John Milton's Paradise Lost describes his rendition of the biblical beginning of earthly creation. God, Satan, the angels, and Adam and Eve, all have major roles in Milton's portrayal. Paradise Lost was written in 1665 in a world prejudice to race, religion, and gender. Milton characterizes Eve using the typical views of women during the 17th century. These female stereotypes encourage the idea that Eve is fallen before she actually falls. Not only gossiping, vanity, and humility, but also a desire to please her husband, manipulation, and a longing for higher knowledge, assists Eve to fall.
During Milton's time, a person's soul was viewed as female because of its marriage to the Lamb of God. Also, femininity is associated with purity therefore the soul has a potential cleanliness. In Paradise Lost, Eve breaks through this idea of purity because of the actions and thoughts Milton writes for her. Eve begins a series of events initiating her fall once she makes the mistake of revealing the single rule of paradise to Satan in Book IV. She discloses the information by stating,
"...hee who requires
From us no other service than to keep
This one, this easy charge, of all the Trees
In Paradise that bear delicious fruit
So various, not to taste that only Tree
Of Knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life,
So near grows Death to Life, whate'er Death is,
Some dreadful thing no doubt; for well thou know'st
God hath pronounc't it death to taste that Tree,
The only sign of our obedience left
Among so many signs of power and rule" (419-429).
Due to Eve's feminine tendency of talking and sharing she exposes the one flaw for Satan to use in his quest for the fall of humanity.
After the mistake of telling paradise's secret, Eve's next step in the possible pre-fall is to have a moment's thought of vanity. Catching her reflection in a pool of water, Eve realizes the beauty ...