The Significance Of Eve s Dreams Essay - 2348 Words

The Significance of Eve’s Dreams in Paradise Lost Some of the most telling aspects of John Milton’s Paradise Lost are in the few instances in which the reader is privy to the contents of Adam and Eve’s dreams, and these instances contribute significantly to the outcome and overall meaning of the poem. Milton’s use of dreams in Paradise Lost serves several distinct purposes. These passages allow us to glean insight to the inner workings of both Adam and Eve’s subconscious, as well as to God’s respective plans for them. Adam and Eve’s dreams illustrate the differences inherent within them and their very different relationships with God. Eve’s dreams are particularly dramatic in their substance, and in their drastic contrast before and after the fall. I propose that Milton’s use of dreams in Paradise Lost demonstrates that prelapsarian Eve could never have truly comprehended good and evil. All of Adam’s dreams in the poem are divinely inspired, while Eve’s first drea m is induced by Satan, and her final, postlapsarian dream a vision from God that shows her that she will go on to bear the â€Å"promised seed† (12.623) that will deliver salvation. This essay will examine the different ways in which Adam and Eve receive information and how it affects their understanding and, consequently, their actions. We are first introduced to Adam and Eve as Satan is observing them in the Garden of Eden, acting as the first anthropologist in order to ascertain how to bring about their demise. SatanShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of August Strindberg s Play Miss Julie1706 Words   |  7 PagesJulie, the following two quotes will be compared and contrasted. One from German economist, philosopher, and promenade socialist, Karl Marx and another from author, actor, and theatrical theorist, Jeremy Rockwood. 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