How Did a Serpent Succeed Where an Angel Failed Essay

How Did a Serpent Succeed Where an Angel Failed? The Temptation of Eve in a Dream and in Reality Throughout John Miltons Paradise Lost, the reader feels a sense of foreboding. Because the reader knows that the fall of humankind is inevitable, the warnings and discussion of free will throughout the first eight books of the poem serve only to make Eves transgression all the more tragic. The reader sees evidence of how the fall could have been avoided, and therefore feels as if it was unnecessary. If only Eve had heeded the warnings, if only she had listened, we might all be living in paradise. When Eve dreams of the fall, she is tempted by a very simple argument made by an angel--that if she eats the fruit from the tree, she will†¦show more content†¦In this respect, Eve is unlike Adam, a pious man who follows closely what the angels relate to him from God. Eve personifies those characteristics that Adam does not, such as inquisitiveness, courage, and possibly destructiveness. Where an angel, appealing to the human desire to be god-like, may have succeeded with Adam, he failed with Eve. When she wakes up, Eve finds the dream frightening not only because she has committed the ultimate sin, but also because she has displayed hubris--attempting to live like a God in heaven instead of being satisfied with the earth that was created for her. Since the dream is presented in such a different fashion than the actual temptation, the fear that arises when she wakes up does not reappear when the serpent approaches her. Instead of telling her that she will transcend life and earth and become a goddess, the serpent tells her that her eyes will be opened and she will be able to see more of the dark side. Instead of just having been given an abstract ability to choose between right and wrong, she will understand her choice and be able to make an informed decision. He tells her that while now her eyes seem so clear, yet are but dim (IX, 706-707), if she eats the fruit, they shall perfectly be then opend and cleard (IX, 707-708). Although he does mention that she will be like a God, it is in the context of telling her that she will understand the difference between Good and Evil like a God does. She will be able toShow MoreRelatedJohn Milton Opens Paradise Lost Essay2170 Words   |  9 Pagesbehavior with regards to the fall, whet her that be action or lack of action. Thus to succeed in his stated task, Milton must â€Å"justify† that behavior to his audience—Christians living in the aftermath of the fall. Milton does succeed at both explaining how Adam and Eve could have avoided the fall and also justifying why God must still mete out punishment for their acts, but fails to satisfactorily justify why God did not take more action to limit Satan’s access to Adam and Eve. Milton describes theRead MoreA Modern Equivalent Of Nimrod s Tower1976 Words   |  8 PagesThe next clause says, â€Å"a god his fathers never knew†. This god will accomplish what Nimrod tried and failed to do; that others previously had just imagined. This â€Å"god† will be a newly created wedding between the modern world’s technological ingenuity and the demonic realm. The Pyramid’s Capstone is simply a modern equivalent of Nimrod’s Tower. The devil has tried since the beginning of m an to put this in place. That is why you see so many men in history such as Nero and Hitler, who are types of antichristsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Lord Essay2499 Words   |  10 Pageswill not see, hearing they will not hear.† (Isaiah 6:9 cf. Mark 4:12). This phrase is a judgment that applied to both Isaiah’s day, and Christ’s day (during His first coming). The crowds heard Jesus speak, but their hearts were hardened so that they did not perceive the meaning of Jesus’ words. Rev. 13:9 uses similar language. But this time, it is an open invitation. â€Å"Whoever hears, let him hear.† (NIV) Jesus said, â€Å"My sheep hear my voice.† (John 10:27). Although an open invitation, it is only thoseRead MoreCreation Myths of Ancient Greco-Roman and Hebrew Cultures.3330 Words   |  14 Pagesinteresting because they talk about another religion and how they are being reflected. Hebrew creation myths are also interesting because they explain the power of God who made the universe in just 6 days. In the Greco-Roman cultures, the creation myths start with the gods; Hesiod explains this well in his Theogony in the 8th century B.C. What is the Theogony? The Theogony is a poem written by Hesiod in the 8th – 7th century describing where the Greek gods came from. 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Loneliness through incompletion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 IV. Incompletion