Renaissance literature has a wide range of genres with an assortment of sonnets, plays, epic poetry and more; however, the meaning lying within the stories is what catches the reader’s attention. In some, it is about desiring a woman or man who is unattainable or has a hidden political meaning, both of which can tell the reader about the time period. One of the greatest and most curious themes or characters portrayed is Eve from the book of Genesis. With Eve, the author can take a religious stand point of how it was a woman’s fault mankind fell to evil or it could pertain to women’s roles within society. Either way it is looked at there is a further meaning which can be deceived as to how the authors of certain works look at society or the societal standards of the time. In Aemilia Lanyer’s Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women and John Milton’s Paradise Lost, they convey two different yet intriguing views of women both relating back to the way in which Eve in the Book of Genesis is described. In a quick summary, Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat the fruit off of the Tree of Life and Eve was the first to create this sin, but is it really her fault the situation occurred?
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In Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women by Aemilia Lanyer, Lanyer produces an excuse as to why women are sinful through Eve’s character relating her primary sin back to eating from the garden. Eve is the first women on Earth who gave birth to all the children on Earth and is the main role model for women. Lanyer describes Eve as innocent and unknowledgeable. She was made “simply good” because God made her that way, therefore; through Him she does not know any better (Lanyer, ll. 21). Eve being unknowledgeable wanted to know more and was extremely curious. She was easily deceived or misled by the snake that was Satan in disguise because of her curiosity and ate from the forbidden tree for knowledge sake not out vengeance or direct violation. However, Lanyer points out that Adam, representation of all men, ate the fruit out of pure pleasure and therefore, directly disobeys God out of selfishness (Lanyer, ll. 53). Therefore, through curiosity Eve was pressured into finding out more in the life she was living.
Further on in the poem, Lanyer reinforces that Eve was made from Adam as a result, the source of evil comes from and resides in him as well (Lanyer, ll. 65-66). Lanyer is continually trying to show man that women are not the problem in society but that it is man. She sees man as creating the greatest sin, pointing out that man had betrayed God’s son through crucifixion out of pure wickedness and deceit. However, Eve was an innocent mistake and through an individual’s weakness not all women should be held accountable for her mistake because lessons can be learned (Lanyer, ll. 73-77, 85-88). Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women is a way for Lanyer to defend all women through defending Eve’s mistake by comparing it to the greater malice which man has done over the centuries. It seems as if Lanyer is asking how you can possibly blame Eve when it is man’s fault for executing the Savior and is that not alone the worse crime? This poem illustrates the feminist view defending women’s rights and fighting for an overall equality for women in society through Eve’s story. Eve, as presented through Lanyer, is just a woman that was misled by man and is continually being punished for her mistake.
However, through John Milton’s perspective Eve is a woman unequal to man and for that she is in her rightful place. John Milton first introduces Adam and Eve through Satan’s perspective. This perspective is a first impression of the characters and how they are perceived by other beings. Satan first describes that they are “lords of all,” meaning that they are above all other creatures within this paradise (Milton, b. 4; ll. 290). The description goes further into stating that the two individuals are however, not equal in sex (Milton, b. 4; ll. 296). It relates back to the fact that women come second to men and answer to them, therefore; giving men a higher status than women. Eve is further described as being soft, sweet, and gracefully attractive compared to Adam and only serves God through Adam and by his word (Milton, b. 4; ll. 298-299). Furthermore, Eve’s complete appearance is described as naturally beautiful with a slender waist, natural golden hair that made her seem untidy yet promiscuous, she yields to Adam, but seems modest sweet and reluctant (Milton, b. 4; ll. 304-311). Although, she seems to be a wanted and willing woman, Eve is still curious and capable of wondering onto the wrong path with her lack of knowledge.
As the story progresses, Eve does not seem to enhance her role in Milton’s work but continues a downfall in character. Continuing in book 4 lines 449-491, Eve begins to describe her awakening to Adam. She describes it as waking up under a covering of flowers within the shade and that she wonders amongst the garden’s territory. In other words, she is born in darkness by a veil of beauty. It than explains that she is a wonderer which could be a foreshadowing event that there is evil in her and that there is a possibility of her getting on the wrong path falling to deceit. She finds a lake and appearing into it sees her reflection which memorizes her. She makes the comment that she was startled by it at first but then was pleased by it. Upon its return she was delighted, thus showing she was entranced by her own beauty in vain desire. She later admits that God speaks to her telling her that it is her reflection that she sees but he never presents himself to her unlike he does when Adam awakens. Milton compares Eve’s turning back to her reflection to the myth of Eurydice explaining that if she were to turn back to her image she would be drowned in despair and anguish. Eve is easily compelled by her beauty and seen as being vain however; Satan does not succeed when trying to persuade her this way (Milton, b. 9; ll. 216). However, later she was easily swayed by Satan because he was able to make her feel equal to Adam and connecting her directly to God (Milton, b. 9; ll. 538-548). She is filled with narcissistic pleasure through herself not needing Adam anymore; without the connection to Adam she feels free to do whatever, including eat from the tree. In fear of death and Adam finding someone else like her, Eve tells Adam about eating from the garden. Adam than eats the fruit as well so Eve does not have to go down alone in consequence (Milton, b. 9; ll. 830-833). John Milton perceives Eve to being superficial and easily swayed. He does not place any good implications on her character making her out to be one of the villains but main characters of the story. Eve through Milton acts as a representation of women during his time period.
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While both Lanyer and Milton use Eve as a main character who is seen as unknowledgeable, curious, and swindled, they use her to tell two completely different stories with completely different meanings. Lanyer is compelled to use Eve as a reason for why women are treated unequally and how man is the problem creating the most malevolence. However, Milton is showing that women are unequal for multiple good reasons, one dealing with vanity consuming them and being unable to follow order. Each provides a viewpoint of that time period on how women were perceived and how sex roles played a huge part in society. Renaissance literature is able to take religious, political, and social standards and twist them in a way that the reader is able to gather an understanding of what life was like during that century. Aemilia Lanyer and John Milton took to describing their societies through the character of Eve in two different ways which were extremely compelling.
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