Amela Zanacic

Dr. Marx

English 204

31 May 2004

The Seductive Hunger of Sin and Death

For my creative project, I chose to paint Sin and Death not only as literally described by Milton in Paradise Lost, but also as a symbolic representation of the relationship between Sin and Death.

Milton describes Sin as a beautiful “woman to the waist” while “[ending] foul in many a scaly fold/voluminous and vast” with “hell-hounds” around her waist (Book 2, lines 650-654). In my painting, I tried to portray a beautiful woman up until the waist with long flowing black hair. I chose the flowing dark hair as a symbol for seduction, mystery, a hint of danger. Thus, the upper half of Sin shows the tantalizing quality that sinning might represent to people. The bottom half of Sin shows the consequence if one were to engage in committing sin. Her legs have been transformed into two scaly and large snake-like appendages. The hounds around her waist, an offspring of her and Death, are shown staring in all directions and one is shown gnawing on her side. The “hell hounds” with their “hideous peal” add another level to the danger and the horrendousness to the consequence of committing sin (Book 2, lines 654-656).

Milton describes Death as a “black…as night” “shape/ If shape it might be called that shape had none/ Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb, / For each seemed either” (Book 2, 666-670). Milton’s description of Death in addition to his confusing and repetitive language shows that near incapability for one to visualize death. It seems to be amorphous, yet it has a head with a “likeness of knightly crown” on it (Book 2, line 673). But even having a head and crown does not give it a definite shape since Milton uses the word “likeness.” Everything about Death seems to be uncertain and not quite anything really describable. I tried to illustrate this point in my painting by making death a shadow more than an actual shape. I painted even the outline of the shadow as fuzzy in order to illustrate that the shadow is partially shapeless. The only features of Death that take on a semblance of shape are it’s head—since Milton mentions Death to have a “miscreated front”--with the top resembling a crown and his “nostrils wide” (Book 10, line 280), eyes, and mouth. However, even those features are not very well defined. Furthermore, Death is described as, “[shaking] a dreadful dart,” making “Hell [tremble] as he strode,” and being able to “[grow] tenfold” (Book 2, lines 676-705). My painting expresses this power of Death by showing Death as a very large power that looms over everything. Finally, Death is often described as “devouring.” Sin states that he “his parent would full soon devour / For want of other prey, but that he knows/His end with mine involved” (Book 2, line 807). Death also states that “Alike is Hell, or Paradise, or Heaven/There best, where most with ravin I may meet” (Book 10, 598-599). I portrayed this Death’s intense need to devour by making part of his Shadow encompass Sin.

In addition to Death looking like it might devour Sin, part of his shadow is also nearly embracing her legs. This part of the painting is supposed to illustrate the relationship between Sin and Death. Sin states that “Death from Sin no power can separate” (Book 10, line 251). Furthermore, Death is Sin’s son but he also raped her. Therefore, Death’s shadow becoming part of Sin and embracing her shows their interconnectedness.