Cover LetterI chose to focus my paper on the word “disobedience” because I think this encapsulates the central theme of Paradise Lost. Writing an entire paper on just one word was challenging, but rewarding because I discovered how versatile and significant a single world can be. I truly feel the concept of disobedience is somehow related to every aspect of the text; disobedience is a key concept within the complex relationships between God, Satan, and mankind, and plays an important role in the struggle for agency. Understanding what this word means is essentially imperative to our understanding of Paradise Lost as a whole, and taking the time to break down Milton’s use of this word was gratifying and has given me a new perspective on the significance of diction, both linguistically and conceptually. One-Word MiltonThroughout Paradise Lost, John Milton uses the word “disobedience” to emphasize mankind’s attempts to challenge the authority of God. While the word only appears six times throughout the text, disobedience serves as a central theme and is essential to our understanding of the story. The word is immediately introduced in the first line of the poem and sets the stage for the continued disobeying of God’s command. Paradise Lost depicts the story of how mankind falls from the grace of God due to their disobedience. The actions of mankind mirror the rebellious nature of Satan, which stemmed from the force of temptation to commit sin and their failure to submit to their creator.
Disobedience in Paradise Lost tells us about the hierarchy of power in the complex relationships between God, Satan, and mankind as they struggle for autonomy. By disobeying God, this rejects the idea of submission to our creator, while calling into question the dichotomous and dialectical nature of good versus evil. The constant theme of disobedience is also indicative of the scope of God’s autonomy; it reveals that God cannot fully control the actions of his creations, but rather punish them when they defy him by overstepping the limits of agency he grants them. The story of Adam and Eve’s disobedience serves as a microcosm, and perhaps an explanation for the larger context of Satan’s rebellion and path of sin. It is crucial to establish a definition of the term “disobedience” to understand its role linguistically and conceptually. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word refers to the “refusal to obey”, and the “non-compliance with a law of nature.” In the context of Paradise Lost, mankind exhibits a refusal to obey as they navigate their actions with the temptation of sin. This definition adds a new depth to our understanding of God in the context of disobedience. It holds the implication that God’s order is a law of nature, and thus the act of submission is an act against nature. With this definition, as humans betray their creator, they are challenging a law of nature and extending their limits of power. Disobedience relies on the existence of hierarchy and submission. Challenging higher order is an essential component because there must be a set order that is supposed to be obeyed. In order for disobedience to exist, there must be a former hierarchy of submission that is disobeyed. There also must be a subject, a superior force to which they are supposed to submit, and a refusal to submit. Milton’s use of this word calls for the reader to challenge the hierarchical nature of existence, and question their own acts of submission to a superior within their own status as they grapple for autonomy. In addition to characters frequently displaying disobedience through their actions, Paradise Lost represents disobedience in a physical state: Hell. After Satan deliberately chose a path of sin by disobeying God, he became subject to eternal damnation. In Hell, Satan and the rebel angels construct Pandemonium, where they plan their war with God. The word “pandemonium” means disorder and chaos, and the fact that it exists in Hell implies that chaos is a result of disobedience. This relationship implies that disobedience leads to mayhem and a lack of order, as it is the direct rejection of order. Conversely, this would mean that in heaven exists order and harmony. The metaphorical significance of these physical locations emphasizes the dialectical relationship between Satan and God and is constructive to our understanding of disobedience. Heaven and hell serve as the physical embodiment of mankind’s dilemma towards obedience. Because mankind lives in between heaven and hell, this indicates that they have the ability to choose between submission and sin. While God granted them limited agency, he gave them free minds and the power to choose. This is essential to Milton’s message to the reader: when a creation is given the autonomy to act according to their own will, they will choose disobedience. With a single word, Milton both acknowledges our power to choose, and our inclination to defy. Work Cited "disobedience, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2020. Web. 11 April 2020.
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