Versatile Serpents: Examining Varied Representations of Snakes on the Page
Paradise Lost, John Milton’s retelling of the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the Fall of Man, has maintained cultural relevancy since its publication in 1667. The legacy of the poem has been bolstered by the centuries of artists who, inspired by Milton’s vivid narrative landscape, have produced their own renditions. The Rare Book Collections contains several illustrated editions of this work. Of the artists to illustrate Paradise Lost, Gustave Doré and his engravings for an 1866 edition of Paradise Lost are perhaps one of the most famous examples. With immense attention to detail, Dore’s illustrations bring Milton’s words to life.
One of the less well-known images from the set is Dore’s illustration of Satan observing the serpent in the Garden, seen here:
In Milton’s retelling, the serpent who tempts Eve to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree has been possessed by Satan, who thought the snake to be a proper disguise in which to act out his revenge. This is a creative liberty taken by Milton in his retelling, as Satan is not present in the story of Genesis, and it opens an avenue of interpretation that allows for the snake, the “brute” animal, separate from Satan, to be read as innocent. In fact, Milton insists upon this reading when he describes Satan’s discovery of the soon-to-be-possessed serpent and notes that the animal is asleep. Later, when the serpent receives God’s punishment, Milton reminds readers that the punishment is, in fact, for Satan; the serpent is merely a vessel.
Though Milton repeatedly emphasizes the passivity of the snake, Dore’s illustration of the scene transmits a different message. Instead of being curled up asleep, the snake appears to be writhing, his head outstretched towards Satan’s cloven hoof.
The discrepancy in depiction calls the serpent’s willingness to participate in Satan’s plot against humanity into question. If emphasis is placed on the fact that the snake was asleep and innocent at the time of his being possessed, the snake emerges from the story as a victim. If the details of the possession are glossed over, however, the snake is more likely to be read as an active player in the Fall of Man, a true crony of Satan’s, rather than just an unfortunate vessel. The latter idea, which Dore’s image reinforces, is linked to the popular conception of snakes as being satanic.
Dore is certainly alone in his choice to depict snakes from a maximally sinister view. Take William Blake, for instance. In The Book of Urizen, mental constraints stemming from societal ills such as abstract law and materiality are described as chains, and in the accompanying illustration, Blake provides, those chains are depicted as snakes. The doubly layered metaphor brings snakes in as a symbol of the evil that Blake is writing in response to, even though snakes aren’t present anywhere in the configuration, originally. Or, in Aesop’s Fables. There, snakes are used to represent stories of relationships that are too far gone for repair. Or, Gary Greenberg’s Pop-up Book of Phobias, which includes an entire spread dedicated to the fear of snakes.
Positive examples of serpents can be found in the collection, too! The children’s book Let Them Live, for instance, pushes directly against the idea of snakes being a danger: “Only when cornered and defending themselves will they strike.”
For those who still find themselves unwilling to embrace snakes as their newfound companions, however, the opportunity to develop a neutral relationship to the species can be found in the collection. Sara Press demonstrates a model for a neutral relationship with snakes in her book Evolve = Unroll. The text focuses on the evolutionary link between snakes and humans and points to research suggesting that the human need to detect snakes in the wild contributed to the development of our sharp eyesight. Press leaves readers to linger with an undeniable truth, and it is one that does not deem snakes good or bad. Simply, “Snakes made us what we are today.”
The books named in this article are available for research in Special Collections. For more information, contact the curator of rare books Cassie Brand.