Epic Stories “Paradise Lost” and “The Ramayana” Analysis

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‘The Ramayana’ and ‘Paradise Lost’ keep narratives of ancient times that tend to explicate the being of two different civilizations in the present universe. Milton. the writer of ‘Paradise Lost. ’ concerns himself with the Christian narrative of the ‘Fall of man’ while Valmiki. the writer of The Ramayana attempts to convey out an account to the ends of human life. In this assignment.

I would wish to compare author’s usage of two female characters in both ‘The Ramayan’ and ‘Paradise Lost’ as I try to explicate the fabulous subjects expressed in these two old myths ( Jung 64 ) . Eve in ‘Paradise Lost’ and Sita in ‘The Ramayan’ are the two female characters used extensively by the writers in these separate narratives in an effort to explicate the ends of human life and likewise the ground for the autumn of adult male.

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The narrative exhibited by Milton in the book ‘Paradise Lost’ has been told in infinite narratives and besides portrayed in images in most spiritual topographic points every bit good as pictures to that consequence. Similar narratives that relate to the book ‘The Ramayana’ can every bit good be found in Classical mythology ( Fryer 233 ) . Jung explains the term myths to be fatal experiences whose effects are usually felt in personal life. He classified myths harmonizing to its unconscious nature because he believes that by making so.

they will be accepted by the society hence aid determine their traditions and civilization.The contents of the personal unconscious are chiefly the feeling-toned composites while the contents of the corporate unconscious are known as originals ( Jung 66 ) . Different readings have been made in relation to the Garden of Eden narrative with most Christians keeping the belief that it was really true. another reading tries to portray it as a narrative that shows passage in the manner of life of the ancient people while a concluding reading attempts to demo that the truth behind the myth is groundless though universally people live in conformity to the values it shows ( Fryer 248 ) .Harmonizing to the unconscious nature possessed by people about myths is what constitutes complex feeling-tones of individual’s private and personal psychic life. Eve. in the book ‘Paradise Lost’ has widely been regarded as the symbol of unconscious.

She is seen as the figure of the inspiring rule and besides as one that develops the growing of this rule. Franz holds the same position and explains further that she makes us believe that life may be lived. He says “Eve is full of traps and traps and in order for adult male to fall. he should entrap himself at that place make the Earth and remain caught so that he should populate a full life” ( Jung 68 ) .This he believes that Eve accomplished by non resting until she had convinced Adam of the goodness of the out apple. Eve does non see the apple as evil but as an chance to go wiser ( Franz 56-74 ) . Empson argues that Eve sees the feeding of the apple as a trial of her bravery to interrupt the commandment and alumnus to a new phase of relationship with God Almighty ( Empson 45-57 ) .

In trying to notice on the serpent’s witty progresss to Eve by explicating the good that comes with interrupting the commandment and the benefits that eating the apple brings. Empson agrees that Eve feels that she has to interrupt the commandment so as to demo her bravery and whether her desire to acquire to Heaven is existent plenty to name her bravery out.He does non accept the impression that Eve is a female symbol that is used to convey out the unconscious belief in the book ‘Paradise Lost’ . Empson differs with Jung’s belief of sing feeding of fruits as a mark of new beginning of life.

Harmonizing to Empson. the trial is rooted in hermeneutics. He believes that the ground why Eve disobeyed God was because she thought God ne’er meant what he said ( Empson 122-247 ) . The two Empson and Jung. though both believe that Eve’s part to the autumn is due to her desire.She does non take to eat the apple because it is evil. but because it is an chance to achieve another good in the book ‘Paradise Lost’. Milton differs with his predecessors who had besides written narratives about Adam and Eve. Milton predecessors portray Eve as deficient in virtuous endeavor. They blamed Eve for the sufferings of the universe and their construct of Eve rooted in dualism. a position that is non depicted by Milton in the book ‘Paradise Lost’ .

Milton represent Eve as a literary figure dividing her from crude construct by those who hold on tradition yet they are unconscious of premier illustrations of Eve in the society.‘Paradise Lost’ is a literary heroic poem of a personal attempt while ‘The Ramayan’  nevertheless is a non-literary heroic poem. Sita is the dominant female character in the narrative ‘The Ramayana’ and therefore is comparable to Eve in ‘Paradise Lost’ in their part to conveying the fabulous subjects to the two narratives as they are both fabulous symbols.‘Paradise Lost’ is a work of a individual person and therefore it is possible to reason that the characters involved in the narrative are a projection of the author’s thoughts on how he wants the characters to look. It can therefore be said that the characters in ‘Paradise Lost’ are genuinely Milton’s characters.

This can non be said of the characters in the heroic narrative ‘The Ramayana since it is a corporate attempt of different people in conveying out the heroic poem narrative. It is due to this that the comparing of the two primary characters in the two separate narratives becomes interesting. Sita is foremost introduced in the heroic narrative at Janak’s nuptials. She is on a regular basis referred to as faithful gentle soft and sweet. In the heroic narrative. a matrimony of hubby and married woman is regarded to as a linkage.

This resembles the matrimony as depicted in the Bible in the book of Genesis. where Adam is quoted as mentioning to Eve as ‘flesh of my flesh’ .The heroic poem narrative besides shows adult male as superior to the adult female. as it indicates that the adult female is the shadow to the man’s masculine substance.

Sita’s restriction occurs when she gets haunted with her attractive force to the deer’s beauty that she sends Rama out to travel and look for it. Her compulsion is magnified when she gives an option that if Rama can non catch the cervid alive. so at least he brings her the deer’s organic structure so that she may utilize it as a shred.Rama becomes angry after Lakshman refuses to obey his orders when she sends him out to look for him.

Her desire exposes her to Ravan’s desires which force him to nobble her and carry her off with him to Lanka. This state of affairs is in crisp contrast to that of Eve in the heroic narrative ‘Paradise Lost’ . In ‘The Ramayana’ . Sita’s autumn is her desire for a good that is illusive which separates her from Rama her defender and therefore becomes vulnerable to capture while to Eve. it makes her vulnerable to enticement by the snake which subsequently leads to her feeding of the apple.The two scenarios depict the same subject content. and that is a woman’s desire that leads to unfortunate terminations.

In the instance of ‘Paradise Lost’ . the eviction from the Garden of Eden. while in ‘The Ramayana’  a war ensued. The contrast in the manner the two characters are shown in the two heroic poem narratives is besides different.The writer individualise Eve right from the start of the book nevertheless in the instance of Sita. the writer individualise her after the incidence where she became angry with Lakshman for non obeying her when she sends her to travel fetch Rama. Of the two.

Eve as portrayed in the book ‘Paradise Lost’ is in contrast with how she has ever been portrayed by people by and large and other poets excessively. She is shown as an object of desire. her work in the garden and her sexual dealingss with Adam.She is therefore the author’s portrayal of an ideal adult female with an exclusion being her desire for cognition which indicates her as a cultural symbol.

Sita on the other manus is more of an ideal character. The psychological world that is shown by Sita’s narrative and her loss is apparent excessively in other classical myths and is besides present in the Biblical myths of the Garden of Eden. The nature of ‘The Ramayana’ heroic poem narrative besides helps in stamp downing many other author’s ideals and aspirations as it is a corporate work of single elements. The analysis of the two characters gives the decision that a character’s thematic status is reliant on the poet’s capacity of showcasing his ain ideals.

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