Milton's Commentary on Love

Although Milton’s  plot in Paradise Lost follows the biblical story basics on the fall of humanity, it is interesting to further analyze Milton’s portrayal of the fall and dive into the argument he is making against married love. The fall of humanity, as stated in Paradise Lost goes:

            “…he scrupled not to eat / against his better knowledge, not deceived, / but fondly over come with female charm. / Earth trembled from her entrails, as again in pangs, and nature gave a second groan; / sky loured, and muttering thunder, some sad drops / wept at completing of the mortal sin Original…”    (Book 9.997-1004). 

In this passage, Adam falls to temptation, eats the forbidden fruit, and thus becomes the cause of original sin.  The rhetorical argument made by Milton’s in this scene is that Adam fell and ate the fruit because he was “over come with female charm,” evidently leading to the creation of original sin (Book 9.999).  This claim is a very profound and provocative statement regarding Adam’s decision to eat the forbidden fruit. 

            The analyst Fredson Bowers, from the University of Virginia, explains that in Paradise Lost, Adam “cannot bear the thought of life without her, and will not be parted from her in bliss or in woe,” (Bowers 272).  Additionally, Bowers explains that this attachment and passion of Eve is what ultimately drives his discretion. This analyst argues that “Under the stress of his personal emotion, and hard on the heels of the most eloquent defense of reason, he turns his back on what he knows to be right judgment,” (Bowers 273). This statement shows that, according to Milton, because of Adam’s passionate connection to Eve, he evidently chooses to follow Eve’s fallen state instead of forever remaining alone. Thus, humanity fell because Adam, “…allowed passion to influence his judgment,” (Bowers 272). 

            By portraying the fall of humanity in this light, Milton is making the overall argument that reason and truth lead people to God, while passion and love drive people away from God.  Milton is, in the end, opposes the idea of and warns against passionate love and married love in society by showing that Adam’s love for Eve is what cause the fall of humanity to occur.        

Work Cited:

Bowers, Fredson. "Adam, Eve and the Fall in Paradise Lost." JSTOR. Modern    Language Association, Mar. 1969. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.