The Temptation of Eve in Milton’s Paradise Lost Essay -- Paradise Lost

The Temptation of evening in Miltons nirvana LostDream not of other worlds, the angel Raphael warns transport in Miltonss Paradise Lost (VIII.175). Eve, however, dreams of another world in which she will gain knowledge and power, a wish that is superficially fulfilled when she succumbs to dickenss temptation and eats from the Tree of Knowledge. Awakening in the Garden of Eden as though from a dream, Eve searches for her identity and her place in Paradise. Satan provides Eve with a chance to gain knowledge and to become god-like. As Eve is not an equal companion for Adam, she seeks independence from her husband. Shifting her loyalty away from God and Adam and towards Satan and the Tree of Knowledge, Eve strives to find her identity in the Garden of Eden, gain knowledge and godliness, and obtain independence from her unequal league with Adam. In Book IV, Eve recalls awakening to consciousness but she is uncertain of her identity and of her place in the Garden of Eden. Eves f irst thoughts are of where and what she was, whence at that place brought, and how (Paradise Lost, IV.451-52), and it is this curiosity about her identity that leads Eve to disobey God eventually. From the moment of her conception, Eve is already distant from God because she awakens in the shade and not in Gods light. Throughout Paradise Lost, Eve is identified with reflections, shadows, and dreams. Representing the otherness of Eden, Eve is an outcast and she seeks to find meaning in her life. At the moment of her awakening, Eve is engrossed by her reflection in the water, which she thinks is another being. This watery, wavering image of Eve extends throughout Miltons poem, and this further puts Eve in a debile position, for Eve is merely a ref... ...to this seduction because she wishes for an alternate world, a world where she would understand her identity, shed her navet, and gain independence from Adam. God and Adam try to conquer Eve by imposing rules and ownership upon h er, but this does not work. The mother of all mankind falls from her state of grace and pureness when she perceives that she will gain from her seduction by Satan and by disobeying God and Adam.Works and Sorces CitedFrye, Roland Mushat. God, Man, and Satan. Princeton Princeton University Press, 1960.Langford, Larry L. Adam and the subversion of paradise. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, 34 1 (1994) 119-135.Milton, John. Paradise Lost. 1674. Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th ed. 2 vols. New York Norton, 2000, 1 1817-2044.Wright, B.A. Miltons Paradise Lost. London Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1962.

The Irrationality of Existence Essay -- Literature, Gilgamesh

One of the nearly fascinating traits of existence is the tendency to reflect and to create art on the basis of that reflection. In the days before writing, hollow paintings and the oral tradition of storytelling demonstrated ways that lot expressed their feelings taking the time later(prenominal) winning, even if only briefly, the struggle against the demands of subsistence to leave a yield behind, for posterity. Even the earliest recorded examples of literature, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, poignantly express the struggles that humanity faced when dealing with such abstractions like mortality and grief. The most recent bestseller books published last week whitethorn have cooler cover art and use figurative language more intricately than that past poem. But the anger and grief that Gilgamesh felt after a snake ate the plant of immortality was such(prenominal) greater and powerful. It was the plant he found after a long and bloody journey. Because of one inattentive mome nt when he stopped to take a quick dip in a pool, he lost it to the snake. The absurdity of life comes into high eternal rest at this moment, and while the writings of Samuel Beckett, Joseph Heller and Sylvia Plath are just some of the many that express the same theme, none will be displayed more vividly than. Giovanni Boccaccios Decameron, Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, and Michael Seigneur de Montaignes Of Experience also mirror the irrationality of existence. These books put forward that what is important in life, and what gives life meaning is much more than what we are able to accumulate and acquire during our time on the planet it is how we respond to what hamlet would term the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (Shakespeare).The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio was write in the 1350s... ...es. Throughout European history, such movements as the Age of Reason and the Romantic Era stand for different schools of thought as the way to mark happiness and contentment in lif e. Boccaccio, Shelley, and Montaigne are just three of the many writers who have taken on this idea as a theme. Ironically, there may be as many answers to the question of finding the significance of life as the number of bulk trying to answer it. Works CitedBoccaccio, Giovanni, and George H. MacWilliam. The Decameron. Harmondsworth, Middlesex Penguin, 2003. Print. Montaigne, Michel De. Of Experience. Essays By Michel De Montaigne 633-88. Print.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Web. Retrieved 4 December 2011 from http//www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Joseph Pearce. Frankenstein. San Francisco Ignatius, 2008. Print. The Irrationality of Existence Essay -- Literature, GilgameshOne of the most fascinating traits of humanity is the tendency to reflect and to create art on the basis of that reflection. In the days before writing, cave paintings and the oral tradition of storytelling demonstrated ways that people expressed their feelings taking the time after winning, even if only briefly, the struggle against the demands of subsistence to leave a product behind, for posterity. Even the earliest recorded examples of literature, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, poignantly express the struggles that humanity faced when dealing with such abstractions like mortality and grief. The most recent bestseller books published last week may have cooler cover art and use figurative language more intricately than that ancient poem. But the anger and grief that Gilgamesh felt after a snake ate the plant of immortality was much greater and powerful. It was the plant he found after a long and bloody journey. Because of one careless moment when he stopped to take a quick dip in a pool, he lost it to the snake. The absurdity of life comes into high relief at this moment, and while the writings of Samuel Beckett, Joseph Heller and Sylvia Plath are just some of the many that express the same theme, none will be displayed more v ividly than. Giovanni Boccaccios Decameron, Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, and Michael Seigneur de Montaignes Of Experience also mirror the irrationality of existence. These books suggest that what is important in life, and what gives life meaning is much more than what we are able to accumulate and acquire during our time on the planet it is how we respond to what Hamlet would term the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (Shakespeare).The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio was written in the 1350s... ...es. Throughout European history, such movements as the Age of Reason and the Romantic Era represented different schools of thought as the way to find happiness and contentment in life. Boccaccio, Shelley, and Montaigne are just three of the many writers who have taken on this idea as a theme. Ironically, there may be as many answers to the question of finding the significance of life as the number of people trying to answer it. Works CitedBoccaccio, Giovanni, and George H. MacWilliam . The Decameron. Harmondsworth, Middlesex Penguin, 2003. Print. Montaigne, Michel De. Of Experience. Essays By Michel De Montaigne 633-88. Print.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Web. Retrieved 4 December 2011 from http//www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Joseph Pearce. Frankenstein. San Francisco Ignatius, 2008. Print.