempting to get Adam to forgive her. She gets him to forgive her. His forgiveness of Eve is noted in line 940 when it says "soon his heart relented" s[h]owing that he could no longer continue to be so mad at Eve. Also, in this passage one can see how bad Eve truly feels about her actions. In lines 943-944 she is noted as "at his feet now submissive in distress, / Creature so fair his reconcilement seeking," if Eve did not feel truly sorry for what she did she would not seek anything.
The remaining lines Adam is no longer angry and is speaking with Eve. Eve's weakness is brought up in this passage as in many other parts of the poem. In this instance she is noted as the "frailty and informer Sex" (956). On the contrary to this Adam's previous strength is also mentioned "I to that place / Would speed before thee, and be louder heard" (953-954). I was wondering here if by repeating and bringing up their previous strengths and/or weakness if it was a way to take the blame off of Eve a little bit. If she was really so weak and so much less intelligent that Adam can she really be entirely blamed for doing something when she had no way of actually understanding the consequences or resisting the temptation. I also find it sort of blames Adam in this sense because he was able to be persuaded by someone less powerful and intelligent that himself and was apparently able to do the good thing but consciously did not. Furthermore in this passage I understood it to be that Adam was saying that Eve should worry first about her own punishment and that they should each take on their own punishments and accept the consequences of their own actions. This is seen in lines 948-950 "who desir'st / The punishment all on thyself; alas, / Bear thine own first." The last important part in this passage is found in lines 958-960, here they have forgiven and have decided to "no more contend, nor blame / Each other." Having forgiven each other they are able to think more clearly. They have come to the realization to some degree now, of what death is and that it is a "slow-pac't evil" (963) and that the[y] still have time to enjoy each other's company and to be happy. They are starting to learn more as a result of having eaten the fruit in the previous book.
10. 967 - 1009:
In this passage Eve responds to Adam's comforting. She agrees that he was right regarding the forbidden fruit but she greatly appreciates his forgiveness. Eve confesses that he is "the sole contentment of [her] heart" (10.973), which shows that she has not fully repented for her trespass since she lacks love for God.
Subsequently, Eve attempts to convince Adam that they should end their lives. She argues that suicide, although "sharp and sad" (10.977) would be tolerable in their situation. Furthermore, Eve expresses concern for their descendants, claiming that their lives would be miserable. After speaking so much about Death, her outward complexion begins to match her innermost thoughts. [Late]
10. 1010 - 1096:
Adam tells Eve that she is right to despise herself for what she has done, but to kill herself for it would only be to shelter and protect herself from her painful feelings of regret, and a way of trying to avoid the penalty that lies ahead of her. Likewise, Eve should not be under the impression that God overlooked that strategy of escape, as God is a lot wiser than that. If Eve kills herself, God will simply punish her after she dies. He then reminds Eve of how the punishment that the Son assigned for the Serpent means that Eve's children will bruise the Serpent's head. Therefore, if Eve dies and escapes her punishment, Adam and Eve will not be able to take revenge against the Serpent as they will have produced no children in order to make that revenge happen. There seems to be an ethical question going on here: Either Adam and Eve die and everybody (Adam, Eve, and the Serpent) could escape God's punishment, or they could live and everybody must go through the particular punishment that he assigned to each of them. The set-up is such that if Adam and Eve want to make sure that the Serpent gets punished, the price they will have to pay is that they will have to go through their punishment as well. It is only to make sure that Satan gets punished that Adam and Eve would be okay with having to suffer through their punishment. Adam thinks getting even with Satan is worth it, and also starts thinking that God's punishment to them is not as bad as he had expected it would be. Eve's pain in childbirth would always immediately be overcome by the joy of having children, and Adam's hard labour will simply help him to keep busy. Adam then remembers how the Son started pitying Eve and him after God had announced his punishment to them, and wonders if he and Eve were to pray to him and beg for forgiveness, where the display of all their sorrow and humility would definitely be enough to persuade the Son to not only forgive them, but to have empathy for them.
10. 1097 - 1104:
In this final passage of the tenth book, the speaker describes the amount of regret and sorrow held by Adam and Eve. They implore God's mercy and display their regret by returning "forthwith to the place / repairing where he judg'd them" (10. 1098-99). There, they fall to their knees and confess "humbly thir faults" (10. 1101) and beg for forgiveness. Their remorse is evident as their tears are said to water the ground and their sighs to fill the air. Their ailing is "of sorrow unfeign'd, and humiliation meek" (10. 1104) and displays humankind's capacity for the regret that Satan seems to lack. The Felix Culpa is made clear in this passage as Adam and Eve have decided to attempt to become closer to God because of their fall. As such, their sorrow appears to be somehow for the greater good as it has allowed them to appreciate and worship their God more. It also appears to emphasize a contrast between Adam and Eve with Satan because after displeasing God, Adam and Eve attempt to use their fall to praise God even more whereas Satan strove to avoid worship of any form.