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Sin

Literary Character
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Allegorical figure of transgression, daughter of Satan in "Paradise Lost"

Detailed Definition
Sin, born from Satan’s head and mother of Death, embodies the self-perpetuating nature of evil in Milton’s cosmic drama. In poetry, she appears as a symbol of original corruption, the grotesque feminization of vice, and the psychological internalization of temptation in moral allegory.
Example
Example in poetry:
Sin in Milton’s "Paradise Lost" is personified as Satan’s daughter and lover, born from his head—a grotesque embodiment of moral corruption; Her hybrid form (woman above, serpent below) symbolizes deceit and temptation; Romantic poets like Blake reinterpret Sin as institutional oppression; Modern poets use Sin as allegorical character to explore guilt, desire, and systemic evil.
Additional Notes
Sin, in Milton’s "Paradise Lost," is personified as Satan’s daughter and consort, born from his head; her literary character embodies theological paradox—temptation as both external and self-generated—and is key for studying how abstract evil is dramatized through grotesque, gendered allegory in epic poetry.
Also Known As
Original Sin
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