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Aly McGinnis
Dr. David Summers
ENG 250- Survey of English Literature I: Beowulf to Milton
6 December 2014
The Cautionary Experiences of Sin

Paradise Lost, unarguably one of the most influential literary

masterpieces in history, is an epic poem following the tragic fall of
Gods most beautiful angel, Lucifer. As Gods most powerful archangel,
Lucifer was the angel of worship set upon the holy mountain of God
who led a revolt in Heaven because his heart was lifted up because of
thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy
brightness (New American Bible: Catholic Readers Edition:Ezekiel 12-14). The
revolt of Lucifer, the battle with God and the ultimate fall of Lucifer
(now Satan) and his followers has been the topic of a fascinating
conversation pertaining to the ideas of sin, free will and
predetermination. However, Miltons personification of sin is just as
fascinating, not only because it comes in the form of a woman, but also
because her experiences, narrated to Satan in front of the nine gates,
closely mirrors the experiences of Eve, the mother of humanity.
When Satan first encountered Sin and Death holding the keys
and guarding the entrance to the nine gates, he appeared threatened
by the two daunting shapes. Sin, once a beautiful woman, was now a

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woman to the waist but ended foul in many a scaly fold, Voluminous
and vasta serpent armed/With mortal sting and Death was a
shadow without shape, black it stood as Night,/Fierce as ten Furies,
terrible as Hell (Milton II. 650-653, 670-673).
Despite his ambiguous appearance, Deaths presence is
overshadowed by the conversation between Satan and Sin. Disgusted
and unsure as to why she was referring to him as father, Satan asks
Sin to explain, and it is within her description that Satan not only learns
of his children but also, that the reader discovers the similarities of Sin
and Eves experiences.
As she describes, Sin was a result of the misery Satan
experienced while conspiring against God,
In Heav'n, when at th' Assembly, and in sight
Of all the Seraphim with thee combin'd
In bold conspiracy against Heav'ns King,
All on a sudden miserable pain
Surpris'd thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzie swumm
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 count'nance bright,
Then shining heav'nly fair, a Goddess arm'd
Out of thy head I sprung. (II. 751-758)
Born from the left side of Satans head, Sin is the epitome of Satans

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knowledge and the product of his conspiracies to overthrow God. The
birth of Sin from the head of Satan is an ill omen by reason of being
on the left and indicates the future suffering of mankind after Eve
picks the Forbidden Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge (Sinister).
Because Sin came from the left side of Satans head, she strongly
resembles the evil knowledge sought by Eve when she picked the
Forbidden Fruit.
While the birth of Sin is considered a foretelling of Eve picking
the Forbidden fruit and the fall of mankind, Satans inability to avoid
Sins temptations, resulting in him taking her as his an incestuous
lover, is an example of Satans arrogant narcissistic personality. This
incestuous relationship results in the violent birth of Death, who is
responsible for Sins current appearance,
At last this odious offspring whom thou seest
Thine own begotten, breaking violent way
Tore through my entrails, that with fear and pain
Distorted, all my nether shape thus grew
Transform'd. (II. 781-785)
The half-woman, half-serpent appearance of Sin should not go
unnoticed because it, once again, is a warning to the reader of what
will happen to Eve. Like Sin, Eve was beautiful with her unadorned
golden tresses wore/Dissheveld, but in wanton ringlets wav'd/As the
Vine curles her tendrils; however, like Sin, once she is seduced by

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the serpent in the Garden of Eden and convinced to take the Forbidden
Fruit, she too is transformed (IV. 305-307). Although her transformation
is not physically noticeable, Eves want to become Adams equal, or
possibly his superior, as well as her possessiveness of Adam is just as
powerful and toxic as Sins transformation.
Like his father, Death inflamd with lust overtakes his mother,
rapes her and impregnates her with Monsters, forcing her into a
continuous cycle of

childbirth in which these Monsters are hourly conceiv'd/And hourly

born (II. 791, 796-797). This rape by her inbred enemie and the
punishing cycle of childbirth that follows is another representation of
the fall of mankind (II. 785). Similar to Sin, Eve was punished for her
inability to protect herself and prevent herself from being seduced by
Satan. God condemned Eve and all women to extreme suffering in
childbirth, the same punishment given to Sin, Unto the woman he
said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow
thou shalt bring forth children (New American Bible: Catholic Readers Edition:
Genesis 3:16).
In addition, Sins hourly conceiv'd/And hourly born Monsters
also represent the generations of turmoil mankind will experience
before the Son of God, Jesus Christ, redeems them:
Behold mee then, mee for him, life for life

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I offer, on mee let thine anger fall;
Account mee man; I for his sake will leave
Thy bosom, and this glorie next to thee
Freely put off, and for him lastly dye
Well pleas'd, on me let Death wreck all his rage (II. 236241)
With His sacrifice, the Son of God will redeem all the souls and promise
them eternal life in heaven alongside Him and His Father. As a result,
Death will no longer be responsible for killing those who try to enter
the nine gates and Sin will no longer hold the key to open them.
The birth and life of Sin and the consequences Eve faces in
disobeying God in the Garden of Eden are extremely similar. Although
Sin is the offspring and lover of Satan, a blatant product and
accomplice of evil, Miltons personification of it in his poem, Paradise
Lost, results in a thread of similarity that interweaves closely with Eve
in the Garden of Eden. Even though Eve and mankind are eventually
saved by the Son of God, and Sin must continue in the cycle evil,
Milton nonetheless creates a conversation among his readers.

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Works Cited
New American Bible: Catholic Readers Edition. Wichita: Catholic Bible Publishers,
1981. Print.
Paradise Lost by John Milton. Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 4
Dec. 2014
Sinister. Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.

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