Lines 1-8 - Milton reminds us of the words of St. John in Revelations; he warns the inhabitants of the earth of the coming of Satan. Milton wishes that Adam and Eve had heard that warning voice.
9-22 - Satan has entered the world and is now within sight of Eden. Filled with horror and revenge, Satan begins his quest to bring damnation and ruin to innocent man. Milton says he brings hell with him to Eden.
23-31 - A flash of conscience brings despair to Satan. He recalls the state from which he fell and realizes the hell he is forced to live with forever. Satan looks toward Eden and then at the shining sun.
32-114 - Satan's first soliloquy, said to the sun. He says how he cannot stand the sight of the sun because it reminds him of his fallen state and the glory he once had. He holds malice toward God, and blames God for his fall. Satan regrets the loss of his powerful potential, but confesses his evil and vows that he cannot and will not repent. He vows that evil will be his guide, and relishes in the fact that half of heaven followed him.
131-171 - Satan comes to the walls of Eden; he is near to Paradise, and becomes excited when he sees a land of fruitful trees and lofty shade. Milton uses an epic simile to explain how Satan was inspired by the perfumes flowing from Eden. He compares Satan to travelers rounding the Cape of Good Hope, sailing on towards exotic lands, driven by the beautiful odors of the "spicy shores." He also compares Satan to the evil spirit, Asmadai, who was driven away from his obsession with the wife of Tobit's son by the smell of burning fish.
172-194 - Satan pushes through the brush and comes upon the single gate of paradise. With an epic simile, Milton compares Satan to a hungry wolf that jumps into the pen of innocent ewes and lambs. Satan easily jumps over the fence of paradise and lands upon the Tree of Life.
325-355 - Milton describes Adam and Eve, playful and full of joy, living in harmony with all the animals God created. We meet the Serpent, and Milton foreshadows what is to come by describing it as "sly, insinuating," and hinting of "fatal guile."
393-410 - Satan takes the form of various animals, each time moving closer to Adam and Eve, until he can hear their speech.
411-439 - Adam speaks to Eve, reminding her of God's only rule that they not eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life, lest they die. (They do not know what death is, except that it is dreadful.) He reminds her of their duty to obey God and tend the garden of paradise and rule the creatures placed there with them.
440-504 - Eve first declares her subservience to Adam, and then recalls the day she first foolishly pined over her own reflection in the water. She speaks of a voice that warned her to follow it to Adam, whose image she was created from, with whom she would bear multitudes like him and be called the mother of the human race. She pledges her faith to Adam and declares that she will follow his wisdom. Adam gives a sign of excessive devotion, kissing Eve in delight, both of her beauty and her charms.
505-560 - Satan learns of the one weakness of Adam and Eve and plans to incite them to believe God plans to keep them low by not allowing them to gain the knowledge needed to equal God. Meanwhile, night falls as the angel Gabriel awaits his guard.
561-609 - Uriel goes to Gabriel and tells him how Satan fooled him to gain entrance to Eden. Gabriel promises to find Satan during the night. Uriel returns to his post, sliding on a beam of setting sunlight. Evening has set in.
610-775 - Adam and Eve, finished with their daily work, prepare their bower for a night of rest, conduct their evening worship of God, and exchange testimonials of love. They take to their bower, and in pure innocence (not Catholic rites), without the joyless lust of "casual fruition," fulfill God's plan for them to be fruitful and multiply.
776-796 - Gabriel is at his watch, assigning the angelic guards duties throughout Eden, warning them to watch for Satan.
866-968 - Gabriel questions Satan about what he is doing and Satan scornfully answers him, saying that he would be foolish to accept the pain of hell if he could escape it. He boasts of his faithful leadership and his courage in battle, and Gabriel scorns his perverted "faith" and his disobedience to God, and then warns Satan to stay away from Eden.
969-1015 - Satan prepares to lash out against Gabriel, but is surrounded by a squadron of angels that close in around him. Gabriel tells Satan to look up at Heaven to see a sign (the constellation Libra) showing that Satan is the lighter weight on a scale that balances his power with the angels'. Satan heeds the warning, avoids the confrontation, and flees with the shades of night.
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