Paradise Lost vs Genesis Essay

In the book of Genesis 3:1-6, the passage teaches the story of how Satan tempts Eve into causing the act that leads to the â€Å"fall of mankind†. Of this biblical account, is where John Milton gained inspiration for the idea of is work, Paradise Lost. Milton’s storyline and broad array of imagery portray the tale in a different light than that told in the Bible. While both accounts of â€Å"the fall†, are used to convey the same story and outcome, the two versions share some comparative similarities and many contrasting differences. In the biblical account of â€Å"the fall†, the dialogue shared between Satan and Eve is less developed and vague in detail than that of Milton’s tale. Satan’s approach of Eve is much more upfront and less personal in meaning. He quickly takes hold of the topic of the â€Å"forbidden fruit†. His character is shown with a much shallower depth of knowledge towards Eve. He uses a more 2-dimesional approach to tempt Eve to eat from the tree that God has forbidden her and Adam to eat from. He is shown to have a lack of cunning, and directly disproves and belittles Eve’s fears of eating from the tree with a lack of creativity and slyness. As the story continues, Eve is finally won over by temptation and eats from the tree. The story is left at that moment. John Milton’s â€Å"Paradise Lost† tells this same tale with a few changes in detail. Satan’s initial approach of Eve is much more complex than that shown in the biblical version. Satan uses charm and flattery to woe Eve’s trust towards his word, rather that to that of the word of God. With Eve’s wariness of his gestures, he then refers to her figure as that of a â€Å"goddess† and continues to exemplify her beauty, which in turn, soothes Eve’s doubts. During their conversation, the two exchange dialogue that, to the reader, gives a more in depth and illustrative look at what Satan is attempting to convey to Eve. Instead of simply disproving Eve’s fears of the consequences of eating from the tree, He lies and portrays himself as a living example of God’s false threats of death. This portraying by Satan leads Eve to yearn for the wisdom and knowledge that Satan promises when the forbidden fruit is consumed. From the text â€Å"So gloz’d the Tempter, and his Proem tun’d;? Into the Heart of Eve his words made way†, shows how Satan’s words attract Eve’s attention and do in fact woe her heart. After this temptation, Eve eats from the tree, and Milton uses intense imagery to describe events that come after this event. Milton describes how Earth feels the wound of Eve’s sin. Eve’s inner emotions are brought to light with her disobedience to God. She becomes worried of Adam’s reaction of this act against God, and fears she will be replaced. Her fear of being disowned by Adam comes before her fear of God. This is her prime reasoning for wanting to share the fruit with Adam. While the two versions of the same story differ to some degree, the similarities are equally noticeable. There is no question that there was, in fact, some sort of dialogue shared between Satan and Eve. In both accounts, Satan disguises himself in the form of a serpent. In this form is where he approaches Eve and begins to woe her from her promise to not eat from the forbidden fruit. Both stories convey the same outcome of this event by Eve sharing the fruit with Adam. By examining these two works, it’s easy to notice the aspect that Milton used to convey his story to the reader. Milton’s account of the â€Å"fall of man† uses broad imagery and creative story telling, but its meaning still shares some of the same qualities of the biblical version told in Genesis 3:1-6. While both accounts of â€Å"the fall† convey the same overall outcome and meaning, some aspects of the stories compare and contrast greatly.