To what does Adam attribute Eve's dream as she relates it in Book V? How does his interpretation of her dream compare to Pertelote's interpretation of Chaunticleer's?
Also, while we have seen Satan defiant and doubting and persuasive and vengeful, after he sees Adam and Eve in love at the end of their day, he feels another emotion--what is it? (iv, 505ff) Does that change his purpose?
I must comment on the quality of the discussions I see here each week. You have tremendous insight and all express it very well! Reading this makes me not so worried about the silence in the classroom!!
8 comments:
After Eve tells Adam about her dream, Adam is as equally disturbed as she is. He fears that the dream came from something evil, but he does not know what. Even though he finds it strange, he reassures Eve that it was just a dream and what she did in her dream does not mean she will do it when she's awake. His words state that her dream is not necessarily a prediction of the future. Pertelote's interpretation was similar to that of Adam's, however, she approached it differently. Whereas as Adam is comforting and sweet to his love, Pertelote is insulting and not understanding towards Chaunticleer's panicked state.
After Satan witnesses the love of Adam and Eve, he is filled with hate and torment, but most of all, he is envious. Where they will live in ignorance and bliss in paradise, Satan is forever condemned to Hell where there will always be an insatiable longing. Satan finds their ignorance to be their weakness, and he decides that he will "excite their minds/ With more desire to know." This will lead them to sin and he fulfills his vow to ruin God's beloved creations.
After Adam learns of Eve’s dream, he answers her in a somber tone, explaining how he shares her trouble from the dream. He then explains to her how she was created pure; therefore, she could not harbor evil, since none exists in her. He also goes on to soothe her by reminding her that God granted them with the ability to reason, which “frames / All what we affirm or what we deny, and call / Our knowledge or opinion…” (107-8). In addition, Adam tells Eve that God also granted the ability of evil to come and go in the minds of men. Therefore, Adam had full belief in Eve’s obedience and that she would not consent to do the things she was tempted in her dream to do. In many ways, Adam’s response to Eve’s dream parallels Pertelote’s interpretation of Chaunticleer’s, because both Adam and Pertelote do not believe in either of their partners’ dreams coming true. Pertelote and Adam both soothe their partners, and stress that their dreams didn’t hold any truths. Ironically, both Chaunticleer’s and Eve’s dreams do come true, as though the dreams were actually warnings or premonitions of the reality that was to come.
After Satan sees Adam and Eve in love in Book IV, he feels envy and jealousy. I think maybe in a way this changes his purpose, because he now realizes they have so much in Eden; the idea of bliss is not present in Hell, as Satan explains: “while I to Hell am thrust, / Where neither joy nor love, but fierce desire, / Among our other torments not the least, / Still unfulfilled with pain of longing pines” (508-11). He is jealous that the love Adam and Eve share does not exist in Hell. More than anything, his purpose is fueled by the fact Adam and Eve own everything in Eden except one thing: the Tree of Knowledge.
Gabby,
I really like that you brought in the idea of Pertelote's and Adam's tones and the differences between the two. I only focused on Pertelote's and Adam's answers, not the ways in which they answered. You were completely correct when you said that Pertelote is not as understanding towards Chaunticleer as Adam is towards Eve. Adam and Eve share a love much different than Pertelote and Chaunticleer, which is evident through the different responses. Adam's adoration for Eve is extremely evident in his reassurance to her.
Lisa,
I like your in depth analysis of Adam's response to Eve's troubles. You explain it very easily. I forgot to include in my answer what you said in yours which was Adam and Pertelote denying the dreams or premonitions, like you mentioned, as ever coming true. A thought just came to mind. I think it's rather neat that both dreams end up coming true, whereas the outcomes are different. Chaunticleer escaped the fate that his dream suggested would happen, but with Eve, there was no way for her to get away from what happened. The second she bit the fruit, there was no going back or changing what she did.
When Eve tells Adam about her dream he comforts her although he does not believe the dream will actually come true. He listens and consoles Eve reassuring her God made them in the reflection of him being pure and the ability to reason. This reaction is much the opposite of Pertelote to Chaunticleer. Although Pertelote listened to Chaunticleer tell about his dream, she is not soothing nor serious towards the matter. Like Adam, she does not take the dream to be serious in that it will really happy. However, Pertelote is not reassuring at all. She basically insults Chanticleer that he is even worried about the dream. The main similarity is that both dreams really do happen.
After Satan witness the love Adam and Eve share for each other he is overcome with hate, but most of all he is jealous and envious of the two. Adam and Eve are so unconditionally happy because they live in a world that is oblivious to evil, hatred, and suffering. Satan is condemned to Hell where there is no happiness or harmony. I believe this does change his purpose because he sees everything he could have had. Eden is pure perfection and Satan is finally seeing what his actions caused him to missed out on.
Adam dismisses Eve’s dream as being just a dream and only a creation of her mind, “Oft in her absence mimic fancy wakes/To imitate her; but misjoining shapes,/Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams,/But with addition strange; yet be not sad” (V, 110-114). Adam thinks that her dream is nothing to worry about because he believes Eve would “never wilt consent to do” (V, 121). He then tells her to smile and not be worried any longer, because they have work to do in the garden (V, 118-128).
Adam’s rejection of Eve’s dream is very similar to Pertelote’s dismissal of Chaunticleer’s dream. Pertelote similarly told her husband Chaunticleer that his dream was nothing and assumed it was due to indigestion. She suggested that he take a laxative or eat some herbs in order to be rid of the disturbing dreams.
Upon seeing Adam and Eve in the garden, Satan feels envy for the beautiful creation of earth and man before him “With wonder, and could love, so lively shines/In them divine resemblance” (IV, 364-365).. He is filled with doubt and wonders whether he should repent so that he can also enjoy this creation, but then he comes back to his decision to do evil with this new life, “By conquering this new world, compels me now/To do what else though damned I should abhor” (IV, 391-392).
Lisa,
You quoted great lines that really emphasized Adam’s consoling of Eve and reassuring her about the love and intentions of God. We both touched on the fact that both dreams ironically were predictions and warnings of the future. I also like the lines you gave to describe Satan’s jealousy and envy against Adam and Eve’s passionate love. Your last sentence really rings true that his purpose stems from the fact that he learns they own everything in the garden except the Tree of Knowledge.
Gabby,
I agree with your comment that Adam is "comforting and sweet" to Eve after her disturbing dream as opposed to Pertelote who is "insulting” and cruel to Chaunticleer after his own dream. Initially, I did not notice the difference in the way Adam and Pertelote reacted toward their spouse's dream. Although it's true that both believe their beloved's dream to be nothing, Adam and Pertelote behaved quite differently to their spouse.
One thought, however, is that perhaps Pertelote and Adam were both acting in the way that their genders are considered to behave. Adam's job, as a man, was to comfort and lead his wife; Pertelote's job as a woman in medieval literature was to be condescending and brash to her husband. At least in the time periods of these two works, the two are acting according to their specified gender roles.
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