Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost, written by John Milton, describes the fall of man within the Garden of Eden in a highly descriptive form compared to a contemporary Biblical form. The book begins with Satan’s revolt against Gods rule in heaven and his cast into hell. The book ends with the fall of man due to negligence to obey Gods commands, which leads to Adam and Eve’s departure from Eden and inevitably causes the rest of mankind to live in sin after her decision. In Book IV of Paradise Lost, Eve states “My author and disposer, what thou bid’st/Unargued I obey; so God ordains/ God is thy law, thou mine; to know no more/Is woman’s happiest knowledge and her praise./ With thee conversing I forget all time…”(IV. 635-39). The passage from Eve occurs before the fall and explains that not knowing everything is to have the “happiest knowledge”. The suggestion from Eve invites interesting points such as what makes limited knowledge happy, can God happy with unlimited knowledge, and how this relationship could be the reason for the fall of man. With limited knowledge comes happiness according to Eve because knowledge can lead to further temptation as seen when Satan began his mission to tempt Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. For Eve, the situation occurs in Book IV of Paradise Lost when Eve tries to explain to Adam that the fruit was not evil as seen in the lines,” This tree is not, as we are told, a tree/ Of danger tasted; nor to evil unknown/ Opening the way, but of divine effect/ To open eyes, and make them gods who taste.”(IV. 863-866) Here we can see the thoughts Satan planted in Eve insisting that those who eat from the tree will be able to know more and become “gods”. The knowledge Satan gave to Eve, although false, is what caused her to lose the ability to have the “happiest knowledge” since she has sinned. Her knowledge from now on would forever be tainted because of her one action and this is further proven once Adam decides to follow Eve’s actions to stay with her