Heather Buzbee

Dr. Barrett
ENG 3020
21 April 2014
There can only be one God in Paradise Lost
Abstract:
This essay analyzes Miltons allusions to Greek myths in Paradise Lost in his descriptions of
Satan and Eve. While these allusions are alluring at first, by making both Satan and Eve seem
larger than life, these comparisons are actually problematic because the figures the characters are
compared to are fallen figures who emphasize Satan and Eves humanlike states, their ache for
power, and the inevitable destruction they cause in the epic.
Paradise Lost has many allusions to Greek myths regarding Satan and Eve. In Reading
the Classics and Paradise Lost, Porter argues that we must examine the classics in Milton in
order to fully understand the poem (5). And, Porter makes a good point because these allusions
are important to the characters. These names and associations seem to give Satan and Eve
agency, and we as readers tend to find these characters alluring, especially in these comparisons.
However, some of these allusions can be misleading and have serious consequences for the
characters, because the attitude that surrounds these names cause each characters fall, and the
reader, because the reader can misread what these comparisons are trying to say. Instead of the
allusions that surround Satan commenting on his power, they emphasize his fallen state, and
though the allusions that surround Eve seem to emphasize her beauty, many of the figures Eve is
compared to are figures whose beauty leads to destruction. As fallen readers, we have to be wary
of what we find pleasing in characters and read carefully in order to successfully understand the
text as a whole and re-ascend through the poem.
Scholars usually note how Satans character is appealing to the reader in his speeches and
personality; however, the image of Satan is also appealing. Satan is described as once being one
of the greatest angels, if not the greatest angel (5.659-601). He is called bright eminence and

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compared to the morning star (4.43, 5.708). He is even compared to the leviathan and Titans as
well as great Greek heroes and gods. Many of Satans names and associations are alluring to the
reader because they seem to emphasize Satans power and status, especially in the format of the
epic tradition. Forsyth claims, one should be careful not to withhold the due measure of
admiration that would accrue to an epic hero achieving the kinds of exploits Satan does (30). As
Forsyth notes, these comparisons and titles hold quite a bit of prestige. However, the reader
should also be aware of what else these comparisons say about Satan. A couple of these
comparisons to Satan as Greek figures are not as flattering as they first seem.
Many scholars read the brief comparison of Satan to the Greek heroes, Jason and
Odysseus as a testament to Satans prestige. The comparison states, And more endangered, than
when Argo passed/ Through Bosporus betwixt the jostling rocks:/ Or when Ulysses on the
larboard shunned/ Charybdis, and by th other whirlpool steered (2.1015-20). This comparison
to well-known Greek heroes is significant because Satan is not usually associated with heroic
figures. In The Fear of Falling, commenting on this passage Quint states, Milton finally
names the most prestigious epic voyager, to whom all subsequent maritime epic heroes are
implicitly compared (857). Here, Quint outlines the honor that comes with being recognized
with Odysseus. Some would also argue that this passage illustrates Satans power. Forsyth reads
this passage as, He is Odysseus and Jason on their heroic voyages, leader and chief warrior in
battle during and after the War in Heaven (30). Both Forsyth and Quint are correct here because
Satan is the leader and chief warrior of the rebel angels, and Satan is on a voyage. However, this
comparison also emphasizes Satans now diminished power.
Although the comparison remarks on Satan as an epic hero, this passage emphasizes
Satans diminished power after the fall because he has to labor hard like a human. The

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comparison begins with And more endangered, which illustrates from the beginning that Satan
is struggling. This idea of Satan laboring is expanded upon in the next two lines and emphasized
by repetition, enjambment, and sentence structure. The next lines state, So with difficulty and
labor hard/ Moved on, with difficulty and labor he; (2.1021-22). Here, Satan is explicitly
described as having a hard time working. In fact, the text illustrates his struggle by repeating
with difficulty and labor twice. The verb moved on between the repeating prepositions also
illustrates how Satan cannot move on because difficulty and labor are literally in the way. The
syntax of these lines is also garbled as if even crafting a normal sentence is too laborious. The
enjambment between these two lines along with the repetition also hinders the reader by making
the reader re-read the lines and work harder to actually move on through the text just as Satan
has a hard time moving on out of hell. Although this comparison seems impressive at first, these
lines illustrate that as an epic hero, Satan has to work hard and is struggling.
Satan is also described as a god, but the passage also emphasizes Satans diminished
power as well as links war to being a god. Before the battle against God, Raphael describes Satan
as, High in the midst exalted as a god/ Th Apostate in his sun-bright chariot sat/ Idol of majesty
divine (6.99-101). Here, the passage emphasizes Satans greatness among the rebel angels,
ready for war. However, in the passage Satan is also degraded as an idol, which is a false god,
an image or representation of a god (Oxford Dictionary). Even divine majesty is inverted in the
line to emphasize Satan as a perverted image of divine majesty. Though the text says Satan is
exalted as a god, the text illustrates that Satan is merely an image or representation and still
does not have the true majesty or divinity he craves. This also links being a god to war. In this
scene Satan and his angels are preparing to wage war in heaven. It is also evident that Satan is
ready for war because he is sitting in his chariot, which is what warriors ride into war. Close

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reading of this passage reveals Satans diminished status and the destruction that follows
endeavoring to be godlike.
When Satan is implicitly compared to Zeus, Satan brings Sin into the world, which
directly links being godlike with sin. Satan is compared to Zeus or Jove when he bears Sin from
his head like Zeus bore Athena from his head (2.755-766). This comparison illustrates how Satan
is godlike by performing the same act as Zeus. However, this comparison is not flattering since
Satan births Sin. This is also not a pleasant experience for Satan or anyone else. When Satan
bore Sin he on a sudden miserable pain/ Surprised thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy swum/ In
darkness, while thy head flames thick and fast/ Threw forth, (2.752-755). In this passage, Satan
bears Sin with great pain and agony. Even his rebel angels are scared at first as the next few lines
state, back they recoiled afraid (2.759-760). As these lines illustrate, though Satan is compared
to a god, the scene is painful for Satan and horrifying for everyone else. The comparison actually
reveals early on how Satan is already beginning to suffer for rebelling and emphasizes how
desiring to be godlike can lead to sin and death.
Although these comparisons seem to comment on Satans power, they emphasize his
fallen state and link being godlike to sin and destruction. In the article The Fear of Falling,
Quint points out that there is a temptation to godhood (872). As Quint states, the idea of being
godlike leads Satan to rebel against God. Satan also states this himself in one of his speeches, O
had his powerful destiny ordained/ Me some inferior angel, I had stood/ Then happy; no
unbounded hope had raised/ Ambition. (4.58-61). Satan admits that if he was not as great as he
was, he probably would not have rebelled against God and been content. As these passages
illustrate, there is danger in yearning to achieve a godlike status that can lead characters to sin
and destruction. This is true for Eve as well.

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Throughout the text, Eve is described as fair and lovely, and her beauty is very powerful.
Adam practically falls over himself to be near her, and even Satan is momentarily struck
stupidly good at the sight of her (9.465). In many cases, the text states how her beauty exceeds
many figures in Greek mythology, many of whom are goddesses. However, like Satans
associations with gods, these associations with goddesses are very dangerous. Many of the
figures Eve is compared to have beauty that has led to destruction, and again, much like Satan,
Eve is persuaded to sin because of the idea of being a goddess.
In one of the first allusions about Eve, when Eve is described in reference to Pandora, the
text emphasizes the disastrous consequences that can come from great beauty. The text states, in
naked beauty more adorned,/ More lovely than Pandora, whom the gods/ Endowed with all their
gifts (4.714-715). This comparison is a vivid testament to Eves beauty. However, this is not a
flattering association for Eve since Pandora, much like Eve in the future, brings death, disease,
and despair into the world. The next few lines after the allusion also make this connection for the
reader, and O too like/ In sad event, whenshe ensnared/ Mankind with her fair looks, (4.715718). Though this comparison seems pleasing at first, this links Eve not only to Pandoras beauty
but also to the sad outcome of possessing such beauty. By saying, O too like/ In sad event and
she ensnared/ Mankind with her fair looks, the lines explicitly link beauty to the cause of
mans fall both for Pandora and Eve. The text not only warns the reader what great beauty can
lead to but also reflects its distracting nature. Because the passage first emphasizes Eves beauty,
the subtle warning of the peril that comes with this beauty can be overlooked. The allusion
comments on Eves beauty, but it also warns the reader that this beauty can be dangerous not
only to Eve and Adam in the future but also to the reader trying to work through the poem.

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The comparison of Eve to Juno, Minerva, and Venus also links goddess-like beauty to
disaster. When Eve receives Raphael for lunch, she is briefly compared to the goddesses Juno,
Minerva, and Venus. The text states, but Eve/ Undecked, save with herself more lovely fair/
Than wood nymph, or the fairest goddess feigned/ Of three that in Mount Ida naked strove,
(5.379-382). In this allusion, the text emphasizes how beautiful Eve is even in her nakedness.
However, the association to these goddesses is not complimentary because the scene Eve is
compared to leads to the Trojan War. The Norton Anthology explains this in a footnote stating,
strove naked for the title of the most beautiful; Paris awardsthe apple of discord to Venus,
which led to the rape of Helen and the Trojan War (5.382n4). As this footnote points out, this
goddess-like beauty leads to discord and a ferocious war. This also foreshadows what will
happen to Eve. Eve strives for the forbidden fruit to be a goddess among gods, and this fruit is
like the apple of discord, which will lead to suffering for mankind in the future, just as the Trojan
War led to suffering. This association reveals an underlying hazard of goddess-like beauty.
The danger of being associated with goddesses is explicit when Satan uses this to tempt
Eve. The first time Eve is explicitly identified as a goddess is by Satan in her dream, among the
gods,/ Thyself a goddess (5.77-78). Then in book 9 when Satan tempts Eve in the garden, he
expands upon these names to flatter her. Satan calls Eve, celestial beauty, universally
admired, and a goddess among gods (9.540, 542, 547). With these names Satan first
approaches Eve and persuades her to disobey God. In All the Names in Heaven, Isitt points out,
Satan further undermines her composure by naming her as one would the godshe appeals to
her desire for eminence in names suggestive of rulership (367). As Isitt claims, all these names
appeal to Eves ego and tempt her to sin. By using the name goddess to tempt Eve, the text links
desiring to be a goddess directly with sin. In these instances, the text demonstrates how the ethos

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that surrounds these names is more harmful than flattering and reiterates the risk that can come
with being godlike.
By being placed in the same category as these other goddesses and beautiful figures, Eve
may be extraordinarily beautiful, but she is at risk of being extraordinarily vain as well by letting
this beauty go to her head. In her goddess-like beauty, Eve has high thoughts of becoming great.
Eve also makes a similar point in her speech after she eats the fruit, And render me more equal,
and perhaps,/ A thing not undesirable, sometime/ Superior; (9.823-825). Quint also compares
Eves high aspirations to Satan stating, In her high exaltation as a goddess, Eve echoes the
aspiring Satan (873). Just as Satan strove to be equal to God, Eve feeds into that image of
herself as a goddess and being equal to angels. In these allusions and the allusions that surround
Satan, the text emphasizes the danger that comes with yearning to be godlike.
As I mentioned before, the ethos of being godlike is also dangerous for Adam and the
reader. Adam is so smitten by Eves beauty that he is persuaded to disobey God. Isitt states,
[Adam] feels her betrayal in the very form of her beauty and his own weakness in that beauty
(367). In his weakness to Eves goddess-like beauty, Adam sins. And, the reader also has a
weakness to this beauty. Forsyth states, Adams problem becomes the readers problem (25556). As Forsyth claims, the reader can also be misled by this goddess-like beauty and Satans
descriptions as well. In doing so, the reader is in danger of misreading the allusions and missing
the warnings in the text. To protect themselves from this allure, the reader must be wary and read
carefully to understand the text as a whole.
These allusions illustrate how endeavoring to be godlike leads to falling from God, but
there is hope for re-ascension in the poem. Even though Satan refuses to accept redemption
because of his need to be great, even Satan admits that all he has to do is ask for forgiveness

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(4.79-82). And, though the poem ends with Adam and Eve banished from the garden, Eve ends
with hope for redemption for the rest of mankind as she states, though all by me is lost/By me
the promised Seed shall all restore (12.621-623). Though the poem narrates how these
characters fall from God, there is still a way for the characters to re-ascend.
There is also hope for re-ascension for the reader. At the end of The Fear of Falling
Quint discusses the re-ascension of Milton through poetry. Quint states, the only flight above
the fallenness of things may be the imaginative flight of poetry.poetry offers [Milton] its own
kind of salvation (878). Quint argues that poetry is the poetic Miltons hope for re-ascension.
But flying on the wings of poetry is possible for the reader as well, in Paradise Lost and other
texts. By close reading and working hard through the text, the reader can also soar on the wings
of poetry beyond the gods, far above Mount Olympus and the Aonian mount, and all the way to
Heaven and endless possibilities.

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Works Cited
Forsyth, Neil. The Satanic Epic. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2003. eBook
Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Isitt, Larry R. All the Names in Heaven: A Reference Guide to Miltons Supernatural Names
and Epic Similies. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2002. Print.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M. H. Abrams
and Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2012. 1943-2175.
Print.
Definition of idol in English. Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press, 2014. Web. 19
April 2014.
Porter, William M. Reading the Classics and Paradise Lost. London: University of Nebraska
Press, 1993. Print.
Quint, David. "Fear Of Falling: Icarus, Phaethon, And Lucretius In Paradise Lost."
Renaissance Quarterly 57.3 (2004): 847-881. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Apr.
2014.

Copyright Heather Buzbee 2015