Freedom in Paradise Lost by Milton and Cain by Byron - Essay Example

? Freedom in Paradise Lost by Milton and Cain by Byron Introduction To be free or not to be free…This rhetoric question is often raisedby the contemporaries. Actually, the individuals from different epochs wondered about the necessity of being free. It was rather interesting for them to define between freedom’s nature and the role it plays in their lives. Further on, the issue of freedom is discussed on the example of work Paradise Lost by Milton and Cain by Byron. Milton in Paradise Lost and Byron in Cain are focused on the issues of freedom and constraints. Both of them develop their argument on the basis of the well-known events from the Bible. Human creatures of God experience their devoted Christian faith, whereas their minds are looking for freedom. There is a common thread between Milton’s and Byron’s creative heritage. Both of these two authors are exploring freedom and constraint as fasteners of a human existence. It is impossible to live without longing for freedom. Lucifer in Byron’s Cain says that “‘Nothing can / Quench the mind…”1. Freedom is interpreted as a feature of mind. To think freely means to live without any constraints. To be guided by reason and not by impulses means to be free. From another perspective, Adam and Eve were looking for freedom in their ability to think beyond moral and religious templates. Freedom of choice was their final goal. They were excluded from heaven, but they did not complain that their exclusion was the highest price for their freedom. Cain paid much for being free, but their longing for freedom were ever lasting and worth being strived for. Milton’s opposition: freedom of mind vs freedom of choice At first, Milton depicts Eve and Adam as devoted followers of God. They are driven by his constant power and they are driven into temptation to eat the forbidden fruit by Satan. It is rather paradoxical that such kind of behavior occurs between these two beloved and devoted Christians:  But of this Tree we may not taste nor touch; God so commanded, and left that Command Sole Daughter of his voice; the rest, we live Law to ourselves, our Reason is our Law2.   For Eve reason is not her law. A command of God is beyond reason of Eve and Adam. They blindly believe in God and follow his commandments. Milton questions the limits of God’s command; he tries to find out whether it is unreasonable or whether it is an act of his will only. Freedom of Eve and Adam can be found in their faith and not in their reason. Freedom is not only to accept the laws of God, but to follow those laws as well. There is a hint about the Christian Doctrine and the way the Christians consider God to be “a beneficent and omnipotent deity who is always to be obeyed and free to believe that he is an envious oppressor, obedience to whom results in unhappiness and self-debasement.3” These beliefs of Adam and Eve are contrasting with the beliefs of the Christian doctrine. A failure of Adam and Eve can thus be found in their failure of reason. An act of faith and an act of freedom are contrasted in Eve’s considerations about her eating of the forbidden fruit. Her fall is the result of her spontaneous actions and escape from her faith. Moreover, not only Adam and Eve make their decisions tearing about freedom of faith and freedom of reason, but also all other human beings, who are driven into temptation by their seducers. An inner freedom should be exercised independently from reason. At the same time, freedom of mind is freedom of existence. First, free your mind and you will be free. In the book 9, where the fall of Adam and Eve is discussed, Milton claims that: "the crucial matter is what they think of God's words-that is, of how they conceive them-which is finally, of course, a question of how they conceive him"4. There is no doubt that Milton correlates the issue of freedom with the issue of God. These two concepts are inseparable in his epic poem. A free choice of faith is an ability to choose God you want to follow. These words can be read between the lines of Milton’s Paradise Lost. Where is a free choice, actually? God always exists and the fact that Eve and Adam did not follow him, made him reject their wisdom and they did not want to follow that oppressor. Satan’s words were more tempting and they experienced freedom of their choice. God postulates: follow my law or you will fall. Christian Doctrine echoes throughout this masterpiece. The roots of Milton’s freedom in Paradise Lost Was it a real intention of Milton to correlate events in the Paradise Lost with the Christian doctrine? Actually, Milton discusses the issue of freedom in the religious context. It is of high importance to understand the religious context of Milton’s Paradise Lost. He promotes the concept of individual’s freedom, because he was a strong Protestant5. He was interested in Arminianism, where the main emphasis is made on human freedom rather than ever existent power of God. Paradise Lost was written in 160, when Puritan cause has gone. Milton looks like an isolated writer from religious and political context, which lived in his own world. A figure of Abdiel in Books V and VI is often associated with the author. This character wants to find truth within a corrupt society and he sees faithfulness of Abdiel in spite of all other members of the society6. Milton introduces the issue of freedom in the book 3, when God talks to his Son. God made human beings free and that condition is the background for their ability to prove to God their Faith and Love (3.104). God is pleased by this precondition, because had he created man restricted,   what praise could they receive? What pleasure I from such obedience paid, When Will and Reason (Reason also is choice) Useless and vain, of freedom both despoil'd, Made passive both, had serv'd necessity, Not mee7. Thus, there are no dogmatic and religious backgrounds in these words. God talks about freedom of choice and freedom of relations between God and his followers. From this perspective, an act of obedience is an act of free will. There is a different obedience in case of Adam and Eve. Their disobedience is an act of freedom and, as is obvious, God supports freedom of a human’s act:   Authors to themselves in all Both what they judge and what they choose; for so I form'd them free, and free they must remain, Till they enthrall themselves8. Consequently, there is a clear dichotomy of freedom of faith and freedom of choice for Adam and Eve. These two followers are focused on freedom of their mind. There is a question: how to reach freedom of mind? How to make it free? And why there is a need for freedom of mind?   Adam considers the problem of a free choice in the book 5, for example, when Raphael tells him that God:   ordain'd thy will By nature free, not over-rul'd by Fate Inextricable, or strict necessity; Our voluntary service he requires… Can hearts, not free, be tri'd whether they serve Willing or no, who will but what they must By Destiny, and can no other choose? 9   Thus, God requires voluntary service from his followers. In any case, there is dependence on God and a direct connection between services to God and a voluntary choice. Very often human beings need freedom of action, but once they get it, they do not know what to do with it? “Unfallen” human soul is free from the external oppressing factors, such as fate or destiny. Action required by God from his followers is a free action. God requires voluntary service from his followers. In the words of Adam from the book 9, it is evident that Eve’s act was in contrast with God’s command and she misinformed the Will/To do what God expressly hath forbid10.   Freedom of reason is anyway restricted. Thus, man’s voluntarily acts or his will must be correlated with obedience dictated by reason. This is a paradoxical freedom of reason. There is always something about appetite and quench of mind. So, where are the axes for a free choice’s development? It can be found in two faiths: faith/ the absence of faith in God, but obeying reason and acting in accordance with voluntary/involuntary actions. God asks for a constant appeal for reason. Human acts should be thus coordinated by human minds. Otherwise appetites for temptation would occur:   Understanding rul'd not, and the Will Heard not her lore, both in subjection now To sensual Appetite, who from beneath Usurping over sovran Reason claim'd Superior sway 11. Freedom for Byron At this point it is relevant to mention that theory of Catastrophism interested Byron very much. In accordance with it, the world has been created several times before a man was created.    To be free or not is a free and voluntary choice of God’s followers. There are many options to follow God’s commands or reject them and try to act out of one’s reason. The problem of freedom is also considered by the Romantic poet, Byron. Satan in Byron’s Cain is borrowed from Milton’s Paradise Lost. The poet questions the essence of freedom and considers this issue in terms of the finite paradox: freedom without happiness or happiness without freedom. Byron’s Cain is the measurement of ethical freedom. This tragedy is testing of Byron’s skepticism. Cain’s dialogues with Lucifer are full of skepticism: "I look / Around a world where I seem nothing, with / Thoughts which arise within me, as if they / Could master all things:--but I thought alone / This misery was mine"12. Thus, the main character exists between two worlds: between illusive and real ones. Cain reflects his loneliness in these words. He is focused on the misery of his thought and in his dialogue with Lucifer Cain reflects his self-consuming, skeptical nature. His skeptical nature is the restriction of his freedom. He is looking for the ways of a personal freedom development and the principles of freedom are based on philosophical considerations about the essence of faith. Byron promotes philosophical ethics and considers liberty from two different perspectives: “certainly at liberty to be on their guard against their disciples: and also at liberty to restrain them, if they suffer their inward freedom to seduce them to evil acts, if, happily for society, such acts should be discovered”13. Liberty is opposed to disciples and it is necessary to find a perfect balance between a free choice, one’s faith and inner freedom. Human actions are performed freely, but under influence of certain motives. In case moral behavior is necessitated, an individual does not show his free will. Byron does not mention the Deity and he introduces an angel, who was sent to Cain. Byron underlined that in his play there was a hint about presence of Jehovah. “The old Mysteries introduced him liberally enough, and all this is avoided in the new one”14. There is a lack of religious background and the absence of God from the dramatic poem. Maybe, in such a way, Byron managed to show the dominance of man’s individual inner freedom above his blind following of God. Lucifer in Byron reflects his complete freedom. Satan’s freedom, described by Byron, is actually, freedom, which is longed for by many humans. Commands of God are compared with odd principles of monarchy. Under conditions of monarchy and individual should realize: to be obedient means to be free. In case an individual chooses another path for development, he has an opportunity to discard all moral principles and beliefs and become free. Byron questions the relevance of God’s commands thus questioning conservative principles of monarchy. Lucifer wants to embody a “righter of wrongs, spokesman of freedom, and friend of man”15. Therefore, Byron is focused on freedom as an integrative individual feature and it is of great importance to set inner freedom to be above God and to be able to exist in one’s own world. These are necessary conditions for a worthy living. Different representations of freedom for Milton and Byron There is a difference between Milton’s Satan and Lucifer in Cain. Lucifer persuades Cain into finding truth, as the only relevant reflection of freedom: “Truth in its own essence cannot be but good”16. The readers notice Satan’s confidence and rationale. Lucifer appealed for the society of the mid-nineteenth century and continues encouraging the modern audience. Freedom of reason is clarified by Lucifer in the following way: “Your reason-” Lucifer tells Cain, “let it not be oversway’d by tyrannous threats to force you into faith”17. It is more appropriate for the epoch of Romanticism to promote freedom. A power of human mind can create paradise within these individuals. Lucifer, when he departs, inspires Cain to “Think and endure- and form an inner world within your own bosom- where the outwards fails, so shall you nearer be the spiritual nature, and war triumphant with your own”18. Therefore, Byron’s Lucifer has more heroic features. Milton’s Satan shows heroic characteristics, Lucifer reflects his features of heroism and experiencing the most complex challenging past. Lucifer in Byron’s Cain shows how it is possible to reach paradise avoiding God. Before the epoch of Romanticism such considerations might have been considered as heresy. Byron as a liberator of human mind, can position Lucifer as a successful individual in his searching for freedom. His Lucifer appeals for personal power and freedom beyond God. There is a perfect comparison of Lucifer with Adam and Moses: “Like Adam and Moses we make Gods in our own image, and when we bow down before those images and give them a reified power, we destroy our own capacity for freedom”19. The epoch of Romanticism left an imprint on Lucifer’s representation by Byron20. A freedom if mind and revelation of inner power and potential ability to create paradise within every individual- were the triggers of individual’s development in the epoch of Romanticism. Milton created his Satan in the seventeenth century and the triggers of an individual’s development were different. Doctrine of Deity and faith in God were the main integrative elements and fasteners of the society at that time. Heroic features of Biblical characters were introduced by Milton and God, Satan and Adam had heroic features. These characters are able to sacrifice something in the name of something. They perform their heroic actions; otherwise these characters were not so much appraised by the poet. Determination and dedication were other important features of the main characters. Freedom by these characters is reached through their heroic actions. After all, the doctrine of faith is compared with the deeply rooted principles of freedom. There is triune God, - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, but the embodiment of heroic features is clearly seen in the image of Jesus Christ. Adam discusses with God his sin and God is too strict in his remarks: “To Hell / Draw after him the whole race of mankind, / By him Adam, as the first mortal ever created, was instilled with values and the ability to reason. After all, God "made him just and right, / Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall"21. Thus, God shows that Adam was unable to make a right choice and thus he discarded his freedom, because freedom of choice was of crucial importance for God. At the same time, Adam thinks that he, actually, made his choice, because he was driven into temptation and had to choose between faith in God or voluntary action in the name of freedom. If there is no freedom of choice, God's creatures will hide their true feelings and emotions. Milton shows that Adam and Eve followed God’s commands and instructions, but what was the reason for their disobedience and freedom of choice? Adam wonders: "how hast thou yielded to transgress / The strict forbiddance, how to violate / The sacred fruit forbidden?"22. Adam is positioned as a hero, who was not afraid of breaking the rules and followed his wife in her sinful action. The leading trigger for Adam’s sin was following his beloved even in the face of death: “If death / Consort with thee, death is to me as life / ... Our state cannot be severed; we are one, / One flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself"23. Adam’s tripartite system of values was freedom, knowledge and reason. Freedom was on the first place for him. This heroic act Adam compares with heroic act of Lucifer, who was not satisfied with his highest rank position in heaven. The latter wanted to be free from God. He did not want to bow down to God and he wanted to be happy. Freedom of Lucifer is associated with his freedom of mind: "Farewell, happy fields, / Where joy for ever dwells! Hail, horrors! hail, / Infernal world! and thou, profoundest Hell, / Receive thy new predecessor- one who brings / A mind not to be changed by place or time"24. Hell was a place of mind’s and body’s freedom. Freedom is broader than time or place. This concept is ever lasting and ever existent. There is no way to set the limits for an individual’s freedom. Therefore, freedom of mind is beyond the context of place and time. Freedom of mind is within itself, without God; it does not depend on any other factors or circumstances. It is better for Lucifer him to be a master in hell, than a servant in heaven. His sacrifice is worth being appraised by the contemporaries. History knows many desperate heroes, who changed everything for freedom. No one wants to be a captive bird, in case he wants, he is not human. Satan paid much for his freedom and when he entered heaven he felt that something wrong happens. There are vague discussions about his future, about what he had and what he will have and about his personal status. Lucifer was sure that he paid much for freedom and he ought to pay much for it. The Devil’s actions were heroic, because he wanted to reach freedom and preserve it. The archangel wanted to continue his mission and take away power from the Almighty. Satan played a low-down trick with God and tempted the newest creation of God, the humanity. There is juxtaposition between heroic features of Devil and Jesus Christ. The latter died in the name of humanity. The Devil was fighting for evil and for humans it is hard to understand the essence of his heroism. Therefore, there are common features between Milton’s Satan and Byron’s Satan. Both of them were inspired to reach freedom at any cost. They were not afraid of being banned from heaven; they were looking for freedom in their minds. Place and time was not important for them. Both authors underline the importance of freedom and its relevance to any epoch. Humanity sacrificed much to be free. People paid too high price for it. Nevertheless, the crown of their labor was freedom of their minds. There is a new model of freedom in Cain25, when God inspires him to live and the latter desires to be happy. Cain makes an attempt to find his power through unhappiness, like Lucifer does, but his attempt is criticized by Lucifer: “"Poor clay! / And thou pretendest to be wretched! Thou!"26. Cain is losing in the contest of unhappiness. There is more despair in Byron’s Cain than in Milton’s Adam. Freedom by Byron27 is reflected from the perspective of despair; for Milton freedom was a crown of a free choice. Conclusion Paradise Lost was criticized by Byron and he claimed that Milton had proven nothing. The author of the Paradise Lost, as Byron puts it, expresses his compassion for Satan and intentionally shows his injured inner world. Satan feels pity for Adam and Eve; he tries to justify Satan’s behavior. Thus, Satan is brought closer to human characteristics. A manner of animation used by Milton is reached by humane features of the main characters, but Byron intends to show mental searching of truth experienced by the characters of his play. It is possible to consider the issue of freedom both in Milton’s and Byron’s works as an integrative development. Byron’s mystery drama Cain can be positioned as a logical continuation of Paradise Lost, though Byron would argue.  There is a logical continuation about the humanity fall both in Milton’s and Byron’s writings28. The background of two works matter: events in Paradise Lost occur inside Paradise and events in Cain are described outside its walls. A free choice of Adam and Eve and Cain in the works is stopped by death. Freedom is more individual in the work of Milton and it is more universal in the work of Byron. Consequently, it is of crucial importance to correlate the similarities and differences of freedom representation in two literary masterpieces by Byron and Milton. This concept is an integrative element of the society and the authors show different attitudes to it of different generations during different epochs. The Christian Doctrine was often questioned and it inspired both authors looking for new theories of freedom interpretation. Not only religious considerations, but also philosophical background and personal developments of the author determine developments of the concept “freedom” development both in Paradise Lost and Cain.             References Bloom, Harold, ed., 1987, John Milton's Paradise Lost, New York: Chelsea House. Callaghan, Madeleine, 2010, "The Struggle with Language in Byron's Cain," The Byron Journal 38,125+. 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Available from: http://lordbyron.org/doc.php?choose=LdByron.1822.Examiner.xml [Accessed May 14, 2012] MacCarthy, Fiona, 2002,  Byron: Life and Legend. John Murray. McGann, Jerome, 2002, Byron and Romanticism. Edited by James Soderholm, Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Milton. Paradise lost. [online]. Available from: http://www.paradiselost.org/ [Accessed May 14, 2012] Stevens, Harold Ray, 2006, ""I Am More Fit to Die Than People Think": Byron on Immortality," Christianity and Literature, 55, 333+. Walker, William, 2007, "On Reason, Faith and Freedom in Paradise Lost," Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, 47, 143+. Read More