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Unit 22: Paradise Lost-I (Non-detailed Study): Discussion and Analysis-III

22.6.2 Other Characters Notes
Adam

Adam is a strong, intelligent, and rational character possessed of a remarkable relationship with God.
In fact, before the fall, he is as perfect as a human being can be. He has an enormous capacity for
reason, and can understand the most sophisticated ideas instantly. He can converse with Raphael as
a near-equal, and understand Raphael’s stories readily. But after the fall, his conversation with Michael
during his visions is significantly one-sided. Also, his self-doubt and anger after the fall demonstrate
his new ability to indulge in rash and irrational attitudes. As a result of the fall, he loses his pure
reason and intellect.
Adam’s greatest weakness is his love for Eve. He falls in love with her immediately upon seeing
her, and confides to Raphael that his attraction to her is almost overwhelming. Though Raphael
warns him to keep his affections in check, Adam is powerless to prevent his love from overwhelming
his reason. After Eve eats from the Tree of Knowledge, he quickly does the same, realizing that if
she is doomed, he must follow her into doom as well if he wants to avoid losing her. Eve has
become his companion for life, and he is unwilling to part with her even if that means disobeying God.
Adam’s curiosity and hunger for knowledge is another weakness. The questions he asks of Raphael
about creation and the universe may suggest a growing temptation to eat from the Tree of Knowledge.
But like his physical attraction to Eve, Adam is able to partly avoid this temptation. It is only through
Eve that his temptations become unavoidable.

Eve
Created to be Adam’s mate, Eve is inferior to Adam, but only slightly. She surpasses Adam only in
her beauty. She falls in love with her own image when she sees her reflection in a body of water.
Ironically, her greatest asset produces her most serious weakness, vanity. After Satan compliments
her on her beauty and godliness, he easily persuades her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge.
Aside from her beauty, Eve’s intelligence and spiritual purity are constantly tested. She is not
unintelligent, but she is not ambitious to learn, content to be guided by Adam as God intended. As
a result, she does not become more intelligent or learned as the story progresses, though she does
attain the beginning of wisdom by the end of the poem. Her lack of learning is partly due to her
absence for most of Raphael’s discussions with Adam in Books V, VI, and VII, and she also does not
see the visions Michael shows Adam in Books XI and XII. Her absence from these important
exchanges shows that she feels it is not her place to seek knowledge independently; she wants to
hear Raphael’s stories through Adam later. The one instance in which she deviates from her passive
role, telling Adam to trust her on her own and then seizing the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, is
disastrous.
Eve’s strengths are her capacity for love, emotion, and forebearance. She persuades Adam to stay
with her after the fall, and Adam in turn dissuades her from committing suicide, as they begin to
work together as a powerful unit. Eve complements Adam’s strengths and corrects his weaknesses.
Thus, Milton does not denigrate all women through his depiction of Eve. Rather he explores the
role of women in his society and the positive and important role he felt they could offer in the
divine union of marriage.

God
An omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent character who knows everything before it happens.
Attempting to present such an unimaginable character accurately, Milton appropriates several of
God’s biblical speeches into his speeches in Paradise Lost. God loves his creation and strongly defends
humankind’s free will. He presents his love through his Son, who performs his will justly and
mercifully.

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