Before starting, I looked on the internet for some other visual representations of this scene, and found that there were many paintings and drawings where Satan was physically handing Eve the apple or even putting it in her mouth. I decided that in my adaptation, I wanted the snake to be very close to the fruit and Eve, egging her on, but I did not want Satan to be physically touching the fruit. This highlights Eve's free will. Although she was influenced by Satan's lies and he was responsible for tricking her, it was her conscious decision every step of the way. She picked up the apple on her own, just as she ate it on her own. I think that in my adaptation, Eve gains more agency in the scene.
I drew the scene from Paradise Lost when the snake (which Satan embodies) convinces Eve to eat the forbidden fruit despite her orders from God. I then took a photo of my drawing and digitally wrote a line from the text that I feel shows Satan's deception the best. He tells Eve that the fruit gives life and knowledge, when he really hopes that she and Adam will die from the fruit. It's hard to tell, but I attempted to portray Satan's intentions by adding fire in the eyes of the snake where light would be reflecting from the fruit. In my drawing, Satan sees destruction of Paradise when he looks at the apple. Through my adaptation, Satan is only portrayed through the snake, which could be considered a loss for his character since his presence is only indicated by the book.
Before starting, I looked on the internet for some other visual representations of this scene, and found that there were many paintings and drawings where Satan was physically handing Eve the apple or even putting it in her mouth. I decided that in my adaptation, I wanted the snake to be very close to the fruit and Eve, egging her on, but I did not want Satan to be physically touching the fruit. This highlights Eve's free will. Although she was influenced by Satan's lies and he was responsible for tricking her, it was her conscious decision every step of the way. She picked up the apple on her own, just as she ate it on her own. I think that in my adaptation, Eve gains more agency in the scene.
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Weep not for Eden,
as we weep not for the womb, the memories of which places we extinguished like the sword of God. Surely we forgot Eden. Surely we did. Surely the first woman wept more tears when her children left her arms than when she herself was thrown from Paradise. From the mouth of Eden they flew to the far off lands of Libya, Ethiopia, Assyria, reaching further to the banks of the Euphrates that runneth over, places with names so perfect that God might have written them first. And Eve was right to forget. To forget Eden is to remember something greater, something stifled by the excesses of Paradise. Yea, ambition is a matrilineal trait. When historians remark at great length upon the gilded ages of humanity they write not of serpents or apples or Eden, but of Eve’s progeny. Eve the founder, Eve the stateswoman, Eve the mother of all. Now, her children in every crevice of the Earth, we may say Eve the redeemer, a suitable epithet. Behold, ye agnostical nostalgiacs, humanity out from under the thumb of Eden. We humble inheritors who long for Paradise, who weep for martyrs, we are small. Remember Eden. Remember why Eve forgot. Our discussion of Paradise Lost and the various critics who wrote about it revealed novel ways of understanding the biblical figures in Genesis. Deepening our understanding of these characters and their actions can help us understand the moral claims in Paradise Lost, but I think that Eden as a setting has plenty to contribute in this regard as well although it has been less explored by the critics we have read. Eden’s purpose can be very effectively analyzed through the perspective of Eve, who was more invested in the curation of the garden than Adam but was able to recover more quickly after the fall. The relationship between Eve and Eden culminates in her departure at the end of Book 12. I am especially struck by the lines “Some natural tears they dropped but wiped them soon. / The world was all before them, where to choose / Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.” (Milton 12.645-57). These lines leave the first humans on an optimistic note, assured that something greater will come from their folly. I incorporated this optimism into the poem by considering its shape. The length of the quatrains increases as the poem continues and then declines just to become even longer by the end of the poem, reflecting Eve’s two greatest contributions to humanity: original sin and salvation. It is furthermore infeasible and undesirable for humanity to mentally return to Eden. Considering that Adam and Eve must invest significant labor into maintaining the garden, Eden is a planned space for humans to occupy under God’s close supervision, not unlike a terrarium. It is not possible to take as creative and independent a creature as humanity and return it to the Edenic terrarium. They require harsher but less restrictive environments to truly thrive as I allege in the poem. K.C.
Short Story: Blinding shafts of light poured into the room as I woke up from a fretful night’s sleep. God. I was a mess. A week without showers had clearly made its mark on my body as my mouth was caked with some dry, pungent mustard – courtesies of last night’s microwaved hot-dog. My hair looked like… Was that the damn homeless dude that kept robbing my trash cans? Rushing out of the house, half-naked and holding a past-due bottle of Martinelli’s, I yelled at the fading figure of an old man on a bicycle. “Not again,” I groaned as I headed back into my house. I couldn’t believe myself. I had forgotten to do it. You see, every morning of every day of every year of every decade… you get the gist, I had this routine that I never missed. I woke up at 9:09 am sharp, put on my 7-11 work uniform, made my bacon and egg sandwich, and was out of the house by 9:15. Eh, who cares, after today it won’t matter anymore. Just then the phone rang. Uh-oh. Was this the call? I forced myself to close my eyes and swipe up. “Hello?” “Mike, sorry to bother you in the morning. I wanted to let you know that the ownership decided to close the store for repairs – it’ll be at least a month until we have it back running. Take care of yourself man.” “Hey, wait! You telling me I don’t have a job for god-knows how long? How am I supposed to put food on the table bro? I’m struggling already. Hello? Hello?!” I slammed the phone onto the ground and gave a guttural cry of frustration, but I realized I wasn’t going to be alive in a month. I wish you were here Raina, you would have known what to do. I could almost see her face again. Those innocent, hazel eyes… ~~~ Today was it. I had spent countless evenings in my bed dreaming of all the hypothetical ways I could escape my fate. Yet, as the list grew longer and longer, I realized that there was no way out. Honestly, I didn’t fear death (for the most part); a small, lingering voice tantalized me with the prospect of life continued but that voice had been nearly snuffed when Raina had passed away. Taking a seat in my favorite chair (more like the only chair in the house), I began the arduous task of waiting, and waiting, and waiting. As my watch hit noon sharp, the phone rang, but this time there was not a sliver of doubt in my mind. This was the call. “Hello.” It was not a question on my part but more of a resignation to fate. “Good evening Mr. Haswell,” the caller stated, all business, “Are you aware of the reason for this call?” I sighed, “Can we please cut the formalities and get straight to the point.” “It is required that we go through this process to ensure the most comfortable and hospitable experience.” “If you consider death hospitable.” The voice calmly replied, “This is merely what is owed to you, what you have earned Mr. Haswell. You of all people should know this.” After a moment of silence it continued, “Are your matters taken care of?” “Yes.” “Do you have any family you wish to contact before…?” “No.” “Any siblings, wife, children…” “No is a very simple word my friend,” I interrupted. “Understood, my apologies. Well, everything seems to be set – one moment Mr. Haswell. There seems to be a problem.” The voice becomes muffled as the line is put on hold. My eyes wander around the room, tracing the maze of lines on the soddy wall, curling like wisps of smoke. Gradually, my heartbeat grows louder until my world slows down to my body’s drum, living as one – mind and flesh. So this is what it’s like to die. I’m coming home Raina. “Mr. Haswell, are you there?” For a second, I am in total loss of the situation then I remember this call – the call. “Uh, yes. Sorry,” I mumble as I clench my hands, awaiting my death sentence. “It seems as if your sentence has been canceled. Another man has volunteered to take your place.” I just sit there, mute. Did I hear that correctly? “Mr. Haswell, you are no longer a dead man.” “Wait, what did I do for this person? Who in their right mind would take my place?” The voice chuckled, “Nothing. You did nothing to earn this. All I know is that you are free to go. Goodbye.” Analysis: In this short story, I sought to focus on this concept of the Son’s sacrifice, life for life, in Book 3. The Son offers up all of himself to pay the debt mankind owed. He says he will “death I yield and am his due,” but is “glad to be offered” (Milton 3.245, 3.270). When I read this passage, I found myself discounting this act of grace and love; only as I read it repeatedly, I began to appreciate the character of the Son and his “heroicness.” Nevertheless, this story focuses more on the character of the reader/humans than the Son. My mission was to explore the thoughts and emotions of the audience and humans in general when they discovered this story of sacrificial love. The story takes away a good chunk of the supernatural powers and events of the redemption, however I wanted to set it in a modern context so that the reader could feasibly connect with the characters. Mike harbors the pain and anguish any normal person will undertake through life. Mike had to die, it was what he was due just like Adam and Eve in the PL (thus humanity), but he was rescued by a total random stranger. The ending was intentional since the reader is left to resolve what happened by themselves. What is Mike going to do now? So, in turn the reader is asked, “What are you going to do now?” It places the reader in the drivers seat to formulate an epilogue that is fitting to their desire. Representing Mike as the reader of PL, I think this accomplishes one of the goals that Milton wanted to achieve – to challenge his audience. The PL ending is starkly like the story’s ending in that the reader is left to divine what will happen after Adam and Eve leaves the Garden. It is no longer Adam and Eve’s story but the readers. In the end, the short story lost the original setting and characters but allowed for a deeper emotional connection and the reader to own the PL story as their own. (I recommend closing your eyes and using headphones for the best experience.)
My project was based on the following line in Paradise Lost: “...yet first, / Pausing a while, thus to herself she mused” (Milton 9.743-744). Here, she goes through a thought process where she considers eating the fruit and attempts to justify it. Of course, her logic is flawed due to her argument with Adam and temptation from Satan. When I was thinking about going about this, my first instinct was to make a video montage of different aspects of the garden. However, as I thought more in depth about it, I decided instead to make an audio representation of her thought process. The audio itself is chaotic, the sounds not quite fitting each other just right. This is intentional, as I interpreted Eve’s thoughts to manifest in a sort of frenzied manner. It also helps to symbolize the nature of the subject: the fall of man through the temptation of Satan. The sound starts out with the sound of dripping water, echoing alone. This represents her mind before temptation. Then, the birds begin to come in, also echoing with the water. The chirping introduces the thoughts of inferiority placed by Adam, a small but significant aspect of the sound as a whole. The rain and thunder are layered next, the entrance of Satan’s temptation among Eve’s already clouded judgement. The rustling and snapping of the leaves that enter next is her contemplation of whether or not she should eat the fruit, and the final howling wind is meant to be an ominous symbol of her decision to follow through. This wind remains for a bit, but then one by one each sound begins to fade away, leaving only the echo of the water. This symbolizes that through temptation Eve has secured humanity’s fate. She has fallen. too long, I have rested
my fate in my God’s good grace, and i think it is better to spend seventy years loving even if it means an eternity of debt i must repay. darling, maybe you can be my salvation. there is nothing i wouldn’t give for your earthly affection. no gift of god, no promise of heaven. memory and melody intertwine, much like space and stories, and i know that if leave you now i will be plagued by your absence. though the oxygen will eventually eat us both alive at least there will be some of it left when we’re gone. and i dare say someone will remember us, even in another time. because woman, in the metaphysical, time and space are irrelevant, indifferent - i am yours. Analysis: For this assignment, I decided to write a poem from Adam’s perspective when he makes the decision to fall with Eve. Though much of John Milton’s Paradise Lost is not kind to Eve – often casting her and her actions in a misogynistic and infantilizing light – there is space to romanticize Adam’s sacrifice in falling with Eve. Offered the chance to remain in Eden with another woman, Adam refuses, thinking that he won’t find love again that resembles what he has with Eve. This act is not the noblest that he could have committed, as he could have asked God to die in place of Eve and burden himself with her sins. But there is a certain drama in his request to fall with her, even though he knows his fate will be terrible, to be inseparable in both life and death. I decided to incorporate a version of Sappho’s famous quote “Let me tell you this: someone in some future time will think of us,” to separate this display of love Adam is showing toward Eve away from the Christian tradition. When many of us hear of Adam and Eve, we may be prone to think of their relationship strictly in terms of traditional biblical gender relationships, and in many ways, this is not an unfair assessment of their place in cultural discourse. However, Milton’s adaptation of biblical events lends it to a broader interpretation of their love as not strictly out of Godly duty – but one formed out of stubborn, genuine affection. There was not much hope to be had, entering the unexplored, terrifying wilderness of Earth. I think the desire for legacy is at the root of the human existence, and so I assigned Adam the hope that, if nothing else would come out of their tribulations, at least there was hope that one day they would be remembered. Passage I adapted from: “fairest of creation, last and best Of all God’s works, creature in whom excelled Whatever can to sight or thought be formed, Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet How art thou lost, how on a sudden lost, Defaced, deflow’red, and now to death devote? …for with thee Certain my resolution is to die.” https://youtu.be/IdJ8Z68q8VA
“Satan and Eve” is a short orchestral work that highlights how Eve becomes a partial mirror of Satan prior to Adam’s fall in Paradise Lost. The music is based on 9.791-999. Satan and Eve each have their own musical motifs. The similarity of the original motifs foreshadows Eve’s manipulation of Adam. The difference in tone and texture between the motifs highlight’s the characters’ differences. Eve’s original motif is, in a sense, light and “feminine” while Satan’s is darker. The music introduces Eve and Satan, then musically depicts the events from Eve’s fall through Adam’s fall. My music promotes the interpretation that Adam actually fell from Eve’s manipulation, even if Milton claims he was “not deceived, / But fondly overcome with female charm” (9.998-999). Throughout the music, Eve’s motif becomes increasingly similar to Satan’s, depicting how Eve’s manipulation of Adam mirrors Satan’s earlier manipulation. However, the final motif — “EVE HAS BECOME LIKE SATAN” — is still a bit different from Satan’s original motif because, while Eve mirrors Satan’s tactics, she does not turn into a full mirror of Satan. She is still not entirely the same as Satan. Shaped, I dissolved in my own adoration
the reflection is a magnet, some hypnotist’s pendulum. As I strong-arm towards the water fingers melt into the liquid: my reflection sloughs like skin. Legs no longer balanced, my bodies shift and move together - different no more. Can I help but be drawn to the unreal? A body so bewitching my devotion is consuming. These eyes, still unmarred - can I be blessed enough to own them. Analysis: My poem draws upon the Book IV scene lines 455-467 in which Eve, from Paradise Lost by John Milton falls in love with her own reflection. In this scene, Eve is fixated in her attraction to her own body to the point where she becomes absorbed in vain desire. My poem draws upon this ideal, and extends it by depicting Eve literally reaching for and becoming so strongly drawn to her own body to the extent where her bodies (both the reflection and the actual) are no longer different beings. Eve describes herself in Paradise Lost as “look[ing] into the cleer / Smooth Lake, that to [her] seemd another Skie,” a moment in which she both looks down as her first act after having been created (in opposition to Adam, who looks up towards the sky), and simultaneously connects that lake and what dwells beneath it to the sky. In other words, she showcases the ability to synthesize the heavens above with the hell below, and the inability to differentiate fully between the two. I strive to analyze this concept in my poem as I discuss how Eve’s “reflection sloughs like skin / …[her] bodies shift and move together -/ different no more.” Here, I use a physical depiction of Eve’s reflection that, via simile, is described in a manner more akin to how a tangible body, covered with skin and muscle, would act, while that self-same physical body instead becomes more attuned to her reflection, as her “fingers melt into the liquid.” In this way, I draw on Eve’s canonical confusion and synthesization to illustrate how her initial - and later - ignorance of God and the righteous path become literally embodied within her as a physical creature. In the end, Eve questions whether she can “be blessed enough to own” her reflections’ alluring eyes (a representation of the enticing nature of the body as a whole). In Paradise Lost, Eve is tempted enough by the fairness of the fruit that she consumes it; here, her attraction to her own visage causes her to simultaneously consume and be consumed - and subsumed - by her reflection, which I describe as more ‘real’ than Eve herself, questioning whether the concept of Eve’s physical body as the consummate Eve is even valid. Here, the usage of a period rather than a question mark at the end of her query about whether she is indeed blessed indicates that Eve has agency: she questions something that she herself knows the answer to. Direct, powerful diction such as “strong-arm” also contributes to my interpretation of Eve as a character with agency, even if she does not want to admit it as stylized in my poem. In my interpretation of the poem, Eve loses a part of her Miltonian innocence; my Eve is far more aware of the vanity that she is allowing to dictate her actions. However, she also gains a great deal of agency, as, in my version, she is also conscious that she is being drawn toward her own body, and giving in to that impulse is not something out of her control. In doing so, I was able to reflect on the possibility that a character can give in willingly to an impulse, simultaneously exerting free will and allowing that free will to be overtaken. Eve’s impulses are her, and she is her impulses: they are one and the same, and she is able to be both an agent and a victim at the same time without those two terms becoming mutually contradictory or exclusive. Eve of Eden: A Multiplayer Simulation Game Eve of Eden is a competitive, 1v1 simulation video game set in a digitally-generated Garden of Eden. One player controls an avatar of Eve, while the other controls Satan. Each player has a different objective in this game. The person playing as Eve must accumulate as many “goodness” points as possible before a 5-minute timer expires, while the person playing as Satan must prevent Eve from accessing these points, without revealing their identity and being “identified.” Once the time expires, the points will be tabulated to determine whether Eve is able to overcome Satan through her goodness or if she will fall. Set Up Players must log into the game from two separate devices. While the game can be played with friends anywhere in the world using the wonders of the Internet, if you would like to play the game near someone else, please stay at least 6 feet away from them. Aside from being pandemic-friendly, this will ensure that the other player is unable to see your screen and won’t know where you are in the world of Eden Introduction Once you and your competitor log into the game, you will randomly be assigned one of the two characters. The figure of Eve is represented by a beautiful woman. While ideally she would be naked as she is in the original epic, it’s unlikely that this would make it past the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Thus, her body is minimally covered to best replicate what she would have looked like, but done so in an especially tasteful way through the use of loose, non-form fitting clothing. The figure of Satan is originally shown to be a snake, as that is the form that he takes in the poem, but through the game, you will be able to morph into various characters to hide from Eve. Don’t worry if you prefer playing one character over the other; the game includes three rounds with the roles alternating each time. This means that you will play at least one round as each figure. The first person to win two rounds will win the game. After being assigned your character, you will be placed into a random location in the Garden of Eden virtual environment, but not in a location where you would be able to see your opponent. While Satan will begin as a snake, the environment will also contain many other snakes (as well as the other animals of the Garden, any of which Satan has the power to shift into). Thus, if you are playing as Eve and see an animal near you, you can assume that it isn’t Satan. Playing as Eve Your objective is to score as many “goodness” points as possible. As explore your environment in the Garden, you will see numerous opportunities to obtain these points through showing your goodness. For example, you may notice some flowers that haven’t been growing well. By touching them and making them grow with your beauty, you will gain goodness points. Each task will be associated with a different number of points that you will not know about, but continue to seek out ways to demonstrate your character and improve the world around you. However, you should also keep an eye out for Satan. If you see an animal in your environment causing destruction, or if you have reasonable suspicion to believe that it is him, then you should “identify” him to God and Adam by clicking the button that will be on your screen. If you identify him correctly, God will remove Satan from the Garden and you will automatically win the game. But be careful! If you make a mistake and identify an animal that isn't actually Satan three times, you will automatically lose the game. Playing as Satan You will be responsible for trying to limit Eve’s goodness by removing opportunities for her to demonstrate it. For example, if you see a bush with flowers that aren’t growing well, you should destroy the bush before Eve sees it. However, you need to stay hidden so Eve doesn’t identify you. You can do this by shifting from a snake into one of the other two animals that are part of the Eve of Eden starter pack: a deer and a bear. You can purchase Eve of Eden accessory packs to shift into other animals as well and if you do, those animals will be added to the environment as well. But remember, Eve will not know who you are unless you act suspiciously. Final Tabulation After five minutes of gameplay, the game software will determine whether Eve has passed the threshold of goodness, the amount of points necessary to win. This threshold is determined using the strength of the Satan player, based upon their previous win/loss record. If Satan is being played by a particularly strong player, the threshold will be high too. That’s why it’s important to try to score as many points as possible when playing as Eve. Eve and Satan (as a snake) will appear next to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. You have no control over your characters at this point, but you will see Satan in his final form approach Eve. If he nears her but then turns away, Eve wins the round. But if Satan is able to actually approach Eve and tempt her with the fruit, Satan wins the round. If the latter occurred, it would appear in a similar manner to the image of Eve and the Serpent above, albeit digitized and featuring a clothed Eve. Analysis: As I began this project, I was especially interested in studying how Eve exhibits power against Satan in Paradise Lost. In a previous paper, I argued that we often erroneously see Eve as lacking power because of our modern association of a lower position in a gender hierarchy with powerlessness. By using a 1-v-1 video game, even explicitly making references to current events and the Internet, I was able to explore the Eve-Satan relationship while bringing it into the context of our postlapsarian world. I generated the entire point system around the quote “Her graceful innocence, her every air / Of gesture or least action, overawed / His malice, and with rapine sweet bereaved / His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought” (8.459-461). I saw this line as a reflection of the power that Eve carries as a result of her beauty and goodness, a power that was strong enough to even momentarily resist Satan. Thus, I wondered what would've occurred if Eve’s goodness could have somehow been accumulated or stronger than it was in Book 8. Would Satan have chosen not to harm her (as he does in the event that Eve accumulates enough points in the game)? Or would a history of experiences with committing evil, as he had done prior to encouraging Eve's fall make it impossible for Eve to not fall (as represented by the changing "threshold of goodness"). I developed the one example of a way to accumulate these points through the quote “Her nursery; they at her coming sprung, / And, touched by her fair tendance, gladlier grew” (8.46-47).” In fact, this quote was also notable in my understanding of Eve’s power in the poem because it demonstrated that she carried the power to impact her environment. However, this newfound system also led to a deeper study of the meaning of Eve’s power and agency. While Eve’s ability to momentarily resist Satan could be seen as a sign of her power in the poem, her role as protagonist who is given an explicit mission by the God-like figure that is the game instructions to defeat Satan and knows that her actions will bring about this end further empowers her. Additionally, the context of her being a female "heroine" in a video game is unusual, even in the modern context, leading to an additional level of empowerment. This Eve, and female, focused version of Paradise Lost is not meant to argue that Eve would have been unable to fall, but further points out the power and agency that Eve does possess. However, I did face some challenges as I tried to reconcile the modern and prelapsarian worlds. While some sections of my description are only included to create a competitive and realistic game or explain that I am trying to make this connection (for example, the set up section or the informal language that I used to attempt to simulate a video game instruction manual), other parts are purposeful. The most significant challenge was the depiction of Eve. While I wanted to depict Eve without clothing to reflect the power exuded by her nude prelapsarian beauty, I realized that if she were depicted in such a way, she would be sexualized given the postlapsarian context of the game and not be widely accepted or revered in the “heroine” role that she fills, which I tried to explain using the ESRB. I’m not an artist or designer by any means, so it was difficult for me to conceptualize what exactly I would have Eve wear. I wanted to create an outfit that covered as little of her body as possible, but given that many female video game characters are depicted wearing form-fitting clothing that covers very little of their bodies and are sexualized as a result, I was worried that this would again lead to Eve being sexualized. I then imagined a loose outfit that covered her breasts and genitalia, but I recognized that this would also limit the power that her feminine form is meant to exude when she is nude (or in form-fitting clothing that would show off this form). I wasn’t really sure how to resolve this Catch-22. But either way, I think it demonstrates the complicated nature of feminine power even within our modern age. We may be led to question how to reconcile the role of a “hero,” a characteristic associated with masculinity and forceful power with the gentle and beautiful power that Eve is associated with. What conclusions can we draw from prelapsarian vs postlapsarian representations of power and the female body? How does this connect with modern feminist issues surrounding the sexualization of the female body? There truly are so many fascinating connections that can be made between the modern woman and the first woman. “...yet first, / Pausing a while, thus to herself she mused:-” (Milton 9.743-744) These lines from Milton’s Paradise Lost inspired this montage. It is in these moments that Eve delves into a thought process justifying her consumption of the fruit, her logic adulterated by conflict with Adam and persuasion from Satan. Intrinsically, Eve’s reasoning is in turmoil, though her outward act is simple: plucking the forbidden fruit from its tree and eating it. I attempt to portray this juxtaposition in the montage by interweaving two clips of the “present” - Eve’s outstretched hand and anxious eye - with clips that reflect her “past” with Adam and the “future” that Satan promises.
In the initial stages of editing, I chose to exclusively use footage relating to nature, particularly animals, since Eve is “used / To… disport before her through the field / From every beast… dutueous at her call” (Milton 9.519-521). Spending so much time with animals would perhaps lead her to use them as analogies in her mind. As for the music, I selected a track titled “The Kidnapping,” which features an ominous background noise (blocking out Eve’s ability to “hear” God’s will), a slightly cacophonous and sporadically speedy piano melody (mirroring her tense, conflicted emotional and mental states), and a jarring chitter (representing Satan’s whispers). Finally, I selected a square-shaped rather than a landscape, cinematic frame for the video because Eve’s reasoning is myopic, limited. Although numerous thoughts cross her mind, she uses the information to support one sin, rather than considering different courses of action (like not eating the fruit). For the specific video clips, I referred to lines 232-781 of Book 9 as a guide. First, there are ravens, a lily, and a butterfly - with a cold, blue overlay - representing “knowledge” and “life more perfect” - the gifts Satan claims to have gained after eating the fruit (Milton 9.687-689). But Eve knows this is wrong: “...of this tree we may not taste nor touch… our Reason is our Law” (Milton 9.651-654). Fueling this short-lived repulsion are her love for Adam (depicted by their silhouettes, swans and doves) and her love for God’s gifts and virtues (shown by the rainbow, olives, koi, ants, and sheep). The images here have a warm, maroon overlay to illustrate the sense of home and belongingness Eve has to her virtuous life. Afterward, she remembers how she was birthed from Adam (shown by soil, skin, a hatching egg, and her foot stepping onto the grass) in warm tones, but these turn to blue again as she realizes she is subordinate to him. She is told that there is “nothing lovelier… in [her] than to study household good (Milton 232). And in times of “danger or dishonor,” Adam says Eve is only “safest and seemliest by her husband” (Milton 9.268-269). To illustrate this, I showed an eagle flying versus a common bird by its nest, then a wolf hunting versus a wolf feeding its pups. This causes their bonds as a couple to “wither” - depicted by wilting sunflowers - since Adam has “misthought of [Eve]’ (Milton 9.289). Her wavering pride is easily exploited by Satan’s termite-like persuasion, invading her thoughts. He says that God - portrayed halfway though the montage as a cloudy sky instead of a sunrise - does not want humans to be as wise “as Gods, / Knowing both good and evil” (Milton 9.708-709). I used footage of an owl, vultures, a rat, narcissus flowers, a crab, and flies, to symbolize selfish desire for omnisciece and fear of humans gaining reason. Eve agrees with Satan. She views God in the same villainized light, depicted through similarly ominous footage of dark skies, hail, and scavenging ants - now, in maroon rather than blue overlays - as if Eve is finding home in Satan’s words. Finally, she imagines that by “[feeding] at once both body and mind,” she is “[made] wise” and “[cured]” of her inadequacies (Milton 9.774-779). She can be at par with Adam and God. I portray this with clips of two owls, two eagles, and two hunting wolves. The montage ends with a cliff as Eve “falls,” followed by a Venus flytrap plant - a reminder that her sin is not solely a result of disobedience, but also beguilement into Satan’s trap - and finally with her outstretched hand and open mouth. This exercise takes away the clarity of the original writing, as well as the more “human” tone of prose, as it focuses on more abstract terms like knowledge, wisdom, ignorance, good and evil. Relating each of these things to visual terms, particularly those only related to nature, gives Eve a more godlike - almost “Mother Nature-y” tone, as she draws on unique scenarios in the animal world that require a timeless, painstakingly observant eye. Further, visual art leaves plenty of room for interpretation. Still, I think that the speedily rendered montage, which to an extent concretizes abstract qualities and emotions, serve as an alternate - and faster - way to communicate how her insecurity, compounded by interactions with characters around her, drove her to her Fall. Ultimately, I think Eve gains another chance to "explain herself." ENTER CALIBAN
Caliban: All the infections that the sun sucks up From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch, Fright me with urchin--shows, pitch me i' the mire, Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but For every trifle are they set upon me; Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me And after bite me, then like hedgehogs which Lie tumbling in my barefoot way and mount Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I All wound with adders who with cloven tongues Do hiss me into madness. ENTER SATAN AS SERPENT Lo, now, lo! Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me For bringing wood in slowly. I'll fall flat; Perchance he will not mind me. Satan: Wonder not, sovereign Caliban, if perhaps Thou canst, who art sole Wonder, much less arm Thy looks, the Heav'n of mildness, with disdain, Displeas'd that I approach thee thus, and gaze Insatiate, I thus single, nor have feard Thy awful brow, more awful thus retir'd. Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine By gift, and thy Celestial Power adore With ravishment beheld, there best beheld Where universally admir'd; but here In this enclosure wild, these Beasts among, Beholders rude, and shallow to discerne Half what in thee is fair. Who sees thee? who shouldst be ador'd and serv'd By Angels numberless, thy daily Train. Caliban: Do not torment me: Oh! Satan: Perchance you wonder, how I came so to speak and reason? Easie to me it is to tell thee I was at first as other Beasts that graze The trodden Herb, of abject thoughts and low, As was my food, nor aught but food discern'd Or Sex, and apprehended nothing high: Till on a day roaving the field, I chanc'd A goodly Tree farr distant to behold Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mixt, Ruddie and Gold: I nearer drew to gaze; When from the boughes a savorie odour blow'n, Grateful to appetite, more pleas'd my sense, Then smell of sweetest Fenel or the Teats Of Ewe or Goat dropping with Milk at Eevn, Unsuckt of Lamb or Kid, that tend thir play. To satisfie the sharp desire I had Of tasting those fair Apples, I resolv'd Not to deferr; hunger and thirst at once, Powerful perswaders, quick'nd at the scent Of that alluring fruit, urg'd me so keene. About the mossie Trunk I wound me soon, For high from ground the branches would require Thy utmost reach: Round the Tree All other Beasts that saw, with like desire Longing and envying stood, but could not reach. Amid the Tree now got, where plenty hung Tempting so nigh, to pluck and eat my fill I spar'd not, for such pleasure till that hour At Feed or Fountain never had I found. Sated at length, ere long I might perceave Strange alteration in me, to degree Of Reason in my inward Powers, and Speech Wanted not long, though to this shape retain'd. Thenceforth to Speculations high or deep I turnd my thoughts, and with capacious mind Considerd all things visible in Heav'n, Or Earth, or Middle, all things fair and good; But all that fair and good in thy Divine Semblance, and in thy Powers heav'nly Ray United I beheld; no Fair to thine Equivalent or second, which compel'd Mee thus, though importune perhaps, to come And gaze, and worship thee of right declar'd Sovereign of Creatures. O Sacred, Wise, and Wisdom-giving Plant, Mother of Science, Now I feel thy Power Within me cleere, not onely to discerne Things in thir Causes, but to trace the wayes Of highest Agents, deemd however wise. King of this Universe, the Fruit gives you Life Look on mee, Mee who have touch'd and tasted, And life more perfet have attaind then Fate Meant mee, by ventring higher then my Lot. Shall that be shut to thee, which to the Beast Is open? Prevent not from achieving what might leade To happier life. In the day Ye Eate thereof, your Eyes that seem so cleere, Yet are but dim, shall perfetly be then Op'nd and cleerd, and ye shall be as Gods. That ye should be as Gods, since I as Man, Internal Man is but proportion meet, I of brute human, yee of Sycorax God. So ye shall die perhaps, by putting off Human, to put on God, death to be wisht, which no worse then this can bring. And what are Gods that Man may not become As they, participating God-like food? The Gods are first, and that advantage use On our belief, that all from them proceeds; I question it, for this fair Earth I see, Warm'd by the Sun, producing every kind, Them nothing: If they all things, who enclos'd Power and Knowledge of Good and Evil in this Tree, That whoso eats thereof, forthwith attains Wisdom without their leave? These, these and many more Causes import your need of this fair Fruit. God humane, go to this tree and freely taste. ENTER STEPHANO Stephano: What's the matter? Have we devils here? Caliban: The spirit torments me; Oh! Stephano: Come on your ways; open your mouth; here is that which will give language to you, cat! Caliban: Here is a fine thing, an if he be not a sprit. That's a brave god and bears celestial liquor. I will kneel to him. Satan: Oh for badness’ sake. Analysis: This scene is almost completely composed of the dialogue of the characters involved, so to answer the question “what lines inspired me to write it?” I’d say “all of them!” I thought it was interesting, though, to consider the two religious temptations that occur in both of these texts and to compare how they operate. In Paradise Lost, Eve is at least conscious of the parameters of her temptation, and as such operates on the intellectual level of the fall itself. She understands God’s command not to eat the fruit, and she is trying to weigh whether or not to disobey God. Satan uses all of his arguments to try to persuade her to abandon her pact with God and to succumb to him. Indeed, for all the differences between Satan and Eve, they both share an intellect prone to high-minded philosophy and abstract thinking. Shakespeare’s Caliban, by contrast, doesn’t seem to possess the same awareness of what spirits exist in his world, and therefore operates on a more material level. He is not convinced by promises and claims, but by being presented with alcohol, a thing so lovely he cannot imagine it was created by anything other than a divine spirit. Trinculo and Stephano share this “salt of the Earth” persona, caring more about the material world around them than the Italian nobles do. By putting the two conversions in dialogue with each other, I have tried to highlight in a humorous manner how Satan and Eve operate on one level, while Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo operate on another. Of course, if Satan truly bent all of his willpower towards trying to find a way to deceive Caliban, I’m sure he would change his strategy and simply hand him a drink. However, this comparison still highlights the differences between Eve and Caliban and how that impacts the process through which they alter their religious beliefs. The only true abandonment of character in this piece occurs at the very end. I decided to highlight the deceptive nature of Satan and the contrast between what he says and what he thinks by having what I imagine would be passing through his head “show through” in his moment of greatest frustration. |
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