From Paradise Lost, Book IX, Lines 679 - 697

From Paradise Lost, Book IX, lines 679 - 697 O Sacred, Wise, and Wisdom-giving Plant, Mother of Science, Now I feel thy Power [ 680 ] Within me clear, not only to discern Things in their Causes, but to trace the ways Of highest Agents, deemed however wise. Queen of this Universe, doe not believe Those rigid threats of Death; ye shall not Die: [ 685 ] How should ye? by the Fruit? it gives you Life To Knowledge, By the Threatener, look on me, Me who have touched and tasted, yet both live, And life more perfect have attained then Fate Meant me, by venturing higher then my Lot. [ 690 ] Shall that be shut to Man, which to the Beast Is open? or will God incense his ire For such a petty Trespass, and not praise Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain Of Death denounced, whatever thing Death be, [ 695 ] Deterred not from achieving what might lead To happier life, knowledge of Good and Evil; Of good, how just? of evil, if what is evil Be real, why not known, since easier shunned? God therefore cannot hurt ye, and be just; [ 700 ] Not just, not God; not feared then, nor obeyed: Your fear it self of Death removes the fear. Why then was this forbid? Why but to awe, Why but to keep ye low and ignorant, His worshippers; he knows that in the day [ 705 ] Ye Eat thereof, your Eyes that seem so clear, Yet are but dim, shall perfectly be then Opened and cleared, and ye shall be as Gods, Knowing both Good and Evil as they know.

1. What is the “wisdom-giving plant” of line 679? 2. Who is the “Queen of this Universe” of line 684? 3. Who gave the “rigid threats of death”, according to Satan? (l. 685) 4. Satan declares that he has eaten the fruit himself. Say how he benefited from it? (ll. 686- 690) 5. What does Satan say God's reaction will be if Eve eats the fruit? (ll. 691-696) 6. According to Satan, why doesn't God want Man to eat the fruit? (ll. 703-706) 7. What is going to happen after the fruit has been eaten, according to Satan? (ll. 707-709)

Compare Satan's tone in this extract to his tone in the extract in your textbook and say how it differs. Underline the best word. 1. In the extract in which Satan speaks to God, Satan and the angels found themselves in heaven/hell. Their situation seemed idyllic/desperate. Consequently Satan needed to convince/frighten the angels into believing that all was not lost. To do this he used skilful hyperbole/mockery. His tone was thus uncertain/dogmatic. In the text above Satan is talking to Eve. Again, he must try to convince/frighten her into eating the forbidden fruit. This time, however, choice is involved. To be successful with Eve, therefore, Satan must use similar/different tactics. Here we can see Satan at his most cunning/ridiculous. Actually, it is vital for him to gain Eve's friendship/trust, and he is almost authoritative/servile in his approach. The tone of this excerpt, therefore, is much softer/harsher than the tone in the previous one. He uses fewer exclamations but more questions/doubts, to make Eve believe she is making her own decision. It is a masterful piece of brainwashing!

DISCUSSION AND WRITING.

1. The poet William Blake and others have felt that Milton's portrait of Satan was quite ambiguous because he looks like an almost heroic figure. In fact, he has been described as on of the first “anti-heroes” in literature, and has inspired lots of later writers. The Byronic hero, created in the Romantic age by Lord Byron, is very much indebted to Milton's Satan. Taking the two extracts from Paradise Lost that you have read, what makes Satan a) heroic and b) anti-heroic? (about 10 lines) 2. Why is Milton considered a controversial figure? 3. The biblical story of Adam and Eve suggests that women are weaker and therefore more susceptible to evil. This was taken for granted for centuries, until women were given back their dignity and strength by the feminist movements that started in the late 19th century. Discuss.