Paradise Lost Gender Roles Essay
Book 4:
In society, there are gender roles and the societal norms that are presented along with the roles that are presented. In John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”, the case is no different when it comes to the creation of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve’s creation represents the beginning of Man, to which Satan is greatly and thoroughly pleased to have witnessed so that he can begin his ultimate goal to achieve the Fall of Man. The Garden of Eden is the Paradise that the character of God has referred to, where Adam and Eve are born. While they are both free to roam Eden as they please, there is but the one task that God charges them with, in this following passage:
“Aught whereof hee hath need, hee who requires
From us no other service then to keep …show more content…
This one, this easie charge, of all the Trees
In Paradise that bear delicious fruit
So various, not to taste that onely Tree
Of knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life” (Book 4, Lines 419-424).
This passage of course is referring to the one task at hand that God trusts them to be able to fulfill – which is to not eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, otherwise the penalty is death, as noted here:
Som dreadful thing no doubt; for well thou knowst
God hath pronounc't it death to taste that Tree,
The only sign of our obedience left (Book 4, Lines 426-428).
This passage makes it quite clear that even though Adam has not yet witnessed death, he can probably discern that it is indeed a very tragic thing to deal with, and the narrative makes it clear that the threat makes it so that God knows if Adam and Eve do in fact eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, they will be severely punished – and according to the passage, if you disobey, death is the most severe punishment that God could hand out.
Overall, it does not seem like Paradise Lost reinforces any sort of feminist view about any sort of proper or ideal relationships between men and women. In fact, the following passage states that Adam and Eve are in fact: “Not equal, as thir sex not equal seemd; For contemplation hee and valour formd, For softness shee and sweet attractive Grace, Hee for God only, shee for God in him” (Book 4, Lines
296-299)
This passage also almost seems like a doorway for Milton himself as the narrator to distinguish between the capabilities and obligations of the sexes, where they both essentially basically have the typical traditional roles: for example, the male would have the absolute rule while the female would yield in subjection to him.
In society, there are gender roles and the societal norms that are presented along with the roles that are presented. In John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”, the case is no different when it comes to the creation of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve’s creation represents the beginning of Man, to which Satan is greatly and thoroughly pleased to have witnessed so that he can begin his ultimate goal to achieve the Fall of Man. The Garden of Eden is the Paradise that the character of God has referred to, where Adam and Eve are born. While they are both free to roam Eden as they please, there is but the one task that God charges them with, in this following passage:
“Aught whereof hee hath need, hee who requires
From us no other service then to keep …show more content…
This one, this easie charge, of all the Trees
In Paradise that bear delicious fruit
So various, not to taste that onely Tree
Of knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life” (Book 4, Lines 419-424).
This passage of course is referring to the one task at hand that God trusts them to be able to fulfill – which is to not eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, otherwise the penalty is death, as noted here:
Som dreadful thing no doubt; for well thou knowst
God hath pronounc't it death to taste that Tree,
The only sign of our obedience left (Book 4, Lines 426-428).
This passage makes it quite clear that even though Adam has not yet witnessed death, he can probably discern that it is indeed a very tragic thing to deal with, and the narrative makes it clear that the threat makes it so that God knows if Adam and Eve do in fact eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, they will be severely punished – and according to the passage, if you disobey, death is the most severe punishment that God could hand out.
Overall, it does not seem like Paradise Lost reinforces any sort of feminist view about any sort of proper or ideal relationships between men and women. In fact, the following passage states that Adam and Eve are in fact: “Not equal, as thir sex not equal seemd; For contemplation hee and valour formd, For softness shee and sweet attractive Grace, Hee for God only, shee for God in him” (Book 4, Lines
296-299)
This passage also almost seems like a doorway for Milton himself as the narrator to distinguish between the capabilities and obligations of the sexes, where they both essentially basically have the typical traditional roles: for example, the male would have the absolute rule while the female would yield in subjection to him.