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\nA Summary of Paradise Lost by John Milton: Book 10\n

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\n\nPublisher:\n\nLoughborough University\n\n\n
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\nDr Sara Read, an English lecturer at Loughborough University provides a summary of John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, Book 10. Following on from her summary of Paradise Lost, Book 9 where Adam and Eve were still in paradise, but...\nDr Sara Read, an English lecturer at Loughborough University provides a summary of John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, Book 10. Following on from her summary of Paradise Lost, Book 9 where Adam and Eve were still in paradise, but starting to feel the effects of eating the forbidden fruit, Dr Read discusses the importance of continuity in an epic poem, and how John Milton achieves this in Book 10 by moving effortlessly to heaven where we learn God has been watching. Aside from revealing the reason why God did not intervene, she also discusses the historical context, biblical allusion and mythology which are sewn seamlessly into the pages of this poem. For more information on Paradise Lost, take a look at our useful study guide here; If you found this useful, please take a look at our other videos from this series. Book 9 Summary Video transcript: At the end of Book 9, we left Adam and Eve still in paradise but already beginning to feel the effects of their decision to eat the forbidden fruit. Paradise Lost is an epic poem and as the author CS Lewis' commented, continuity is an essential of this style the action must continue smoothly irresistibly up-born with indefatigable wings. Between one book and the next he said we must not wholly wake from our enchantment and so it is that between the end of Book 9 and Book 10 the action moves seamlessly to heaven where we learn that God has been watching as the events unfolded in Eden. This of course begs the question why didn't God step in if he could see what was happening? The answer as we learn in Book 9 is to do with a concept of obedience, in the poem God hindered not Satan to attempt the minds of man because Adam and Eve knew they were prohibited from eating the fruit they should have been able to resist temptation no matter who was tempting them. This disobedience had to be punished and the son of God is sent to meet this out, the first to learn his fate was a serpent who is now to be considered cursed above all other creatures and will spend the rest of time grovelling on his belly. Satan returned to Pandemonium the name Milton coined for the capital of Hell oblivious, he expected to be lorded by the demons, but they could only hiss as they've been turned into serpents and what's more every time they took a bite to eat the food it turned to ash in their mouths. Adam and Eve had already had a foretaste of their punishment when we saw at the end of Book 9 they began to bicker, Adam now learned that God intended to introduce far more enmity between thee and the woman and between future generations. Eve's punishment is perhaps one of the more famous aspects of this, she learned that she would now bring forth in sorrow or experience the pain of childbirth, she also learned that she would suffer having her husband rule over her, never again would Eve be allowed to lead Adam into temptation. And what about Adam? Since his transgression was to be led to eat the forbidden fruit, he would now have to work much harder for his food, bread would need to be earned by the sweat of his brow, weeds and thorns would make cultivation much more difficult. God had already said that to eat the fruit was to equal death but of course Adam had no concept of what death meant, now it was spelled out, \"out of the ground was thou taken and to dust thou shall return\" in their actions in transgressing Adam and Eve had paved the way for sin and death to enter Eden. The poem ends with the first couple lying prostrate on the ground their tears watering the earth it might seem like a hopeless moment paradise is truly lost, but in fact what the poem is doing here is showing that redemption is still possible, that the first couple have learned from their transgression and that through both the intercession of the Sun and through praying, it is still possible for humankind to earn God's forgiveness.\n
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2019
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