Milton could’ve expressed Eves temptation by her willingness to follow the serpent but wanted to emphasize the belief that women hold their beauty to higher standards in comparison to their other qualities such as integrity, honesty, and faithfulness. In this scene, Milton suggests that women are vain when it comes to their appearances. Eve is flattered by the serpent’s words and becomes severely tempted to take a bite from the tree. Satan then tells Eve that the fruit from the tree wanted him to seek out Eve and worship her beauty. Eve is hesitant about eating from the Tree of Knowledge because God has forbidden Adam and her from doing so. Eve is curious about the tree that had the power to give the serpent the ability to talk and she finds the powerful tree. Satan is convinced that he will be able to use the lack of intelligence against Eve and take advantage of her. He believes that Eve has less intelligence compared to her counterpart Adam. Satan expresses his pleasure of running into Eve instead of Adam.
Why is Eves integrity questioned, and Adams is not? VainĪfter Adam and Eve split up to complete their chores, Satan approaches Eve disguised as a serpent. Adams weakness is not questioned despite him being left alone. During the exchange, Eve assumes the role of the weaker individual in comparison to Adam. Adam still has doubts in his head about leaving Eve alone, and reluctantly lets her do her chores independently. Eve persists on and convinces Adam that she is strong enough to fight Satan’s temptations. Adam is hesitant on letting Eve do a portion of the chores alone and is afraid that she might be more susceptible to Satan’s trickery. Eve suggests they split their workload and finish the chores independently. Adam and Eve are preparing for their morning chores and they are overwhelmed with the amount of work they must complete. Raphael agrees with Satan’s view of how Eve is more susceptible to being deceived and is seen as inferior to Adam.īook nine of Paradise Lost emphasizes Eves weakness to be deceived. In book six of Paradise Lost, the angel Raphael tells Adam “warn the weaker” and “let it profit thee to have heard by terrible example of disobedience” (book 6, lines 909-911). Eve is seen as the weaker sex in this encounter and is described as helpless compared to the masculine Adam. In book four, Eve describes her first meeting with Adam, and how she submitted to him without hesitation. Satan views Eve as a servant of Adam instead of as his equal. Satan states that Adam and Eves relationship is comparable to the relationship between a king and his servants. In book four and nine of Paradise Lost, Milton repeats his believe that women are inferior to men through the dialogue of Satan, Raphael, and Eve. Milton’s views women as pleasing to the eyes with little knowledge which makes them dependent on the men and follow their every order. Despite not having access to information, Eve appears un-phased by the inequality she is exposed to and is content with being led by Adam. Eve is unable to possess the same knowledge because she is not given the opportunity to talk to the angel Raphael or see the visions of Michael. She doesn’t possess the knowledge and reasoning skills that Adam has. She is created from a rib from Adam and is seen as inferior to him. Eve is introduced as being beautiful beyond comparison and is created as a mate for Adam. Milton’s portrayal of Eve suggests that he believes that woman are to be submissive to men. Milton does not give Adam any negative attributes when it comes to his appearance and character, but instead uses Adam’s deep love for Eve as his weakness. Adam will serve as the basis for every son, father, uncle, etc.
He is the example of a perfect man that was created in gods image. Adam is introduced as being an intelligent, strong, and faith driven individual. The introduction of Adam and Eve mark the first signs of misogyny in Paradise Lost. Although Milton’s Paradise Lost is a beautiful story about the fall of Adam and Eve, it has many misogyny elements surrounding the treatment of Eve compared to Adam. Adam and Eve share an interesting dynamic in their relationship that forms a major part of Milton’s Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost fills in the details missing from the biblical story, and helps readers understand the consequences of Adam and Eves actions. Despite being a popular story, the bible doesn’t give readers deeper insights about how the characters felt before and after the fall. The story of Adam and Eve is one of the most well-known stories from the Bible.
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