This article argues that Milton's rewriting of the Ovidian story of Narcissus in Paradise Lost and his brief mention of Tiresias should be understood alongside his conspicuous avoidance of the story of Semele. Milton only partly resembles Tiresias as he reorients the fate of Eve-as-Narcissus because he disavows knowledge of female sexual enjoyment. Such knowledge would trouble Milton's theological imagination by raising difficult questions about the contact between God and the second Eve, Mary.
Copyright © 2018 by The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved.
2018
The Pennsylvania State University
Issue Section:
ARTICLE
You do not currently have access to this content.