Article #20-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Paradise Lost, by John Milton

He lookd and saw a spacious Plaine, whereon
Were Tents of various hue; by some were herds
Of Cattel grazing: others, whence the sound
Of Instruments that made melodious chime
Was heard, of Harp and Organ; and who moovd
Thir stops and chords was seen: his volant touch
Instinct through all proportions low and high
Fled and pursu’d transverse the resonant fugue.
In other part stood one who at the Forge
Labouring, two massie clods of Iron and Brass
Had melted (whether found where casual fire
Had wasted woods on Mountain or in Vale,
Down to the veins of Earth, thence gliding hot
To som Caves mouth, or whether washt by stream
From underground) the liquid Ore he dreind
Into fit moulds prepar’d; from which he formd
First his own Tooles; then, what might else be wrought
Fulfil or grav’n in mettle. After these,
But on the hether side a different sort
From the high neighbouring Hills, which was thir Seat,
Down to the Plain descended: by thir guise
Just men they seemd, and all thir study bent
To worship God aright, and know his works
Not hid, nor those things lost which might preserve
Freedom and Peace to men: they on the Plain
Long had not walkt, when from the Tents behold
A Beavie of fair Women, richly gay
In Gems and wanton dress; to the Harp they sung
Soft amorous Ditties, and in dance came on:
The Men though grave, ey’d them, and let thir eyes
Rove without rein, till in the amorous Net
Fast caught, they lik’d, and each his liking chose;
And now of love they treat till th’ Eevning Star
Loves Harbinger appeerd; then all in heat
They light the Nuptial Torch, and bid invoke
Hymen, then first to marriage Rites invok’t;
With Feast and Musick all the Tents resound.
Such happy interview and fair event
Of love & youth not lost, Songs, Garlands, Flours,
And charming Symphonies attach’d the heart
Of Adam, soon enclin’d to admit delight,
The bent of Nature; which he thus express’d.

True opener of mine eyes, prime Angel blest,
Much better seems this Vision, and more hope
Of peaceful dayes portends, then those two past;
Those were of hate and death, or pain much worse,
Here Nature seems fulfilld in all her ends.

To whom thus Michael. Judg not what is best
By pleasure, though to Nature seeming meet,
Created, as thou art, to nobler end
Holie and pure, conformitie divine.
Those Tents thou sawst so pleasant, were the Tents
Of wickedness, wherein shall dwell his Race
Who slew his Brother; studious they appere
Of Arts that polish Life, Inventers rare,
Unmindful of thir Maker, though his Spirit
Taught them, but they his gifts acknowledg’d none.
Yet they a beauteous ofspring shall beget;
For that fair femal Troop thou sawst, that seemd
Of Goddesses, so blithe, so smooth, so gay,
Yet empty of all good wherein consists
Womans domestic honour and chief praise;
Bred onely and completed to the taste
Of lustful apperence, to sing, to dance,
To dress, and troule the Tongue, and roule the Eye.
To these that sober Race of Men, whose lives
Religious titl’d them the Sons of God,
Shall yeild up all thir vertue, all thir fame
Ignobly, to the trains and to the smiles
Of these fair Atheists, and now swim in joy,
(Erelong to swim at larg) and laugh; for which
The world erelong a world of tears must weepe.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Paradise Lost (Book XI, Lines 558–625)**

This passage from John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667) occurs in Book XI, after Adam and Eve have been expelled from Eden. The archangel Michael is showing Adam a series of visions of future human history to educate him about the consequences of the Fall. This particular vision depicts the sons of God (righteous men) being seduced by the daughters of men (wicked women), a biblical reference to Genesis 6:1–4, which Milton interprets as an allegory of moral corruption leading to the Flood.

Context & Themes

Biblical Source & Milton’s Interpretation
- The scene alludes to Genesis 6, where the "sons of God" (often interpreted as angelic beings or righteous men) take wives from the "daughters of men," leading to a corrupt generation that provokes God’s wrath (the Flood).
- Milton reinterprets this as a moral allegory: the "sons of God" are virtuous men, while the "daughters of men" represent luxury, sensuality, and moral decay. Their union symbolizes how humanity’s descent into sin begins with the abandonment of divine purpose for earthly pleasures.
Key Themes
- The Corruption of Humanity: The vision shows how civilization, art, and beauty—though seemingly good—can become tools of moral downfall when divorced from divine obedience.
- Appearance vs. Reality: The "fair Women" appear godlike in beauty but are empty of virtue, illustrating Milton’s Puritan distrust of superficial charm and worldly delight.
- The Dangers of Sensuality: The passage warns that unchecked desire (symbolized by music, dance, and marriage feasts) leads to spiritual ruin.
- Divine Justice & Human Free Will: Michael’s warning reinforces that true happiness comes from conforming to God’s will, not from natural instincts (which, post-Fall, are flawed).

Line-by-Line Analysis & Literary Devices

1. The Vision of Human Civilization (Lines 558–575)

"He lookd and saw a spacious Plaine, whereon / Were Tents of various hue; by some were herds / Of Cattel grazing..."

Imagery of Early Civilization: The "spacious Plaine" suggests humanity’s expansion after Eden, with pastoral and artistic developments.
- Tents of various hue → Diversity of human culture (but also moral variety).
- Herds of cattle → Agricultural progress (but also materialism).
- Instruments (Harp and Organ) → Art and music, which can be divine (if used for worship) or corrupt (if used for sensuality).

"his volant touch / Instinct through all proportions low and high / Fled and pursu’d transverse the resonant fugue."

Musical Imagery: The fugue (a complex, interwoven musical form) symbolizes human ingenuity—but also excess.
- "Volant touch" (flying fingers) → Skill, but also unrestrained artistry.
- "Proportions low and high" → Harmony, but also the potential for discord (foreshadowing moral chaos).

"In other part stood one who at the Forge / Labouring, two massie clods of Iron and Brass / Had melted..."

Industrial Progress: The blacksmith represents technology and craftsmanship (a Promethean figure).
- "Casual fire" → Human discovery (fire from lightning, volcanic heat)—but also uncontrolled power.
- "First his own Tooles" → Self-sufficiency, but also pride in human achievement without gratitude to God.

2. The Righteous Men & the Temptation (Lines 576–590)

"But on the hether side a different sort / From the high neighbouring Hills, which was thir Seat, / Down to the Plain descended..."

Contrast Between the Righteous and the Wicked:
- The "just men" live on high hills (symbolizing moral elevation), while the wicked dwell in the plain (symbolizing worldly concerns).
- Their "study bent / To worship God aright" → True piety, but they are vulnerable to temptation.

"A Beavie of fair Women, richly gay / In Gems and wanton dress; to the Harp they sung / Soft amorous Ditties, and in dance came on..."

Sensual Temptation:
- "Richly gay" → Luxury and excess (Puritan distrust of ornamentation).
- "Wanton dress" → Immodesty, sexual allure.
- "Amorous Ditties" → Music as a tool of seduction (contrasts with the divine music of Heaven in earlier books).
- "Dance" → Symbol of moral loosening (dance was often seen as sinful in Puritan thought).

"The Men though grave, ey’d them, and let thir eyes / Rove without rein, till in the amorous Net / Fast caught, they lik’d, and each his liking chose..."

The Fall into Lust:
- "Grave" → Serious, pious men, but their eyes rove without rein → loss of self-control.
- "Amorous Net" → Metaphor for sin as a trap (like Satan’s snares in Eden).
- "Each his liking chose" → Free will leading to moral failure.

3. The Corrupt Union & Michael’s Warning (Lines 591–625)

"And now of love they treat till th' Eevning Star / Loves Harbinger appeerd; then all in heat / They light the Nuptial Torch, and bid invoke / Hymen..."

False Love & Pagan Rituals:
- "Evening Star (Venus)" → Roman goddess of love, symbolizing pagan corruption.
- "Nuptial Torch" → Marriage as a sacred institution, but here perverted.
- "Hymen" → God of marriage, but invoked without divine sanction.

"Such happy interview and fair event / Of love & youth not lost, Songs, Garlands, Flours, / And charming Symphonies attach’d the heart / Of Adam..."

Adam’s Misjudgment:
- He sees beauty and joy but misinterprets it as good (because he is still innocent in some ways).
- "Nature seems fulfill’d in all her ends" → Natural happiness vs. divine purpose (a false paradise).

4. Michael’s Rebuke (Lines 606–625)

"Judg not what is best / By pleasure, though to Nature seeming meet, / Created, as thou art, to nobler end..."

Michael’s Lesson:
- Pleasure ≠ Goodness: Just because something feels natural doesn’t mean it’s morally right.
- "Nobler end" → Humanity’s purpose is divine conformity, not earthly satisfaction.

"Those Tents thou sawst so pleasant, were the Tents / Of wickedness, wherein shall dwell his Race / Who slew his Brother..."

Biblical Allusion to Cain:
- The "Tents of wickedness" refer to Cain’s descendants (Genesis 4), who invented arts but were violent and godless.
- "Studious they appere / Of Arts that polish Life" → Civilization without morality (Milton’s critique of Renaissance humanism).

"Yet they a beauteous ofspring shall beget; / For that fair femal Troop thou sawst, that seemd / Of Goddesses..."

Irony of Beauty & Corruption:
- The women appear divine but are empty of virtue.
- "Bred onely... to the taste / Of lustful apperence" → Reduced to objects of desire, not moral partners.

"To these that sober Race of Men... / Shall yeild up all thir vertue, all thir fame / Ignobly, to the trains and to the smiles / Of these fair Atheists..."

The Fall of the Righteous:
- "Sober Race of Men" → The "sons of God" (righteous line of Seth).
- "Fair Atheists" → The women are beautiful but godless, leading men astray.
- "Trains and smiles" → Deceptive charm (like Eve’s temptation).

"...and now swim in joy, / (Erelong to swim at larg) and laugh; for which / The world erelong a world of tears must weepe."

Prophecy of the Flood:
- "Swim in joy" → Temporary pleasure.
- "Swim at large" → Drowning in the Flood (God’s judgment).
- "World of tears" → The suffering that follows sin.

Literary Devices & Style

Contrast & Juxtaposition
- Righteous men (high hills) vs. wicked women (plain).
- True worship vs. sensual music/dance.
- Appearance (beauty) vs. reality (corruption).
Biblical & Classical Allusions
- Genesis 6 (sons of God & daughters of men).
- Cain & Abel (violence & godlessness).
- Venus (Evening Star) & Hymen (pagan deities).
Imagery
- Visual: Tents, gems, dancing women.
- Auditory: Harps, organs, amorous ditties.
- Tactile: "Volant touch" (music), "liquid Ore" (metalworking).
Symbolism
- Music & Dance = Moral danger (can be divine or corrupt).
- Forge & Tools = Human ingenuity, but also pride.
- Nuptial Torch = Perverted sacrament.
Irony & Foreshadowing
- Adam thinks the scene is hopeful, but Michael reveals it’s doomed.
- The "world of tears" foreshadows the Flood and all future human suffering.

Significance in Paradise Lost

Milton’s View of Human History
- The passage reflects Milton’s Puritan belief that civilization, art, and beauty are not inherently good—they must be directed toward God.
- The Fall’s consequences include not just death, but moral corruption that spreads through generations.
Adam’s Education
- Michael’s visions teach Adam that suffering is part of God’s plan—pleasure without virtue leads to ruin.
- This prepares Adam for a life of faith, not just natural instinct.
Milton’s Critique of Society
- The "fair Women" represent luxury, vanity, and empty charm—a critique of courtly excess (Milton disliked the Stuart monarchy’s decadence).
- The "Inventers rare" who acknowledge no divine gifts symbolize secular humanism, which Milton saw as dangerously prideful.
Theodicy (Justifying God’s Ways)
- The scene explains why God allows suffering: human free will leads to sin, but divine justice restores order (via the Flood, and later, Christ).

Conclusion: The Passage’s Core Message

Milton’s vision warns that human progress—art, music, technology, even love—can become corrupt when divorced from divine purpose. The "sons of God" (righteous men) are seduced by beauty and pleasure, leading to moral collapse and divine judgment. Michael’s lesson to Adam (and to the reader) is clear:

True happiness comes from obedience to God, not from natural desires.
Civilization without virtue is doomed.
The Fall’s legacy is not just death, but the perpetual struggle between divine will and human weakness.

This passage is both a lament and a warning—a microcosm of Milton’s epic theme: the tragic beauty of human potential, and the necessity of divine grace.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of the "fair Women" who "to the Harp they sung / Soft amorous Ditties" primarily serves to:

A. Illustrate the redemptive potential of art when aligned with divine purpose.
B. Expose the deceptive allure of sensuality as a corrupter of moral integrity.
C. Celebrate the harmonious union of beauty and virtue in pre-Flood civilization.
D. Contrast the spiritual barrenness of men with the creative vitality of women.
E. Foreshadow the eventual triumph of feminine agency over patriarchal oppression.

Question 2

Michael’s rebuke—"Judg not what is best / By pleasure, though to Nature seeming meet"—is most fundamentally a critique of:

A. The inherent evil of human desire as a postlapsarian curse.
B. The misalignment between natural inclination and divine teleology.
C. Adam’s failure to recognize the aesthetic superiority of celestial harmony.
D. The futility of seeking moral guidance through sensory experience.
E. The necessity of ascetic denial as the sole path to spiritual enlightenment.

Question 3

The "volant touch" of the musician and the blacksmith’s melting of "massie clods of Iron and Brass" function as parallel symbols of:

A. The inevitable decline of human craftsmanship under divine abandonment.
B. The dual potential of human ingenuity for both creation and destruction.
C. The superiority of artistic expression over manual labor in Milton’s hierarchy.
D. The hubristic overreach of post-Edenic humanity in defiance of natural limits.
E. The redemptive power of technology when directed toward worshipful ends.

Question 4

The "sober Race of Men" who "yeild up all thir vertue" to the "fair Atheists" embody which central paradox in Milton’s theological framework?

A. The incompatibility of intellect and faith in a fallen world.
B. The inevitability of moral failure despite initial righteousness.
C. The illusion that knowledge alone can preserve innocence.
D. The tension between free will as a divine gift and its role in human corruption.
E. The irreconcilable conflict between divine justice and merciful forgiveness.

Question 5

The passage’s closing image—"the world erelong a world of tears must weepe"—is most thematically resonant with which of the following literary traditions?

A. The pastoral elegy’s lament for lost innocence.
B. The medieval morality play’s allegorical punishment of vice.
C. The Renaissance sonnet’s idealization of fleeting beauty.
D. The epic hero’s acceptance of mortal limitations.
E. The prophetic jeremiad’s warning of imminent divine retribution.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The "fair Women" are described with luxurious imagery ("richly gay / In Gems and wanton dress") and sensual actions ("Soft amorous Ditties," "dance"), which seduce the "grave" men into abandoning their virtue. Michael later reveals their emptiness ("empty of all good wherein consists / Womans domestic honour"), confirming that their beauty is a false veneer masking moral corruption. The passage thus exposes sensuality as a deceptive force that undermines righteousness, aligning with Milton’s Puritan distrust of unchecked desire.