Eve's Defense in Milton's Paradise Lost Anonymous College

Following the story of Genesis, John Milton’s Paradise Lost gives insight to Adam and Eve’s Fall from Paradise and Satan’s war against God in heaven. While all of the characters add crucial detail to the storyline, Eve is arguably one of the most important and impactful figures in the epic poem. She is the one who is first tempted by Satan (disguised as a serpent) to eat from the Tree of Knowledge – an action that God strictly warned Adam and Eve against. This act also causes her to be one of the most controversial characters of the novel as she is the catalyst for her and Adam losing their place in Paradise. It is natural view Eve in a negative light, arguing that her own vanity and selfishness is unwarranted when compared to Adam’s loyalty and intelligence. However, when closely examining Eve’s character, taking from the Tree of Knowledge can be rationalized through the traits that Milton created for her. Although Eve’s yield to temptation is highly disputable, her naturally inferior sense of knowledge and lack of consciousness can justify her actions in Milton’s Paradise Lost.

When Eve is first introduced into the poem, her vanity is immediately apparent, which decreases her ability to appear personable and likable. Upon...