Topic: Feminist approach in John Milton's ''Paradise Lost ''.

Paper: 1, Renaissance Lit.

               Name: Gohil Khanjaniba M.

               Roll No: 17.

               Semester: 1, Part-1.

               Year: 2013/2014.

Submitted to: Dr. Dilip Barad sir.

Feministic Approach in Milton’s ‘’Paradise Lost’’

·         Introduction of the poet : Jhon Milton

                       John Milton was born on December 9, 1608 in England. He died on November 8, 1674.

Paradise Lost is an epic poem, in blank verse. The book is written by John Milton, who was the most distinguished seventeenth century’s an English poet prose polemicist, and civil servant for the English commonwealth. Most famed for his epic poem ''Paradise lost ''. Milton is celebrated as well for his eloquent treatise, condemning censorship, Geopolitical (italic word) - long considered English poet. Milton experienced a dip in the mid- twentieth century; but with versatile society and his journal mostly devoted to his scholarship. He well-known for his genre and his tone of language. Milton's major influences were William Shakespeare and Ovid.

·         How Milton uses the feministic      approach?

                                In Milton's book ''Paradise Lost'', after reading we say that Milton uses the 'feminist approach'. The reason behind this thinking was the character creation of  Eve. She became the most important character to think of 'the situation women'. When in the past time, woman struggled more than man; to live the satisfied life or to hold the respectful life.

Eve played a vital role in the poem, with the helping of Adam's character. Adam recognizes as Eve's partner and by this character Milton shows the readers 'the male dominated society' or 'the patriarchal society' of Milton's time.

              In the book-nine, Milton shows that how gender affects interpretation and 'how Milton's interpretation of the old biblical story gives us hints at some of the problems of gender roles?

''Institutionalized misogyny'' and above issues are most important part of the western tradition. The character of Eve is created by the male character. In other words, he was John Milton who created the character of female or Eve, quietly subjected to his rules. She was became victim because she accused man or Adam was seen at the scene of the crime inferiority. She has been banished in a world, which was not her own. She could not define herself because she was in prevention of the world in which she could not exist without the help of man. This fact is presented very well in ''Paradise Lost''.

         Eve creates many contradictory scenes involved in her existence. She was sinner who separately seeks the fruit of knowledge; by doing this she breaks the tradition. Although she trapped in the situation because of her eagerness. Thus she has no idea that what wrong she has done without informing Adam. It was her idea to live separate from Adam (book: 9) and as we know that she was one who eats the forbidden fruit or the fruit of knowledge.

‘’Let us divide our labor, though where choice

Leads thee, or where most needs whether to wind’’

 After words, Eve convinces Adam to eat it. But Eve as a female may be likeable because of her sense of independence and curiosity. Adam and Eve falls in a difficult situation, that they engage in an inconsequential blame game. When Eve ate first, but at last Adam also ate the fruit because he loves Eve and he didn’t want to leave Eve alone at any cost.

                    Another point able thing is what Eve, was fall in love with her own reflection in a lake, until God leads her away and also it reminds the example of Narcissus-who was a mythological figure, who does the same act as Eve has done. In this an epic-poem ‘’Paradise Lost’’ Eve also presented as ‘God’s daughter’, the following quotation reflects this thought:

                               Now, we don’t mean to suggest that Milton is some kind of early feminist and not definitely that. We only mean that Eve is a tougher nut to crack. So, example the Narcissism Scene is in reality, pretty innocent. In the book: 9 Eve portrayed as bad or stupid as she seems.

              In this epic-poem, an existence defined by men, and this interpretation dependable on the understanding of Eve's perspective or the female perspective. Here we can say that entire poem is represents the gulf between the feminine and the masculine, about the ways they Saxes work and the ways they help to shape perceptions. How is man's world different from a woman's life. If we deeply observe an undeniable otherness, the first opposition reveals in front of us and it was: the male and female.

              In the poem we could see the rooted literature in the Western tradition, is the biblical story of Adam and Eve. This story of both well known part of the system of thought and belief, an epistemic. ‘Paradise Lost’ is fictional work of alleged fact pagan and poetic and prophetic .For the male we can say that this poem is for the male readers; is a story of affirmation, a story of authoritarian origins. The language, the imagery, the religious claims- all of these things conjured in male mind. What about the female readers and writers. The topic of female subjugation and creates a view of women that has an unmistakably inherent male bias and the bias and the way it challenge the traditional interpretation, forces the readers to think about it especially female readers and also the careful male readers. When we reads this book generally we observes that how Eve interprets herself and how she faces the world around her is centered on male dominated society . The definition of self is also comes from male, an understanding of self framed in and by masculinity.

                     Eve recognizes as her status reflects that she was an inferior to Adam, her duty is to look him as her ''Guide and head''. Her reflected image is becomes her recognition of the self. For the female Eve seems to be a novelty for Adam, a perception of her concentrates on her features and later recognizes the limits of her inner dimensions. It is good thing that Milton God warned her of loving herself. This subtle use of poetic language that surfaces long held assumptions about the women and long- held.

                    By showing the misogynous nature of the ancient Christianity story that Milton builds an ideology of a separation of male and female it is the earthly myth that creates conflicts of the two worlds- the male and female. Adam's views are problematic for the female readers. His dialogues are throughout the poem is riddled with misogynistic remarks. In his account of his creation, he recounts to the angel Raphael:

For well I understand in the prime end

 Of Nature her inferior, in the mind

 And inward Faculties, which most excel       In outward also her resembling    less

  His Image who made both and less expressing                

The character of that Dominion    given           o’er other creatures (Milton, 1674, 8:540-47).     

      By realizing that this original woman is written from a male’s point of view in a patriarchal mythological narrative that favors men and by not being afraid to ask questions about sexual polarity in the work, we as readers and critics can taste the fruits of debate—no matter how bitter they may be.                                             

 It is a kind of domestic slavery, a hard-handed punishment that includes pain in childbirth. She is to be the homemaker, the caretaker of issues domestic; he’s to be the bread winner.