The act of temptation is used in various ways by Milton in two epic poems: ôParadise Lost,ö ôParadise Regained,ö and in the dramatic poem ôSamson Agostines.ö 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 SamsonÆs temptation based on his lust for revenge and women. All three poems under consideration have Biblical sources.
In ôParadise Lost,ö the temptation is simple compared with ôParadise Regainedö and "Samson Agostines" that present a more complex aspect of temptation. SatanÆs 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 ôEmpress of this fair Worldö (IX. 568). Over the course of his seduction of Eve, he calls her ôQueen of this Universeö (IX. 685). SatanÆs 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. ôThat ye should be as Godsö (IX. 538-548).
Satan continues to use flattery to tempt Eve into believing she should be the center ...