I feel as though the passage is used to defend the sort of "choice to be evil". Milton begins by having Eve lament about how grateful she is to have been made from the flesh of Adam, to have been born, and to later be taken care of by God. Yet despite all of her good intentions, there is no way she can avoid her fate, she will betray God, and both she and Adam will be kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
I do agree that Milton establishes a difference between fate and predestination in the play. It is clear, however, that Eve is not akin to either Oedipus or Odysseus in relation to fate and free will in their own plays. Although an arbitrary warning is given to her by God, she in no way seeks out disobedience, instead it seeks her out. She is afraid at first, shying away, but then (naturally curious) she is intrigued.
The rest of the passage continues as Eve helplessly accounts her transition and disobedience of God's rules. Although she does not specifically place the blame, the diction Eve uses makes it seem as if her descent is not of her own bringing about. Although God gave humans free will, was it his decision to ensure that they would be susceptible enough in the Garden to outsiders who might attempt to trick or take advantage of them? Ultimately, Eve is played as a mere pawn in one of the most important stories of the Bible, rather than a raging heretic, something she is far from.
This lends itself, since Milton writes that man views things from his own fallen perspective, to the idea that such a denigration is not completely our fault. It perhaps also relates to this idea of a sympathy for Satan and evil itself, never actually saying God is wrong, but questioning whether we are the ones who are actually inherently evil or if evil comes to us and takes advantage of our weakness.
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