ABSTRACTAuthor: Andrea J. RutherfoordTitle: Divine Alchemy in Paradise LostInstitution: Florida Atlantic UniversityThesis Advisor: Dr. Thomas MartinDegree: Master of ArtsYear: 2012This study examines the themes of alchemy and transformation in Paradise Lost and seventeenth-century thought. Beginning with an overview of the historical roots of alchemy, this study analyzes the ancient, underlying philosophical concepts that marital union produces the birth of the soul and that destruction is necessary for this birth. Alchemical references identified in Paradise Lost include animal lore and directalchemical images, which demonstrate Milton’s knowledge of alchemy and his deliberate use of the alchemical metaphor. These themes support the proposal that Milton, a Christian humanist, uses alchemy as a metaphor described in this study as “divine alchemy,” which begins with his belief that Christians, inheriting original sin, must submit themselves to a transformative process similar to transmutation to restore right reason and, ultimately, achieve salvation.
The influence of the Chain of Being with its hierarchical order of animals is highly evident in alchemical myths, which primarily focus on selected animals at the top of various levels in the hierarchy. Specifically, these are animals that symbolize 26 power, freedom, or transformation in illustrations and texts. Although they have varying names and physical, often mystical, characteristics, common themes emerge. The lion and the eagle are two of the prominent animal symbols for the key ingredients in the alchemical process and, at times, for the philosophers stone itself. In animal lore, they represent the highest forms of their levels on the animal hierarchy because of their nobility and ability to devour prey. Lions are renowned for their fierce nature and mastery of their surroundings and sometimes even for their golden fur. In alchemical texts, the lion is variably used to symbolize the philosophers stone or as a
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The yellow lion was the alchemical symbol of yellow sulphides, the red lion was synonymous with cinnabar, and the green lion meant salts of iron and of copper. (55) In addition, the lion is used to symbolize the death or destruction of matter. In some illustrations, lions symbolize the spirits or souls that devour each other during the process of transmutation. They are also used to symbolize the process of revitalization of the dead, based on Paracelsuss ancient theory that all lion cubs are born dead, but are raised to life by the roaring of the lion parents. Similarly, the eagle is considered the king of the sky, representing heaven, light, and spirit. In alchemical texts, the eagle symbolizes ingredients: Black sulphides were
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Capitalizing on both images, the griffon is a 27 mythological hybrid with the body of a lion and wings of an eagle, capable of traveling great distances on wing and of rendering great power. Serpents figure even more prominently in alchemical imagery, both for their mystery and their depravity: The serpent is allegorized in all cultures as a magic force, usually evil, that must be overcome or propitiated (Svendsen 139). Their annual skinshedding makes serpents figures of regeneration in art and religions throughout history and throughout the world. Serpents have been used as a symbol of birth and regeneration in the physical, as well as spiritual sense, a dualism that fits with the theme of transformation in both alchemy and Paradise Lost. In some cultures, serpents have been the symbol of the union between God and man, and in others the connection
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In contrast to the eagle symbolizing the sky and light, the serpent symbolizes the earth, darkness, and death (Coudert 144). The lion often appears in illustrations devouring a serpent, representing the process of cleansing base matter in preparation for its transformation. The fight between eagles and serpents appears throughout Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology. Furthermore, in alchemical texts, the image of entwined serpents represents the binding or unifying process during the experiment. In this passage, Muir cites a historical text that incorporates animal lore to describe the alchemical process: The first gate is Calcination When gold passes through this gate, We observe in it two natures, the fixed and the volatile, which we liken to two serpents. The fixed nature is likened to a serpent without wings; the volatile, to a serpent with wings: calcination unites these two into one. (34) 28
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