Milton's Portrayal of Eve in Paradise Lost
The seventeenth century poet, John Milton, takes the attitude common to the time period while portraying Eve in Paradise Lost. This epic, telling of Adam and Eve's fall from Paradise and the story of creation, constantly describes Eve as a weak individual, while Adam is often compared with God. The idea of women's inferiority has been fixed through time, making Milton's characterization of Eve not surprising, but rather expected and accepted. However, Milton shows a suggestion of women's inner strength while describing the control Eve has over Adam. Nevertheless, except for this instance, Eve is depicted as subordinate to Adam. This is evident through Adam and Raphael's treatment of Eve, her own actions, and Milton's description of her.
The first weakness Eve shows is her vanity. Following her creation, she finds herself staring into a stagnant pool. She tells Adam, " There I had fixed Mine eyes till now, and pined with vain desire" (IV 465-6). From the beginning of Eve's life in Paradise, it was understood that she needed Adam to guide her. During her first talk with him, she whimpers, "And from whom I was formed flesh of thy flesh, And without whom am to no end, my guide And head!" (IV 441-3). Thus, she believes that only with Adam's guidance will she be able ...
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...Elledge, Scott, ed. Paradise Lost: An Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Criticism. New York: Norton, 1975.
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In “ The Temptation of Eve “ , one of the many books of John Milton’s epic Paradise Lost, the author makes use of many literary techniques, such as, creative diction and irony which highlight the classic theme of deception.
...to mankind in Paradise Lost - one of the fundamental concepts in Christianity and vital to Milton's objective to "justify the ways of God to men" (1, 26) - the gods in the Aeneid are continually reminding Aeneas that he cannot afford to be distractive by the temptresses that are women because the future of Rome lays in his hands. Milton's God, on the other hand, allows Eve to fall and her blatant transgression caused the loss of paradise and all of creation has to experience the consequences of original sin. In Paradise Lost Eve was expected to submit to her ultimate authority, Adam. Rather, it is Adam in Book IX who submits to Eve's unreasonable discourse on separation. Indeed, the implication of a man (as a superior being) succumbing to feminine wiles and passion is an intense concept which - for both Virgil and Milton - threatened the very basis of their society.
Edward, Jonathan. The Eternity of Hell’s Torments: Puritan’s Minds, copyright 1995. Roman numerals II and IV
Edwards, Jonathan. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton & Company, 1999. 200-211.
... God’s creation in her eyes. Equally, by embodying reason, Eve is able to gain the benefits of knowledge through experience, thus bringing her closer to Adam and God. Finally, in my examination of the Paradise Lost, I could not perceive Milton’s patriarchal or misogynist sentiment, as do many of his readers. Eve’s virtues are not inferior to Adam’s, and Adam has to learn some of her virtues, as she has to learn his. In this way, Milton does not stratify the value between male and female; they are simply human. Although the question of gender hierarchy may never be aptly answered, Milton in Paradise Lost states his controversial estimation of the ideal gender relationship – equality.
Millicent Bell, "The Fallacy of the Fall in Paradise Lost," PMLA 68 (1953), 863-83; here p. 878.
Elledge, Scott, ed., pp. 113-117. Paradise Lost: Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Criticism. New York: Norton, 1975. Milton, John.
Throughout modern society nothing symbolizes the fall of humankind more than a woman with feminine flowing hair and luscious lips biting into a large apple. While the biblical account evoking such imagery remains the primary authority, John Milton in Paradise Lost enlightens beyond the allegorical, offering a complexity of character and purpose. In this epic, readers are guided along humanity’s fall from grace, contrasting the ideal union of man and wife alongside harsh consequences that emerge from dangerous engendered perspectives.
John Milton was a Puritan poet and author who started writing in 1658. One of his most renowned works was his epic, Paradise Lost, which was published in 1667. In Paradise Lost, Milton describes and tells the story of how paradise slipped from the hands of Adam and Eve and how they were dismissed from the Garden of Eden. Divided into 12 books, the epic starts by stating the purpose of the epic: to describe the loss of mankind’s spiritual innocence. Then, it goes into the very start of evil in the world with the fall of Satan and his self-appointment as ruler of hell. Next it goes into describing the sin of Adam and Eve, and finally it concludes with the Archangel Michael telling Adam that God has a plan to redeem mankind and ultimately the
...t, Stephen, gen. ed. “Paradise Lost.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 2012. Print. 36-39.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A. gen
By analyzing John Milton's Paradise Lost, it is plain to see it is a fine example of epic poetry. For the most part, John Milton follows the three main guidelines that construct
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Ed. Scott Elledge. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,