The first few sentences are crammed with every single reason that Milton has for writing this book. Amazingly he manages to fit all of it in to two sentences. The format of the novel reminds me of the format of the Odyssey by Homer. I say this because the speaker calls on the help of a muse to sing the story of Adam and Eve. He sets the muse apart from all other muses by specifying that his muse is the same one that was used to call moses to receive the ten commandments and to write the book of genesis.
I think this is symbolic of him creating the environment that this story is like no other story you will ever hear because this is the story that started it all. The story of adam and eve is probably the most known story in the world. Milton brings up a good point that I had never thought of before. He states that the fall of man kind into sin and the exportation of Adam and Eve from the garden of eden was within gods plan. I have grown up in church and have heard many times that all things go according to god’s will but it never dawned on me that even the first sin committed was within the will of god. Even after being defeated and cast down out of heaven Satan still refuses to repent for his sins.
I do not see the logic of knowing that god can not be defeated and still wanting to attack a second time. Milton makes a lot of alluded smilies to describe satan to the reader. He compares satan to the giant sea monster Leviathan and to the titans. Both of which originated in other epics.
The Essay on Sin Milton Satan Eve
The family reunion that takes place with Satan, Sin and Death foreshadows the fall of man. Sin and Death are personifications against broken heavenly laws: narcissism, incest and lust. Satan becomes enamored by his own creation because he sees himself in her image; '... who full oft/Thyself in me thy perfect image... .' ll. 763-764. However, he goes on to commit two other sins as he lusts and goes ...
These descriptions get us to remember the fact that we know of satan and we know about him but we really don’t know exactly what he looks like.
