Is John Milton's characterization of Eve misogynistic?

Two readings of Paradise Lost:

by Mahendran Thiruvarangan

The portrayal of Eve in Paradise Lost has been a subject of considerable debate among the critics of Milton. Janet E. Halley notes that, according to "the early feminist critics of Paradise Lost," the depiction of Eve in Paradise Lost is "an outcome of Miltonic misogyny."

Drawing upon some of the important sections of the poem where Eve is associated with certain negative attributes, and by making connections between such sections of the poems and Milton's hostility towards women in his private life, these critics claim that Milton's portrayal of Eve in Paradise Lost is essentially misogynistic.

However, by pointing to the positive attributes of Eve in the portrayal, Helen Darbishire, Brabara K. Lewlaski, Joan Malroy Webber and some others defend Milton against the critics, who claim that his portrayal of Eve is misogynistic.

In this regard, there are limitations in the claim that the portrayal of Eve in Paradise Lost is essentially misogynistic. Besides such claims and counter claims, a critic of Paradise Lost should also consider the fact that the conclusions arrived at regarding the portrayal of Eve are subject to the point of view from which the portrayal is looked at.

If Milton's Eve is perceived from the Christian point of view, one can observe Eve possessing certain qualities that are not approved by Christianity.

On the other hand, if the portrayal of Eve is looked at from the humanist point of view, the same qualities appear to be desirable. Owing to this, the claim that the depiction of Eve in Paradise Lost is essentially misogynistic is open to discussion.

Milton suggests that Eve's beauty has a disturbing power that subdues the functioning of Adam's reason by its passion. Adam describes the disturbing power in Eve's beauty in the following lines: here passion first I felt, commotion strange, in all enjoyments else superior and unmoved, here only weake, Against the charm of beauty's glance. (VIII. 530-533)

In these lines, Milton appears to suggest the idea that female beauty has a disturbing power that subdues the functioning of man's reason. In this regard, one can claim that Milton seems to be misogynistic in his portrayal of Eve.

Division of work

Milton invents a reason why Eve is not with Adam, when she meets Satan in Paradise Lost. Genesis does not have any reason why Eve is alone when she is tempted by Satan.

In the story that Milton invents, Eve suggests to Adam that they can get through more work in the garden, if they divide the work among themselves. Keeping the danger of Eve's being found alone in the garden by Satan in mind, Adam does not like to consent to this idea at the beginning.

However, Eve insists that the work should be divided. She justifies her suggestion to Adam that if they go consciously to seek the challenges posed by Satan, they will be able to prepare themselves more to face the challenges, and the division of the work in the garden would enable them to go consciously to seek the challenges posed by Satan:

our trial, when least sought,
May finde us both perhaps far less prepared,
The willinger I goe, nor much expect
A foe so proud will first the weaker seek;
So bent, the more shall shame him repulse. (IX. 380-384)

Finally, Adam accepts her suggestion reluctantly. Although Eve appears to be conscious and confident, and wants to be independent, ironically, her demand for the division of the work in the garden paves the way for her fall.

At this point, her previous arguments in favour of the division of the work in the garden create the impression in the reader's mind that Eve's ideas lack practicality. They also reflect her weak, inconsistent mental powers. Her desire for independence now appears to be the cover for her rebellious, disobedient nature, since she deliberately goes against the will of God by eating the forbidden fruit.

Milton portrays Eve as someone who admires and susceptible to flattery. Satan, being disguised as a serpent, compliments Eve on her beauty. He flatters Eve that she is as beautiful as her creator, "Fairest resemblance of thy maker fair" (IX. 538). He elevates Eve to a position that is equivalent to that of a Goddess:

A Goddess among Gods, ador'd and serv'd
By Angels numberless, thy daily train. (IX. 547-548)

Satan uses rhetoric to persuade Eve to fall in line with his wish. He throws logic at Eve to prove her intellectuality that it is better to eat the forbidden fruit. Satan's language is rhetorical and is entrenched in sophistry.

It prevents the functioning of Eve's reason, and makes her forget the will of God, that she should not eat fruit from the forbidden tree.

Ultimately, being snared by Satan's deceptive words, she eats the forbidden fruit. Although Satan leads Eve to her fall, Milton, by giving us an account of how Eve responds to Satan's insincere words, without examining them carefully, brings out her susceptibility to flattery.

He also reveals Eve's thoughtlessness about the negative consequences that the eating of the forbidden fruit would bring about for the descendants of Adam and herself.

Her consciousness is overwhelmed by the flashy, insincere, empty rhetoric Satan uses in order to snare her in his web of intrigue.

Francis Bacon, a contemporary philosopher with Milton, explains the factors that disturb the administration of reason:

[...] Reason is disturbed in the administration thereof by three means; by Illaqueation or Sophism, which pertains to Logic; by Imagination or Impression, which pertains to Rhetoric; and by Passion or Affection, which pertains to morality.

Forbidden fruit

The functioning of Eve's reason, beyond doubt, is disturbed by both sophistry and rhetoric when Satan tempts her into eating the forbidden fruit. Eve is portrayed as being totally out of control of her reason.

In Book IV, Milton depicts how Eve's beauty subdues the functioning of Adam's reason. In Book IX, Milton reveals how Eve herself is not in control of her own reason. In this regard, Eve, the only female figure in the poem, is depicted both as an obstacle to the functioning of Adam's reason, and as someone who is not in control of her reason.

From the point of view of Christian humanism, an ideology with which Milton is often associated, reason is seen positively. Since Milton portrays Eve both as an obstacle to the functioning of a man's reason and as someone who is not in control of her reason, one can claim that Milton seems to be misogynistic in his portrayal of Eve.

Eve is depicted as having a natural tendency to go against the will of God, and to sin. This idea is conveyed in Book IV, even before she meets Satan. In Book IV, Eve is depicted as being possessed of vanity. Eve first experiences her image reflected in the waters of a lake in the garden. She is greatly pleased with her image:

but pleased I soon returned,

Pleased it returned as soon with answering looks. (IV. 463-464)

The incident that brings out Eve's vanity in Paradise Lost is not found in Genesis. It is a complete invention by Milton. Milton associates Eve with vanity, which is a sin, according to Christianity.

Moreover, vanity is always associated with women. Since the portrayal of Eve's vanity is not found in Genesis, it can be considered a means whereby Milton expresses his personal attitudes towards Eve.

Since Eve is associated with vanity, a quality that is often associated with women and is disapproved by Christianity, the portrayal of Eve does not appear to be a positive portrayal, if it is looked at from the Christian point of view.

Considering Eve's appetite for knowledge is crucial to analyse Milton's characterisation of Eve.

According to the will of God, man should not attempt to seek knowledge that God forbids him from knowing. Man is given a place when he is created by God. He should not attempt to raise his position by trying to obtain the forbidden knowledge.

This is considered a sacred law in Christianity. Eve's eating of the apple from the forbidden tree of knowledge completely violates this law. In this regard, if we look at Eve from the Christian point of view, Eve is portrayed by Milton as a transgressor.

It should be noted that, although Eve appears to be a transgressor, when looked at from the Christian point of view, if we look at her appetite for knowledge from the point of view of humanism, she cannot be considered a transgressor. Knowledge, according to humanism, is precious to every human being. In this regard, Eve's appetite for knowledge is not only natural and but it is also important; hence, it is not a transgression.

The positive standpoint of humanists regarding the place of knowledge in human life should not be brushed aside when analysing Paradise Lost, because the poem was written during the period when the contemporary line of thinking was as influenced by humanist ideals as it was by Christian ideology.

In this regard, arriving at the conclusion that the portrayal of Eve is misogynistic, by looking at Eve only from the Christian point of view, confines our analysis to a narrow scope.

Positive attributes

One should not ignore the places in the poem where Milton associates Eve with certain positive attributes, in his analysis of the portrayal of Eve. It is certain that there are places in Paradise Lost, where Eve is portrayed as having certain virtues that are approved by Christianity. One such instance is in Book X, where Eve is elevated to a noble position.

After the fall, Eve is portrayed not only as the means of reconciling Adam to herself, but also as the means of reconciling both Adam and herself to God. Drawing upon this, Helen Darbishire defends Milton from the claim that his portrayal of Eve is misogynistic: "Let this be remembered by those who accuse Milton of contempt for women."

In Book X, Eve is associated with repentance and genuine humility, which are regarded as two important Christian principles:

She ended weeping, and her lowlie plight,
Immoveable till peace obtained from fault
Acknowledeg'd and deplor'd, in Adam wrought
Commiseration. (X 937-940)

At this point, Milton portrays Eve as an ideal Christian woman. Contrary to the portrayals of Eve in Book IV and Book IX, Eve is characterised as a loyal Christian in Book X. The Eve we see after the fall is different from the Eve who admires her image on a lake in the garden in Book IV.

In this regard, the fall, in a way, refines and transforms Eve into a noble figure. Eve, who demands independence in Book IX, now wishes to save Adam from the negative consequences of the fall by drawing all the punishment on herself. At the end of the poem, Eve is portrayed as being prepared to share the challenging future ahead with Adam after their fall.

The discussion of the portrayal of Eve brings out the limitations in the claim that the characterisation of Eve in Paradise Lost is essentially misogynistic.

Although Milton's characterisation of Eve appears to be misogynistic at the beginning, there is a shift in Milton's attitude toward Eve toward the end of the poem, especially after Eve realising her fault of eating the forbidden fruit.

In the final picture, Eve is depicted as being noble, respectable and human, and as a true Christian woman. When she leaves Paradise "hand in hand" with Adam, we see courage, hope, and boundless love for Adam in Eve.

Thus, the final picture of Eve is certainly not misogynistic. In this regard, it is more appropriate to conclude that the portrayal of Eve in Paradise Lost is not misogynistic in its entirety, rather than leaping to the conclusion that the portrayal of Eve in Paradise Lost is essentially misogynistic.