Paradise Lost Summary
Written in blank verse, the epic poem written by Milton called Paradise Lost is retelling the story of Genesis–the Christian tale about Adam and Eve. The story follows Satan who was cast out of heaven and wants revenge. Thus readers then follow him through his travels to the Garden of Eden, otherwise known as Paradise, and meets the hybrid monster, Sin, on the way.
Misogyny in Satan
Milton’s “well-known misogyny” is “ embedded in the text of Paradise Lost” (Gilbert), through Satan. Despite Satan’s attempt to destroy the hierarchical power within the heavens–which could be seen as a radical, progressive idea, he plans to replace it with his own patriarchal ideas as ruler. Satan is described with many phallic, powerful symbols that represent his ability to persuade one of God’s creations–Eve into eating the apple. The description of him contains his “ponderous shield/ ethereal temper, massy, large, and round,/ behind him cast; the broad circumference/ hung on his shoulders like the moon” (I.284-287) The diction of such powerful, large items associated with Satan appeals to his masculine power. Adding to that, the moon–a feminine symbol–is placed upon his shoulders. Shoulders within the bible signify power and responsibility. Therefore, the misogynistic theme that women should rely on the source of men plays a role in Satan’s character as there is “true authority in men”( IV. 295). Satan also carries a “spear, equal to the tallest pine” (I. 292). The phallic imagery of a tall spear associated with his weapon enhances the idea of his masculinity overpowering everything, including the fallen angels.
Sin
As stated previously, hybrid monsters represent multiple identities that logically do not go together. Sin, the guard to the gates of hell coincides with that idea as she reflects paradoxes about women at the time. The body of Sin holds the top half a woman but the bottom half is that of “a scaly fold/ voluminous and vast, a serpent” (II. 651-652). Sin represents the “misogynistic tradition in full force”, created by Satan, as her figure “embodies the horror of female sexuality” from her “beautiful face” to her ‘mortal sting’ (Juhnke).
Paradox of Motherhood
The body of sin in itself represents a paradox. In Christianity, men see women as temptresses. At birth, Sin remains a regular woman, as her “attractive graces” allures her father, Satan, as he sees himself in her “perfect image” (II. 764). That perfect image of himself that he sees within Sin creates the motive to have sexual intercourse with her. However, because of the patriarchal views, once Satan takes Sin’s purity she becomes pregnant and her birth “tore through [her] entrails” (II. 783), thus creating her serpent bottom half. The serpent half symbol portrays Sin as a temptress because her snake figure does not appear until after her interaction with Satan. However, this event also juxtaposes the idea that women tempt men as snakes also symbolize fertility and life. Women give life to the world and all men come from women, yet men are the ones who take away the value of women’s bodies when their virginity no longer exists. This leads to the next point that the idea of womanly sin was created by men as Sin “out of [Satan’s] head [she] sprung “(II.757-758). Considering that Satan gives birth to Sin rather than a woman, means that the patriarchy created the views that women tempt men into bed.
Paradox of Power
Another way Sin reflects a paradox about women is that of power. Sin portrays the powerlessness of women as her own child, Death, chases after her with “lust [rather] than rage” (II. 791) and rapes her: “…Overtook his mother all dismayed/ And in embraces forcible and foul /Engendering with me , of that rape begot…” (II. 792-794). As Death overtakes his mother with force, that signifies that she held no power in that situation despite her struggle. Rape manifests a great feeling of violation and vulnerability that lasts forever. This is shown through the offspring her and Death create as they “howl and gnaw [Sin’s] bowels” and return to the womb often (II. 799-800). That repetitive feeling of birth represents the ongoing effect the rape took on Sin. As Sin stays with her son in her by the gates of hell makes her powerless as Death can overtake her at any time.. However, the environment she stays in also gives her power at the same time: she guards that gates of hell as she “sat fast by Hell gate, and kept the fatal key” (II.724-725). Therefore, despite her previous horrid event that left her open and vulnerable, she guards the gates of Hell which is Satan’s terrain and holds great responsibility and power.
In the end, Sin fuses together the paradoxes of women seen through her passed trauma and the form she beholds as she was born from the misogynistic Satan.
See more Hybrid monsters in:
The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser: Errour
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: The Monster
Dracula by Bram Stoker: Count Dracula
Bibliography:
Gilbert, Sandra M. “Patriarchal Poetry and Women Readers: Reflections on Milton’s Bogey.” PMLA, vol. 93, no. 3, 1978, pp. 368–382. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/461860.
Juhnke, Anna K. “Remnants of Misogyny in ‘Paradise Lost.’” Milton Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 2, 1988, pp. 50–58. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24464584.