Milton and Feminism

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 John Milton's epic poem, 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.

The character of Eve displays her independence throughout Paradise Lost, firstly, with the recollection of her waking. Eve remembers gazing into a pool, and seeing her own image. When Adam spied her and called her toward him, Eve preferred the reflection of herself to his appearance, actually returning to the pool once gazing on him. Although this might be easily dismissed as Eve being a naïve, vain creature, this is more likely hinting and foreshadowing toward her independence. However, her choice to remain with Adam may be explained. A voice (the reader assuming, as the characters do, the voice is God's) speaks,

What thou seest,
What there thou seest fair creature is thyself,
With thee it came and goes: but follow me,
And I will bring thee where no shadow stays
Thy coming, and thy soft embraces, he
Whose image thou art, him thou shall enjoy
Inseparably thine, to him shalt bear
Multitudes like thyself, and thence be called
Mother of the human race.(IV, 467-75).