An Analysis of Satan's Final Speech in Milton's Paradise LostSatan's Final Speech to Eve, 11. 679-732, Book IX, in Milton's Paradise Lost, is a compelling masterpiece carefully structured to appeal to his ambitious tendencies and to expand his already existing doubts (which Satan implanted) about the perfect nature of God. Satan begins by worshiping the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, as Eve will do after making her choice. Throughout the speech, he attempts to present the tree as an alternative axis of his faith. Satan works to weaken Eve's admiration and fear of God, and to strengthen her faith in herself, or in the potential of what she could be if she had the courage to eat the fruit. Satan's speech is primarily interrogative: he asks provocative questions, then provides what he represents as all the possible answers. Of course, each solution he proposes supports her in her tasting of the tree. By the end of the speech, whether we have biblical knowledge or not, it is obvious that Eve cannot withstand the glare of Satan's argument. Satan's first words are not addressed to Eve but constitute an exultation of the tree. He talks about the power it gives him, the near-ecstasy and knowledge that has arisen within him since (allegedly) tasting the fruit. Satan's emphasis on the power contained in the tree is perhaps a wise recognition of Eve's feelings of inferiority. He realizes that Eve is distressed by Adam's predominant position and perhaps even angry at the supremacy of God himself. Satan indirectly presents the tree as a means to bridge this gap. Through a simple action, she can instantly assert her independence, as well as gain wisdom and... middle of paper... never been exposed to evil, and cannot recognize it. She's an easy target. Satan introduces ideas that had never occurred to him before in the form of questions in order to fix Eve's mind on these concepts and get her to think about them. However, he doesn't leave him much room for independent thought: Satan provides the answers to all the questions he asked. Eve is forced to make a decision as soon as possible and has no time to debunk the fallacies of her argument. She does not have the tools to combat Satan's superior intellect. With Eve's faith in God severely shaken and her hopes high for the future, her decision to eat from the tree is a foregone conclusion. Works Cited Milton, John. Paradise lost. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Principal Authors. Ed. Mr. H. Abrams. 6th ed. New York: Norton, 1990. 770-71.