Milton’s Hero A Feminist Eve Essay - 2039 Words

Gender equality, a relatively recent development, did not exist socially in John Milton’s time. Women in the 17th century were regarded and treated as second-rate, as men’s enjoyable, beautiful, yet rather inconsequential, subordinates. A cursory reading of Paradise Lost may suggest that Milton shares the idea of the male sex’s supremacy; he preserves the Biblical construction of the Garden of Eden as a decidedly chauvinistic stage and instills in his characters a collective assessment that manhood surpasses womanhood by way of strength, virtue, and intellect. However, by analyzing the language used to describe Eve and her actions, it becomes apparent that Eve’s frustration at her lack of independence mirrors Milton’s own personal unrest†¦show more content†¦He resists change—even a positive change—in an effort to preserve the familiar, secure routine which benefits him and keeps Eve secondary. He does not believe that Eve can function independently or overcome risks and temptations away from his allegedly advanced comprehension and supervision. Adam’s statement that a wife is â€Å"safest and seemliest† (IX 268) when with her husband reflects the attitude of 17th century society: women are helpless and endangered without men, and they need their husbands’ guidance. These same â€Å"chauvinistic and incorrect† ideals are shown in Paradise Lost yet the â€Å"attitudes that are in the poem that show Eve to be of a weak character are to be satirized, and criticized,† not taken seriously as Milton’s own opinion (Medici). Diane Kelsey McColley declares that â€Å"far from being Milton’s ‘own voice,’ Adam’s diatribes†¦epitomize stale antifeminine commonplaces still lingering in Milton’s lifetime† (McColley 24). Milton does not present his personal point of view in Adam’s outlook, but rather includes the position as à ¢â‚¬Å"a useful guide to the perverse response we are not to make† (McColley 34) in order to denounce the narrow-minded ideas and inspire readers to challenge them. Although she truly does wish for efficiency, Eve has an additional, latent motive behind her plan to work individually. She states that if theyShow MoreRelated Essay on Shelleys Frankenstein and Miltons Paradise Lost3164 Words   |  13 PagesShelleys Frankenstein and Miltons Paradise Lost   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even upon first glance, Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and John Miltons Paradise Lost seem to have a complex relationship, which is discernible only in fractions at a time.   Frankenstein is Mary Shelleys reaction to John Miltons epic poem, in which he wrote the Creation myth as we perceive it today.   His characterizations of Adam and Eve and the interactions of Satan and God and the impending Fall seem to have almost taken a Biblical proportionRead MoreParadise Lost By John Milton2137 Words   |  9 PagesIt could be said that the â€Å"paradise† that was lost in Paradise Lost was the equality of man and woman. In John Milton’s, Paradise Lost, Milton gives a fictional, inside look of the fall from grace. He explains the events that led up to the fall, the thoughts and inner workings of God and Satan, and the crumbling of Adam and Eve and their seemingly perfect relationship. Milton proves how Adam’s blind devotion and Eve’s uncertainty of her own self cause humanity to fall. In doing so, Paradise LostRead MoreEssay on The Gothic Genre and What it Entails6177 Words   |  25 Pageswhere Gothic comes into its own. In Melmoth the monk Moncada admits he is what Leopold von Sacher Masoch called the cringing / the bottom. He says, Give me something to suffer, to undergo, to submit, and I become at once the hero of submission. (Maturin, 197). His evil companion is at pains to remind him, You are in my power. He even instructs him on becoming an amateur in suffering(208) (a phrase that cries out to be adopted into the vocabulary of Masoch)