It is clear in this book that Satan's argument for fighting against God is increasingly irrational. Satan, as a character, has lost some of his original glamor and reader sympathy. The implication, of course, is that it is men who are in contact with God, and women are to learn about God only through men. Milton views the hierarchy of Adam being submissive to God and Eve being submissive to Adam as a natural God-given order : 'God is thy law, thou mine,' Eve says, 'to know no more is woman's happiest knowledge and her praise.' Later, when both Raphael and Michael come to visit the pair in separate episodes with messages from God, Eve will leave the conversation and only Adam will hear the message. It is quite clear Milton believes in the traditional patriarchal system, complete with the gender stereotypes of 17th century Europe.

This self confident independence, however, is quickly lost. Modern readers, especially coming from a feminist perspective, might view Eve's admiration of herself not as vanity or a weakness, but rather as a gesture of self-confidence and independence from man (especially as she finds her own image so much more beautiful than Adam's ). She awakes near a lake and sees an image of herself and thinks the images beautiful. As Eve narrates her first waking moments after her own creation, we are immediately introduced to Eve's weakness, vanity. In this chapter we are given more insight into the character of Eve and Satan. Gabriel tells him to look up at the stars to see 'how he is weighted.' In the stars, it is clear that Satan will be trampled by Gabriel, so Satan leaves on his own accord. Gabriel does not believe him and tells him to go back to hell or he will personally drag him there.

Satan explains that he wanted to escape the pain of hell and so came to paradise. Gabriel tells Uriel that he will find Satan before morning.ДЄdam and Even talk about the stars, say a prayer, and then go to sleep. Uriel tells Gabriel that he was fooled by Satan and now Satan is somewhere in the Garden. He mourns his own loss in hell, fierce desire unfulfilled in joy and love. Then she meets Adam who, she notices, wasn't exactly as beautiful as her own reflection. The first thing she did was walk to a lake where she saw her reflection and a voice told her who she was looking at. Theirs is one of continuous and sensuous joy, the only thing they cannot do is eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.Д®ve recollects the moment when she was first created. He finds them beautiful, but he is compelled to do what, if he were not damned, he would abhor.ДЄdam and Eve are conversing about their life. Satan spots Adam and Eve who 'in naked majesty seemed lords of all.' All the animals are playing peacefully around them or lying lazily beside them. Paradise is described as a natural wonderland. Satan jumps over it, literally like a thief in the night.

He comes to the Garden of Eden and finds it protected all around by a high wall of trees and plants. 'Farewell hope,' he says, 'And with hope farewell fear.' and he goes to corrupt mankind. Being created from the beginning with a nature that would lead to his fall makes him hate God all the more. He questions whether he would have fallen or not if he had been created by God with less pride in the first place. The light from the sun reminds him of the light and grace he had in heaven.

Eve in paradise lost