The circumstances of their awakenings, as well, seem to imply that Adam is superior to Eve. While Adam and Eve were both created by God, Eve is already a lesser creature, for although God’s creation, she was of man/Extracted” 3Ĭreated from Adam, whereas Adam was created directly from God: “He for God only, she for God in him” 4 Eve, however, was created from one of Adam’s ribs, which God “formed and fashioned with his hands /Under his forming hands a creature grew,/Manlike, but different sex” 2 While Adam was formed from nothing, as a creation of God’s image. However, although Eve is supposedly Adam’s likeness, and thus his equal, she is created in much different circumstances than her. God complies with Adam’s wish, and agrees to create another being which he describes to Adam as “thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self” 1. Adam, who is beginning to feel the effects of his solitude, asks God to create for him a partner that is of his own image: “of fellowship I speak/ Such as I seek…human consort” (8.389-392). This in turn allows her move away from the role of the subordinated, lesser part of Adam that she is often portrayed in.Įve is portrayed as the inferior of the pair from the moment she is first created. In reality, although she is considered the lesser sex, this allows her to hold some power over Adam. As well, the character of Eve is not as inferior or subordinated as it would seem. While Adam and Eve are not completely equal, they have a certain equality that allows them to come together as a unit, rather than two separate entities. While Eve’s actions throughout the poem at first glance seem to be uninformed, and she is painted as acting this way simply because she is female, upon closer look, there is much more to Eve than is originally presented. However, closer examination of Paradise Lost reveals that perhaps this is not the case. This critique translates into women being lesser parts of men, which has long been a problem of society. Many feel that Eve is shown as naïve, narcissistic, and simply a lesser part of Adam, while Adam himself is portrayed as rational, and intelligent. Milton’s version of this story raises many important and new questions about Adam and Eve’s fall from Paradise, and a very popular criticism is the portrayal of Eve as subordinate and inferior to Adam. Detailing Adam and Eve’s fall from the Garden of Eden, it presents a slightly different view than the traditional Biblical version of the story of man’s fall. John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, is considered to be one of the greatest works produced in the 17th century, and indeed to be one of the most influential and popular works in recent literary history. Ashleigh Wells - "Eve's Role in Paradise Lost"
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