It's interesting to be dealing with birth and death with immortal spirits in a universe made up of still mostly Chaos. In this version of the universe, birth often has a purpose - it is the creation of a being or spirit that is being brought into the world as a consequence of someone's actions. This is seen especially in the relationship between Satan, Sin, and Death. Sin, the daughter of Satan, was born out of the left side of Satan's head when he was conspiring against God in Heaven:
"...in sight/Of all the Seraphim with thee combined/In bold conspiracy against Heaven's King,/All on a sudden miserable pain/In darkness, while thy head flames thick and fast//Threw forth, till on the left side op'ning wide,/Likest to thee in shape and countenance bright,/The shining heavenly fair, a Goddess arm'd/ Out of thy head I sprung" (Milton 2.751-758).
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| Blake, William. Satan, Sin, and Death. 1808. |
Along with being portrayed as a means of punishment and an explanation for creation, the idea of birth is also portrayed frequently alongside death as almost synonymous with death. Hell is described in terms of life and death: "A Universe of death, which God by curse/Created evil, for evil only good,/Where all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds" (Milton 2.622-24). Milton's description of the Abyss outside the gates of Heaven and Hell perhaps best illustrates how closely related birth and death are related, "...Into this wild Abyss,/The Womb of nature and perhaps her Grave,/Of neither Sea, nor Shore, nor Air, nor Fire,/But all these in their pregnant causes mist/Confus'dly" (Milton 2.910-14).
There are several dichotomies present in Paradise Lost - Heaven and Hell, good and evil, light and dark - birth and death is a more subtle dichotomy, one that is harder to notice. And instead of being portrayed as opposites, birth and death are seen as interrelated. Birth results in the creation of Death and eternal punishment, and conversely, in Hell, Death (both the character and the concept) feed uncontrollably on life. The idea of the Abyss as a sort of uncharted Chaos best symbolizes this, being the source of material from which life is created and where life is destroyed. It will be interesting to see how birth and death and their role in creation will be conveyed as the epic continues, especially in the creation of man.
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Works Cited
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1968. Print.
"Sinister." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinister>.
I really enjoyed your blog post! I love how you gave great insight to the second book of the epic. I'm glad I read this because you answered one of my questions which was why Sin was born in Heaven when it was born from Satan who was in Hell. I now realize that Sin was born in Heaven as a punishment for Satan plotting against God. I also loved how you used the dichotomy of birth and death. There are several dichotomies in the text so I think that you chose one of the less obvious ones. I think you are right about birth of one thing being the punishment to another thing for wrongdoing. I think you chose great points and I love how you connected this text to Greek mythology. It is obvious you did some research to support your claims. Your blog post was great and I enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDeleteFirst I would like to applaud you for blogging on one of the roughest scenes we have so far read! You actually did a really good job in laying out the story itself in a quick and understandable fashion!Like the comment above I also thought it was great how you tied it in with Greek mythology which I find absolutely fascinating! Now besides all of these chaotic and horrifying images, Do you not find that one of the most confusing portions in this section is that sin was born in heaven? For heaven is a place of perfection that was supposed to be absent of sin. This just came across my mind when you mentioned the start of sin! You also had a great point on life and death. I do agree with you that in fact it is a more subtle dichotomy. You also did a great job of displaying childbirth as punishment to woman! Awesome job on the blog! I actually have read this over several times, and each time it makes me cringe on how well you summed up this or these horrifying scenes,but still is it not just as terrifying that Milton makes sin begin in heaven? Great job and keep up the work! I really enjoyed reading this. - Anthony Pavlov
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this blog post. You presented a lot of ideas that I did not think about while reading book 2 and things that I did not quite make the connections. I was also glad that the story in Paradise Lost took a turn for the more "scandalous" with the addition of Sin and Death. This plot twist added a more interesting aspect to a story that could get boring very easily. Milton definitely knows how to keep an audience interested. What I found that was interesting in your post was the connection you made between birth and Death. While reading I understood that Death was the product of the rape of Sin from Satan, but I did not make the connection that from birth came Death and that was really interesting to think about. While reading I was unclear about one thing, and I am not sure if you picked up on it in your reading, but how did Sin get created? I could not really piece that together while reading, but maybe a little digging I can figure it out. Overall, great job on your post! -Channa Burk
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! I too, find the the conception of Sin, Death and their incestuous relationships with Satan to be very intriguing. What I found really interesting is how you compared Athena's birth to Sin's, i would've never thought that. Sin, like you said, was born from the left side of Satan's head, which many used to consider one's "evil" side, while Athena was born from Zeus' fore head. This connection, among others that you made is one that most would have not picked up on, but it really adds to the symbolism of the story. I too, posted about the "Un-Holy" Trinity, as you call it, and it was very insightful to read your take on the subject and i am very impressed with how neatly you illustrated your point. I also found how you compared birth and death to be very interesting because thats something that i would have never thought of myself. In general, this post had substance, insight, and room for further interpreations which i believe as a whole contribute to a good piece of writing. Good work!!
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