Symbol: The Bower
The bower where Adam and Eve make their home in Eden symbolizes love without shame. The bower, like all of Eden, is idyllic, complete with lush blooms of flowers and sweet fragrances. It is also representative of the love between Adam and Eve, expressed through their sexual union. Once Adam and Eve eat from the Tree of Knowledge, however, the magic of the bower dissipates and they are left with what seems a barren landscape, as well as shame for their nakedness which was not present before Satan's temptation.
Motif: The Path from Hell
Throughout the beginning of Paradise Lost, the archangels insist frequently upon the length and difficulty of the journey from Hell to earth. In fact, when the fallen angels are debating who among them should be the one to travel to earth to tempt man into disobeying God, none of them besides Satan is willing to make the journey. This emphasize on the difficulty of getting out of Hell underscores the extent to which the angels had fallen, as well as the labor that is required of someone to redeem themselves after falling into sin.
Motif: Satan's Pain
One aspect of Paradise Lost that continues to intrigue readers is the extent to which Satan is portrayed as a sympathetic character. While Satan is the clear antagonist of the epic, Milton takes care to emphasize throughout the poem that he seeks his revenge on God while battling deep pain and despair. Indeed, a large portion of the poem entertains Satan's perspective, an aspect of the narration that has led to multiple interpretations of the poem's overall meaning. Milton's Satan is, even to readers, a complex and intriguing character, showcasing how easy temptation can manifest among men.
Symbol: The Forbidden Fruit
The forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge symbolizes, as it does in the Old Testament, temptation and disobedience. When Satan leads Eve to the tree, he tempts her both with the taste of the fruit and with the argument that the fruit could make her and Adam as powerful as God. The fruit is the ultimate temptation for man because it comes with such high stakes, eventually leading to their expulsion from Eden altogether.
Motif: Intricacy and Ease
One of Satan's most tempting characteristics is his ability, especially when he embodies the serpent, to make intricate pathways appear straight. This emphasis throughout the poem suggests that temptation is characterized by the (seeming) elimination of labor or difficulty, but that this ease is never an accurate depiction of reality. Political scholars have used this motif in the poem to argue that Milton is cautioning the commonwealth about demagogical leaders who promise swift and easy solutions to problems rather than tactical, laborious, and measured work toward progress.
