Essays /
Help on thesis with Paradise Lost [9]
Hello, again,
I've started writing the smaller details of my paper (this will be pretty much my paper except I'm missing one paragraph about what allegory adds)...I think there are still a bunch of errors, maybe some in tense, grammar...and most definitely coherency/content. If you can continue to help me,..that would be so great. My last paragraph in this version was especially weird near the end. I don't know if I make much sense there, but i feel like i tried hard and don't know how else to phrase it.Actually, I'm just going to post my "final" paper...meaning it's still up to editing...especially that multiple interpretation part,...but hopefully it won't need to much reconstructive surgery=/
Sin: More Than What Meets the EyeMilton's Paradise Lost is a structured narrative about the Fall of mankind that follows the traditional Christian views of Creation and the Fall. However, amidst his organized description of the Fall through epic styles and techniques, a Spenserian technique, allegory, appears. The resemblance of Sin to the Dragon Error and the allegory used in describing Sin sets up a comparison between The Faerie Queene and Paradise Lost. This comparison allows readers to see similarities between the two allegorical beings and also brings to view reasons allegory is used as a literary technique.
In Book Two of Paradise Lost, the monstrous being, Sin, stands in the way of Satan and his journey towards earth. Sin is portrayed as a "woman to the waist and fair/ But ended foul in many a scaly fold/ Voluminous and vast, a serpent armed/ With mortal sting" (2.650-653). The image presented by Sin brings to mind the pictures of the Dragon Error that "Halfe like a serpent horribly displaide,/ But th'other halfe did womans shape retaine" (1.1.15.7-8) and whose tail was "Pointed with a mortall sting" (1.1.15.4). The similarities in appearance between the Dragon Error and Sin, however, are not the only apparent similarities between the two. The Dragon Error is found in a "darksome hole" (1.1.14.3), while Sin is found in the presumably darkest place in the universe-Hell. Milton further connects the two by giving Sin minions and Error "A thousand yong ones" (1.1.15.6) that they both consume into their wombs throughout the day. The many similarities in description between these two monsters serve to act as a connection between the two books.
When Milton embodies two allegorical beings, Sin and Death, in his writings, instead of only describing things that have actual material being, he employs a Spenserian technique. Milton represents all other characters in the book for what they are-angels as angels, demons as demons, animals as animals, and human beings as human beings. Though some of these celestial entities, like angels, are more abstract and do not necessarily conjure a standardized image in everyone's head, they do stir up concrete images in people's minds. Sin and Death, on the other hand, are not normally represented as beings. Their names have English meanings and so they act as purely allegorical beings, rather than physical or literal beings. When thinking about the abstract ideas of sin and death, there is no single concrete object to actually visualize. Though they are supposed to represent the ideas of sin and death, Milton gives them bodies and physical attributes to further allude to how Sin and Death are like the very ideas they represent. Milton describes Sin as "a serpent armed/ With mortal sting" (2.652-653) and Death as having a "head/ The likeness of a kingly crown had on" (2.672-673). Sin, which first attempts to introduce itself into the world through the body of a snake, acts as the mortal sting that takes eternal life away from mankind. Snatching the gift of eternal life away from human beings allows Death to be crowned with glory as souls pass from the worldly realm to the spiritual realm. Sin and death are both things that are released into the earth with the Fall of mankind, but they are not literally released into the world. In Paradise Lost, Milton uses Sin and Death to build the bridge from Hell to earth. "The aggregated soil/ Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry,/ As with a trident smote and fixed as firm/ As Delos floating once" (10.293-296). Though the building of this bridge is described in a real and sensible way, there is no literal bridge connecting Hell to earth. Sin paved the way for man to enter Hell through death, but it is by no means a literal connection between earth and Hell.
All throughout Paradise Lost, Milton emphasizes the biblical narrative story of the Fall; Of course, he employs some writing techniques to include his own creative intent; however he generally follows the Bible, fact for fact. For instance, on the sixth day of creation, Milton writes, "He formed thee, Adam, thee O Man,/ Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breathed/ The breath of life. In his own image He/ Created thee, in the image of God," (7.524-527) which almost directly mimics the words of the Bible that states: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him" (Genesis 1:27). "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Genesis 2:7). Whenever possible, Milton uses the Bible as his source of inspiration to base his text upon, and when not possible, he bases his statements on established Christian beliefs; he introduces no new thoughts or beliefs. [Was this example and statement after the example enough? I think I found it harder to find it mimicking the Bible fact to fact because it only really mimics creation. All other things Milton talks about are based on established Christian beliefs, but they're not necessarily established in the Bible] However, by introducing Sin and Death, he includes his own original thought that is open to multiple interpretations by different readers.
(You could include some examples of these interpretations here.-How do I include interpretations here? In question forms? Or how? Also I seem to know very few interpretations..and I don't know if they're relevant. Maybe Death, Sin, and Satan are supposed to be the antithesis of the Holy Trinity? Maybe since Satan creates Sin and Sin creates Death, Satan has power over the two, but then at the same time, Sin and Death are described as very strong beings and furthermore, Satan being jealous and rebelling against God creates Sin; however, does he create it freely or does he create it because he is enslaved to sin before it is even created?....my thoughts are so scattered here, I don't know how include interpretations...though I think it would be something my teacher would like.)Milton uses his very form of epic narrative writing that follows traditional Christian theology to provide structure, consistency, and a base to his writing, but he inserts only a single instance of Spenserian allegory to make it stand out as an obvious allusion to the Faerie Queene. This allows the reader to see similarities between the Sin and Dragon Error that might not seem obvious. For instance, Red Cross Knight's victory over Error accomplishes nothing but reveal his overweening pride. Similarly, Satan's encounter with Sin shows his haughtiness. Although his encounter with Sin is a bit different from Red Cross's encounter with Error because he does not end up fighting Sin, it still serves to reveal his pride. In the back of Satan's mind, he
[He?] seems to know that that God is in control, yet his actions seem to suggest otherwise. His actions seem to suggest that he can somehow foil God's ultimate plan. In fact, it is his pride in thinking that he does not want to follow God anymore that he leads the rebellion against heaven itself. All Satan's followers marched against the angels of God "To win the Mount of God and on His throne/ To set the envier of His state, the proud/ Aspirer" (6.88-90). Though this victorious mindset is referring to Satan's followers, and not necessarily Satan himself, it really does portray Satan's own vanity. If he knew he was not going to beat the forces of Heaven, why would he rebel in the first place? Why would he go through the trouble of recruiting an army and having a dispute with Abdiel? Satan's actions seem to suggest that he was expecting to be victorious. Just as Red Cross did not follow Una's warnings of the Dragon Error because he was "full of fire and greedy hardiment" (1.10.14.1), Satan did not heed Abdiel's warnings because he was full of anger and desire to have power that he thought he deserved. He gave up his place in paradise to follow his feelings. His anger and his pride made him think that he deserved to be a leader, such that he though it was "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven!" (1.263)
Allegory, as a literary technique, relies on the reader's ability to draw conclusions by himself or herself. Readers have to take the allegorical reference and be able to make connections by themselves to form a general idea of what the allegorical symbol means in a way that works with the text. The writer of an allegorical work, like Red Cross Knight, tries to slay error by using symbols to flesh out his or her beliefs onto paper. However, the very act of using allegory to describe ideas introduces error. The author intent to defeat error serves to help provide guidance away from error, but it still, nonetheless, releases a "vomit full of bookes and papers...,/ With loathly frogs and toades, which eyes did lacke,/ And creeping sought way in the weedy gras:/ Her filthy parbreake all the place defiled has" (1.1.20.6-9).
[I used "..." to leave out the word "was". Is that the right way of leaving things out of quotes? I remember it being so...but I'm drawing back from my memory all the way back from middle school] Allegory releases a multitude of different interpretations. However, the allusion of allegory to the Dragon Error has its faults. While the pamphlets that the Dragon Error spews out and the different interpretations of allegory both seem to have negative connotations, only the pamphlets truly act in a negative manner. The pamphlets act as unwanted propaganda, while the many different interpretations and views on an allegorical symbol is essentially what a writer wants in his or her work. Though only used in a single instance with Sin and Death, allegory in Paradise Lost, does not reveal the shortcomings of allegory. Writers want analysts to talk, debate, and discuss their works. The different ways in which a work is interpreted is the very thing that makes analyzing writing so interesting and certain books so intriguing; bringing in allegorical figures invites allegorical interpretations, which leads to different understandings of the text and conflicts in interpretation. However these conflicts in interpretation are essentially what interpretive literature is all about. It is the very reason people read and discuss texts-to believe in and dispute about different views.
Milton cleverly uses a Spenserian allegory in his epic writing to draw connections between Paradise Lost and Faerie Queene. He uses it to shows connections between Satan and Red Cross Knight that would have otherwise been hard to notice. He also uses allegory to fully describe Sin and Death. However, most importantly, Milton shows the reader's the importance of allegory as a literary technique-the use of allegory as a way to stimulate discussion and debate about the symbols it represents.
