The act of temptation is used in various ways by Milton in two epic poems: "Paradise Lost," "Paradise Regained," and in the dramatic poem "Samson Agostines." Milton uses temptation in an unfavorable sense, such as Satan enticing Eve to commit an evil act, Eve tempting Adam as an act of love and fear, Satan testing Jesus by subjecting him to various kinds of temptations, and Samson's temptation based on his lust for revenge and women. All three poems under consideration have Biblical sources.
In "Paradise Lost," the temptation is simple compared with "Paradise Regained" and "Samson Agostines" that present a more complex aspect of temptation. Satan's successful temptation of Eve is based on his skill as a flatterer, and her vanity. He cleverly uses her vanity to entice her into what seems a higher state of being than humanity. He tells Eve that she and Adam can become as God, by becoming themselves gods of a kind. When Satan refers to the lower gods, he suggests that they have specific functions in the running of the universe, and suggests that Eve may attain some connection with the workings of the universe if she eats the fruit of the tree of knowledge. In so doing, however, she will break the only commandment given by God.
Satan in the guise of a snake approaches Eve and refers to her as the "Empress of this fair World" (IX. 568). Over the course of his seduction of Eve, he calls her "Queen of this Universe" (IX. 685). Satan's flattery tempts Eve into a sense of belief in her primary status in the world. Once Eve accepts this premise, it becomes possible for Satan to insinuate that God is an envious God because he resists equal partners in the universe. Satan convinces Eve that since she and Adam have dominion over earthly things, they are entitled to reach divine dominion. "That ye should be as Gods" (IX. 538-548).
Satan continues to use flattery to tempt Eve into believing she should be the center of attention of the...