Personification:
“Now Morn, her rosy steps in the eastern clime
Advancing, sowed the earth with orient pearl,”
In the first two lines of Book V, we see the “Morn” taking on human qualities such as the ability to “step” and “sow”.
Metaphor:
“Best Image of myself, and dearer half”
This metaphor where Adam is comforting Eve after her frightful dream (Book V, line 95) is a good example of figurative language in Paradise Lost. Here Eve is not literally half of him, and yet as his wife, she is one with him. In a figurative sense she is a part of him (she is also literally made out of him). It shows how he feels her pain with her. It is a metaphor of the love he has for her. The binding, true, friendship kind of love.
Round character/ Flat character
To be honest I am quite confused. It seems the general consensus is that Satan is a round character. But to me it seems he is quite flat, everything he does can be summed up in his evil greed. I truly doubt he actually “cared” for his fellow outcasts, rather he wished to use them to his benefit. Any of the good qualities he seems to have such as, leadership, all inevitable boil down to his evil greed and dissatisfaction with his lot in life. He only has these qualities to help him with his evil purposes; they are all a sly means of getting what he wants. Now in Paradise Lost when he ponders forgiveness, this could help to classify him as Round, but his ultimate choice of evil still leads me to think that he is flat-evil and being the only true description of him.
Adam and Eve also seem to be rather flat at first as they have all the “perfect” qualities. But as the story progresses and we see their sin and weakness, I am led to think that they are more round. Eve is beautiful, yet vain. Adam is a strong able man, yet weak in his resolution.
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