Lost Paradise by Melton 7 to 12 - Book Report/Review Example

These lines encourage introspection on the tragic strife which grips the earth in our times. The music of Milton’s verse shines through in such beautiful lines as, “but on the watrie calme/His brooding wings the Spirit of God outspred (7, 235 / 236). Milton’s vivid portrayal of the exquisite beauty of Creation evokes awe, touched with the tragic realization that the poet is now almost completely blind. He describes “Groves of coral,” “silver lakes,” “the swan with arched neck,” and dolphins at play.

His description of the peacock is particularly appealing: “colour'd with the Florid hue/Of Rainbows and Starrie Eyes (Miton, 7, 445 / 446). Book 8 describes the creation of Adam and Eve. Adam’s questions regarding the celestial bodies demonstrates that man’s thirst for knowledge remains unquenched and has led him to voyage to the moon and to send spacecraft beyond the limits of the solar system. The description of Adam and Eve’s bridal bower is absolutely lyrical: the bridal lamp is lit by the Evening Star!

Book 9 is focused on the Temptation of Eve by Satan in the guise of a serpent. At every turn of the epic, the reader is struck by the poet’s evergreen insight into human nature. Satan tempts Eve declaring that she “shouldst be seen/A Goddess among Gods, ador'd and serv'd/By Angels numberless, thy daily Train” (Milton, 9, 546/547/548). It is flattery which leads to Eve’s capitulation. . Paradise is now truly lost. Book 10 gives God’s take on man’s fall. Milton reiterates that God has given man the gift of free will and man remains responsible for the consequences of his actions and choices.

God asserts his refusal to “touch with lightest moment of impulse / His free Will, to her own inclining left / In eevn scale” (Milton, 10, 45 / 46 / 47). There are overtones of the male-dominated, seventeenth century society’s chauvinism in God’s admonition of Adam for letting Eve persuade him to eat the forbidden fruit. Adam is told that he is unequivocally the dominant partner in his relationship with Eve and it is his role to ‘govern’ her. Eve is deemed “Unseemly to beare rule (Milton, 10, 155).

Gender stereotyping is definitely asserted in this passage by Milton. Book 11 is devoted largely to the Son of God as the redeemer of man’s sin and to Biblical history. Milton’s verse somehow loses a little of the power and the fiery passion which ran through Books 1 – 10. This is natural, considering that Adam and Eve are now leaving Paradise and are truly ‘coming down to earth.’ Book 12 is devoted to the narrative of man’s redemption through the sacrifice of the Son of God and the establishment of the church.

The epic acknowledges the power of man to make “A Paradise within thee” (Milton, 12, 587). Although the poem ends with Adam and Eve’s exit from Paradise, it leaves the reader with a sense of optimism. The promise of the coming redemption when “the Earth / Shall all be Paradise, far happier place / Then this of Eden, and far happier daies” (Milton, 12, 463 / 464 / 465)