ABSTRACT

Two conflicting modes of living—happiness pursued obediently (Godly) versus happiness pursued disobediently (Satanic)—produce persistent
problems with conceptions of free will in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The Godly mode of happiness recognises that one is free to choose their path
to human happiness, but only within God’s bounds; the Satanic mode of happiness recognises that one is entitled to human happiness, but not
limited by God’s bounds. It is the relationship between these two modes of living that reveals a Miltonic paradox—free to choose human happiness
but only within bounds—that remains unresolved by the poem’s end. This essay explores Milton’s paradox of free will through an investigation of
the most pivotal figure of disobedience within Milton’s didactic project—Eve—through tracking her transgression of God’s bounds in the pursuit of
her own human happiness. The result of this investigation reveals a catalogue of contradictions that undermine Milton’s claims to explain and justify
the actions and commandments of a perfect but limiting God.