David Oliver Davies Milton's Socratic Rationalism

Annotation

The conversation of Adam and Eve in Paradise Lost, that most obvious of Miltons additions to the Biblical narrative, enacts the pairs inquiry into and discovery of the gift of their rational nature in a mode of discourse closely aligned to practices of Socrates in the dialogues of Plato and eponymous discourses of Xenophon. Adam and Eve both begin their life much wondering where\ And what I was, whence thither brought and how.' Their conjoint discoveries of each others and their own nature in this talk Milton arranges for a in dialectical counterpoise to his personas expressed task to justify the ways of God to men. Like Xenophons Socrates in the Memorabilia, Miltons persona indites those ways of God in terms most agreeable to his audience of mennotions Aristotle calls generally accepted opinions. Thus for Miltons fit audience Paradise Lost will present two waysthat address congenial to men per se, and a fit discourse attuned to their very own rational facultiesto understand the ways of God to men. The interrogation of each way by its counterpart among the distinct audiences is the great Argument of the poem.