Eve: Not Only the First Woman, but the First Feminist

2550 Words11 Pages
In Paradise Lost, John Milton dramatically changes Eve's character from the well-established Renaissance stereotype to an intelligent, humble, and majestic woman. Traditionally, Eve has been condemned for causing mankind's sinful state. Yet Milton rejects such damning views and praises Eve as a heroic individual who defines the Christian doctrines of grace and redemption. In doing so, Milton puts Eve in direct opposition to the only other female in the epic poem, Sin. In this thesis, I propose that Eve and Sin have a distinct relationship: Sin represents the stale stereotypes of the prelapsarian Eve that Milton has rejected. Thus, Paradise Lost contains a surprisingly modern and feminist view of the Fall, its consequences, and the formation of salvation. In a strictly biblical context, a woman is most often held culpable for the fall of mankind. This ideal often captures women in a negative light, and lends Mankind an excuse to hold women captive through rules and social norms with roots that begin in the Christian Church's doctrine. In Paradise Lost, however, one may discover feminist ideals through Eve's character. Eve asserts her independence while recalling her awakening, while questioning the heavenly bodies in the universe, and when wanting to work separately from Adam. Attitudes that are in the poem that show Eve to be of a weak character are to be satirized, and criticized. Male perspectives are often displayed as chauvinistic and incorrect. Through Eve's character, a positive outlook on feminist ideology can be witnessed. In Feminist Milton, Joseph Wittreich credits Milton with being an early sponsor of feminism. He refutes many critics who claim that Milton is a misogynist and asserts that any ideas of misogyny in Eden go against Milton's prelapsarian vision. Wittreich supports his theories by calling on instances in Paradise Lost where Milton gives
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