Seven Visions /// Emma Dalgety

As Adam and Eve adjust to life in a fractured, post-Fall world, they come to terms with the reality of sin, and their new knowledge of evil along with the good. In Book 10, Adam, who barely acknowledged Satan's reality when Raphael warned him, now addresses him by name and in reference to his own troubled conscience: 

        "To Satan only like both crime and doom. 

          O conscience, into what abyss of fears

          And horrors has thou driven me; out of which

          I find no way, from deep to deeper plunged!" (10.841-844)

This horrible self revelation is not the first that occurs, and it reveals that Adam's former peace of mind is now the same "Hell within" that Satan experienced. It's also one of the first realizations of "evil" knowledge; rather than showing the former curiosity and wish to gather information, Adam is now forced to learn about evil things, which he had no desire of ever knowing, because of his decision. Experience is often referred to as the best teacher, and though Adam has no desire to experience and learn about pain, his conscience's inner turmoil teaches him nonetheless.

Book 11 adds to this knowledge punishment, as Raphael shows Adam seven visions of future sins. Six of these visions contain the suffering brought by sinful actions, with each vision inevitably ending in some form of death. This is where I was relatively conflicted; is Adam better or worse off for knowing all of the different kinds of sin and death, particularly under Raphael's instruction? To me, it didn't seem so much as a negative consequence, like Adam's wounded conscience, but more a form of instructive (and gentle?) discipline. It also serves as a contrast to the knowledge the tree couldn't provide: future knowledge. Every single vision, though full of sin and suffering, deals with future events, and provides Adam with information that may allow him to survive in the broken world. The seventh vision (important numbers again) ends with hope (also something the Tree's fruit stole from Adam), with God sending the rainbow to signify his covenant with Noah. I wonder if Adam understands the significance of this promise, and how it stands as a sign of appeasement (he seems to, but is more encouraged by Noah's virtue). Either way, he clearly finds hope and joy in this future promise, and says, "I revive / At this last sight, assured that man shall live" (11.871-872). These seven visions really contrast the consequences of the Tree's knowledge and the impact it has on Adam to the heavenly knowledge that God bestowed (with limits) upon request. I think Milton did an excellent job exploring the idea of if it's better to know all good or no evil, or to know the evil well along with the good.

I commented on Isabelle Ferguson and Emmett Bryant's posts.

Comments

  1. Raygan BosterSeptember 27, 2021 at 10:18 PM

    I really agree with how you said Milton shows the contrast between earthly knowledge and heavenly knowledge. The same is true now. If we try to rely on our own knowledge, we will not get anywhere good. The only true knowledge is what comes from God (aka the Bible). A lot of times, God will keep knowledge from us to protect us or get us to trust him (as he did for Adam and Eve before they sinned). But when we get too hungry for knowledge and take it into our own hands, it gets corrupted and messy. - Raygan Boster

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  2. Emily OttsSeptember 27, 2021 at 11:30 PM

    I think these visions were used to somewhat give peace or hope to Adam, especially the last one. Clearly he is worried for mankind, and now knows how awful it will be. I'm unsure if I would say that was necessary to know, cause that could cause more worry for Adam. But I believe him seeing the hope of God's promise after seeing all the evil makes God's promise even better.

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  3. Justin JSeptember 27, 2021 at 11:33 PM

    I was also a bit confused about the reasoning behind story time with the Archangel. It seems at the end to have been giving Adam hope for a future, but honestly the picture painted for him is very bleak, especially since this is a man who has until this day never seen the death and destruction brought about by sin

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