Satan and Eve

Paradise Lost was written by blind chauvinistic pig.  Milton spends most of his time describing Adam as if he hung the moon and the stars, but when he talks about Eve he paints her as a conniving seductress.  Eve is responsible for the fall of man.  Not even Satan has the slightest bit of responsibility for cursing mankind for eternity.  Before Adam and Eve are cast out of the garden, Eve is described as a doting servant of Adam and doing whatever he asks of her. 

Satan is also an interesting character.  Many people have called him a Byronic hero.  He is a rebel without a cause, intelligent, charismatic, and troubled.  He comes off as a misunderstood character who is looking to become a leader rather than a follower.  Satan is also upset that God wants the angels to be servants.  God is almost painted like a tyrant when Satan talks about the injustice of it all.  Milton describes him in a way that makes the audience almost sympathetic towards Satan’s plight.  It makes me wonder if the audience that would have encountered Paradise Lost during Milton’s time would have disliked the poem because of the way Satan is pictured. 

Satan and Eve actually have a few things in common.  Eve is just tricked into defying God.  They are both cast out of paradise, punished for going against God, and they were both created by God to serve.