Her thoughts turn to Adam, and she decides that he must eat the fruit also. Now Eve suddenly worships the Tree of Knowledge as a god, even as all nature weeps for her fall. Eve is taken in by the words of the serpent, and after some rationalizing, she convinces herself that she should eat the fruit. This fact makes God envious and has caused him to demand that Adam and Eve not eat of the tree. Instead the tree will give them knowledge, which will make them like God. He has eaten of the tree and is not dead neither will they die. Satan, using the same sophistic reasoning he has used throughout the story, tells Eve that God has tricked her and Adam. Eve tells the serpent that God has forbidden Man to eat from that tree, and she chooses to obey God. When Eve inquires which tree gave the serpent his abilities, he takes her to the Tree of Knowledge. He acquired speech and the ability to reason and has, therefore, sought Eve out to worship as the most beautiful of God's creations. Satan replies through the serpent that he learned speech by eating the fruit of a particular tree in the Garden. She is especially curious about how the serpent learned to speak. However, when the serpent speaks, complimenting Eve on her beauty, playing on both her vanity and curiosity, Eve is suddenly interested. His various acts fail to attract Eve's attention because she is used to dealing with animals. The serpent approaches Eve upright upon its tail. Then he remembers what his purpose is - to destroy God's creation. He watches her and for a few moments becomes enraptured and forgets his evil nature. Satan in the form of the serpent is surprised and excited to find Eve alone tending flowers. He and she continue this argument - she proposing that they work alone he proposing that they work together - until Adam finally relents however, he makes Eve promise to return to their bower soon, but Milton comments that she will never return to Adam in the way that she was that morning. Adam argues the point with Eve, saying that Raphael has warned them of dangers and that she is more vulnerable by herself. She thinks they can accomplish more working individually. Because the Garden's growth seems to surpass their labors, Eve suggests that on this day they work apart. The following morning, Adam and Eve prepare for their daily work tending the Garden. He has studied all the animals and has decided to approach Eve in the form of a serpent which he considers to be the "subtlest Beast of all the Field" (86). Satan returns to Eden eight days after being forced out by Gabriel. Again, he calls on Urania as the muse of Christian inspiration to help him complete his work and show the true heroism that lies in the Christian idea of sacrifice. In the prologue to Book IX, Milton says that his work must now take a tragic tone and that this Christian epic, though different, is nonetheless more heroic than earlier epics like the Iliad and the Aeneid.
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