John Milton once wrote that all his writings were motivated "solely by a sense of duty" to God which impelled him to continue writing despite the fact that for part of his life he struggled with his relations with the Church of England and the English monarchy. Milton probably viewed his struggles as trials from God that he must overcome in order to accomplish God's will. Throughout his works, Milton often wrote about God's trials and tests for men, designed to reveal the truth about their faith and devotion. The characters in Milton's poetry and prose overcame their obstacles and were rewarded or failed in their struggles and were punished for their lack of obedience to their creator. Indeed, Milton uses the characterization of Adam and Eve in Paradise Lost, as well as the characterization of Lord General Fairfax and Lord General Cromwell in Sonnets XV and XVI, to reveal the message that God rewards those who act with devotion to Him and punishes those who ignore it. His will and fall into temptation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve are troubled by the idea that their free will can lead them to defy God and disobey God's his orders. When Eve has a disturbing dream where she eats from the Tree of Knowledge, even though God has forbidden her to do so, Adam is nervous and tries to calm Eve by telling her: "In the soul/ Is there -there many lesser faculties which serve/ Reason as head. » (Vll. 100-103). Eve has the ability to refuse temptation and choose to follow God because He gave her this characteristic when He created her. So she cannot blame God for not having a choice if she gives in to temptation and goes against God's orders. Adam, however, fears that Eve will choose to defy God because she is not as devoted to their creator as he is: furthermore, he fears that they will suffer God's wrath for his betrayal. When Eve meets Satan and realizes that to gain knowledge she must eat from the forbidden tree, she first tries to follow God's orders and declares, “We cannot taste or touch this tree; Command/Only daughter of his voice; the rest, we live/ Law for ourselves, our Reason is our law” (IX ll. 651-654). Eve knows that Adam wants her to strictly follow God's orders and resist temptation, which is why Eve initially refuses to eat the fruit. She fears the punishment that might follow if she disobeys, but she ultimately cannot resist the temptation. She uses the free will given to her by God to disobey him. As Eve deceives God in full understanding of what she has done, Adam follows her not because he desires to gain knowledge but because he does not want God to separate them when their sin is realized. This is why, when Eve gives him “this beautiful seductive fruit / With a liberal hand: he had no scruples in eating it / Against his best knowledge, not deceived, / But affectionately invaded by feminine charm. » (IX ll. 996-999), Adam eats it and awaits the punishment which he is sure will result from these acts of betrayal. Adam and Eve were both given the ability to choose the right path and obey their creator, but they each decided prospectively that knowledge and love are more important to them than God's commandments. For their punishment, God sends the Son to Paradise: there the Son first tells Eve that her husband will now rule over her and that she will have to endure a painful childbirth. To Adam, the Son said: “For you are dust, to dust you shall return”..