COMPARISON BETWEEN ADAM & EVE

The first human created by God was Adam, the father of mankind. As a human being, he was almost a flawless personality. Physically, he was attractive, robust, and full of vigour and strength. Mentally he was adept and spiritually he was profound. God’s purpose to create Adam was to confer him authority and rule. Eve, the wife of Adam and the mother of mankind was created from Adam’s rib. She was a paragon of feminine beauty. She was so beautiful that she was captivated by her own beauty when she saw her own image in water.  Let us compare their characters and find out who was the responsible of humiliation?

Actually, after the defeat of man and the fall of the rebellious angels, God resolved to create a new world where God wished that the new human race would exist. He also created in it “The Garden of Eden.” Then, He created paradise on its Eastern wings. Adam and Eve became the first inhabitants of this paradise.

“Will create

                               Another world, out of one a Race

                               Of men innumerable, there to dwell.”

The Paradise was the place worth-seeing . It was the first abode  of beautiful and blessed pair of Adam and Eve who lived here with great pomp and show. They were tied in natural ties of love and devotion to each other.

“The loveliest pair

                               That ever since in love’s embraces met__.”

Satan, on the other hand was jealous of them and wanted to wreak his vengeance on God by marring His plan through fraud and hypocrisy. Actually, Adam and Eve were disallowed to taste the fruit of the “Tree of Knowledge.” Satan told Eve that he had already touched the fruit of the “Tree of Knowledge.” He also encouraged Eve saying that they could win the pleasure of God if they touched the fruit.

And in the end, Eve plucked and ate the fruit from “The Tree of Knowledge.” She believed that “The Fruit of Knowledge” had given her the power of reasoning faculty, faculty of farsightedness and knowledge which Adam did not have. Here, we see the germs of jealousy, rivalry  and secrecy raising their heads in Eve. But soon, the fear of death gripped her in its hold. We can say that it was the fear of death that persuaded her to reveal this secret to Adam in the end. Adam found no choice and gave in before Eve. He too ate that fruit but as soon as they ate the fruit, they lost their innocence, purity, simplicity and holiness. Soon after that, they became conscious of their sin, shame, their nakedness  and treachery  to God. They started blaming each other for their frailty, inconstancy  and deception but no avail.

“Thus they in mutual accusation spent

                               The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemnings

                               And of their vain contest appear’d no end.”

At the end of the poem, after exposing their strengths and weaknesses, Adam and Eve emerged as a powerful unit. The fall served as a purpose of self-discovery and the Fortunate Fall.

In so far as the fall of Adam and Eve is concerned, different critics see it in different angles. Wedlock believes: “Eve is just a victim of misfortune.” He says that things for Eve had been going away from the start. Tillyard has also same opinion. He says that Adam’s reluctance was a strong point of his personality. But she would not have done the wrong if Adam had not permitted her. John Peter justifies both Adam and Eve saying: “The desire to work apart is entirely natural to all human beings.”

Actually through relationship between Adam and Eve, Milton wanted to say that man was made in the image of God and woman in the image of man. Man was designed for rule and authority, and woman was created for submission. It clearly shows that Milton did not believe in the equality between man and woman.

                               “He for God only, she for God in him.”

In the end, we can say that through the relation between Adam and Eve, the representatives of human race Milton wants to bring before us an important point and that point is “The Gift of Free Will.” The Fall of Man is not final at any stage. Man has been given a chance of free will. With the help of free will and not by blind obedience, man can again win God’s favour at any time.                                                                                       (Words: 764)