Perceptions of Womanhood - Eve in "Paradise Lost"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the gender role, taken by Eve in the epic poem, "Paradise Lost" by John Milton. The author discusses Milton's construction of feminine identity, which holds that women are dichotomous while men possess greater reason. The author also justifies Milton's suggestion that their natures are necessarily complementary and their relationship, in its most exalted state, is one of equality. The paper examines the relationship Adam has with Eve; the interplay between the different aspects of two fully rational beings in a mutually beneficial context, and suggests that though this is the ideal form of a relationship, it leads to their downfall.

From the Paper:

"Although Adam is perpetually confused about Eve's relation to him and her position within the universal hierarchy, his uncertainty is tempered by the narrator's explanations and clarifications that suggest that the fall is a symptom of the pair's inability to function as the interdependent, complementary unit God formed them to be. Taken together, the observations made by Adam and the narrator, comprise the sum of Milton's construction of feminine identity. His construction is for the most part brilliantly positive: although his portrayal of the fundamental nature of men and women is dichotomous (women are more endowed with love, while men possess greater reason), he justifies it by suggesting that their natures are necessarily complementary and their relationship, in its most exalted state, is one of equality."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Pruitt, Kristin A. Gender and the Power of Relationship: "United as One Individual Soul" in Paradise Lost. (Duquesne University Press; Pittsburgh), 2003.

More papers on Perceptions of Womanhood - Eve in "Paradise Lost":

• Poem Review # 71209 : "Women in "Paradise Lost"
• Poem Review # 129164 : "Good versus Evil in "Paradise Lost"

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