Who is Adam?
Milton intends to showcase the "Fall of Mankind" through the first-ever human being created by God. The first human-being is named Adam. Adam feels alone and requests God to bless him with a mate. His request is accepted and Eve comes into existence as his wife and helpmate. God awards the couple to reside in the Garden of Eden and its maintenance. Adam is an intellectual person but he is enamoured of the beauty of Eve and his yearn for more knowledge expels him from Paradise.
The character of Adam in Paradise Lost holds a significant importance because it is he who actually commits the "first disobedience of mankind". Let's unlock his character through notable traits found in Adam.
An Intelligent Husband
Adam is intellectual and rational. His intellectual discourse with Raphael is as equal in intellectual weight as that of the angel. He can understand and interpret any decent idea with no time. His talks with God, Eve and the angel are a manifestation of civilized outlook. He proves an intelligent husband for Eve because he has been warned against the possible invasion of Satan upon the couple. He suggests Eve to work together so that they can safeguard against the temptation of Satan but Eve refuses and wants to work alone because for her "Solitude is the best society". In short, the character of Adam is intellectually logical.
Want of Knowledge
It is a common universal truth that "The more you ask, the more you learn". Adam's intellectual quest impelled him to wonder about the surroundings of the Garden of Eden. Adam's curiosity took him to Raphael to know about the earth, the universe and whether angels eat food as normal humans do. Adam's thirst of knowledge does not end there. He wants to know what is inside the tree of knowledge. What will happen if he eats the forbidden fruit? Thus, the character of Adam and his want of knowledge show the curious nature of all mankind in general.
Blinded by Love
Adam is a perfect human-being before his fall but what is the reason behind his fall? His 'unreasonable' love for Eve is the major cause behind his fall. As soon as Eve is created, he falls in love because Eve is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen. When Eve fears in her dream, Adam feels the same,
Best image of myself and dearer half,
The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep
Affects me equally
Raphael warns Adam to control his love for Eve and this love should not come in the way of obeying God. Adam argues with Eve to work together intellectually but he submits to her decision because her beauty blinds him from the possible danger. Resultantly, Eve eats the forbidden fruit and he follows suit so that he should not lose the beautiful sight of Eve,
And me with thee hath ruin’d, for with thee
Certain my resolution is to die.
How can I live without thee, how forego
Thy sweet converse, and love so dearly join’d,
To live again in these wild woods forlorn?
This flaw in Adam's character makes Satan's plan successful and he, along with Eve is expelled from Paradise while changing the companionship with angels from companionate to stern.
The major difference between Biblical Adam and Miltonic Adam is Raphael, showing the future of mankind to Adam before he is set on his way to habitat the earth.
Conclusion
The character of Adam is a mix of intellectual curiosity and uncontrolled love, which lead to his ruin in the epic.
Sources and Suggested Readings
- https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/p/paradise-lost/character-analysis/adam
- https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/paradiselost/character/adam/
- https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/paradise-lost/adam
- https://www.gradesaver.com/paradise-lost/wikipedia/characters
- https://www.risenotes.com/paradise/Paradise-Lost-character-of-Adam.php
- https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Paradise-Lost/character-analysis/
