Unfallen Angels In John Milton's Paradise Lost

Sexual life of the unfallen angels in John Milton 's Paradise Lost For hundreds of years the human kind tries to give answers on many questions that are and probably always will be beyond their cognitive ability. The individuals question themselves and others in order to comprehend the idea of God, of angels, of fallen angels, of the Holy Trinity, etc. For instance, the angels are commonly considered to be pure and heavenly creatures free of any physical need such as food or sex. John Milton makes clear in his epic poem Paradise Lost that the unfallen angels are able to enjoy sensual pleasure. However, is there a difference between the angel’s sexual life and the human kind’s in Milton’s masterpiece? In this essay I will describe Milton’s perception of the sexual life of the unfallen angels and what it meant in Milton’s society. In Paradise Lost Book VIII Adam describes his feelings and sexual desire towards Eve to the archangel Raphael. After discussing it and being advised by the archangel, Adam, a little coy, asks him about the nature of lovemaking between the

Another characteristic of the angelic creatures that differs from the human kind is the neutrality of the gender, what can also be deduced from Raphael’s answer to Adam. In other words, the unfallen angels in Paradise Lost are considered to have no defined gender or in other view - sharing only one. For human mind this characteristic, as well as every other trait of the angelic creatures, is very difficult to understand because of our need to see or at least feel the evidence. However, John Milton managed to include the neutrality of gender as an angelic trait in his epic poem. It is apparent from Raphael’s response that their physical nature varies from human appearance. The characteristic which is shared by God’s both angelic and human creatures are their soul and flesh. However, their form and abilities are obviously not the same, which can be seen in Raphael’s explanation of the angelic