Creating the Feminine in Eve and Sin

In Book Two of Paradise Lost, Milton introduces Sin and Death into the world. Sin's personification as woman cannot be overlooked. While some interpretations create a parody of the Trinity with Satan, Sin and Death, I see a Trinity parody to God, Adam, and Eve. Like God, Satan has created these entities either in Heaven or while he resided in Hell. I believe that Satan has created his own version of Earth within the realms of Hell if Earth is a more reverent version of Heaven opened for humans to reside in. It appears that everything within Paradise Lost has its own compartments between Heaven, Earth and Hell. While they are all separate they mirror or parody each other in some way. 

In looking at Sin in Book Two, the initial description of her appearance remains to be anything but flattering. Her depiction as "woman to the waist, and fair,/ But ended foul in many a scaly fold/ Voluminous and vast, a serpent armed/ With mortal sting:" (Book two, 650-653) suggests her dual nature and purpose. As the epic continues, we learn that she was created in Heaven by Satan as something beautiful from his own mind, which may explain her fair womanly half. However, we also learn that she tempted many in Heaven and created pleasure with her perfect image. Her fairness may also suggest her vanity in herself, which may represent Satan's own flaw in his pride. Her monstrous lower half is described as a serpent. This monstrosity may be in reference to her temptation and seduction of those in Heaven, thus corrupting something that was once holy into something immoral and lesser. The fact that she produces a son in Death who rapes her can elude to two things: the first being that Sin leads to Death which is suggested after the fall of man, or in a more sexual context the Death she creates may be the "little death" as seen in the orgasm. Much like Duessa, her duality suggests that beautiful women are the epitome of temptation which results in Sin and ultimately Death.

Moving to Book Four, the reader is introduced to man as seen from Satan's point of view. While noting first the nakedness of the two figures, Satan then moves to describing their distinguishable qualities. Their gender remains their distinguishing factor, but they remain set apart more distinctly by their hair. Both Adam and Eve have long hair, but Adam's stops at his shoulders suggesting that he has more control over his hair in comparison to Eve. Eve has long, flowing curls that cannot be tamed, which suggests that while Adam has control over his desires and may try to dissuade Eve from doing what she desires, he is unable to do so because they are different in nature. As Eve's description continues, her hair reveals more about her nature: "As the vine curls her tendrils, which implied/ Subjection, but required with gentle sway,/ And by her yielded, by him best received,/ Yielded with coy submission, modest pride,/ And sweet reluctant amorous delay" (Book four, 307-311). While it is suggested that Eve may be submissive to her husband's will which mirrors God's will, her actions and her thoughts suggest otherwise. Eve focuses on what she can see such as her reflection and the serpent instead of relying on the words of God and Adam as her code of obedience. Eve challenges the patriarchy established by God and implemented by Adam which seems to go against her created nature. However, if we look at Adam's mild temper he doesn't appear to be as well versed in poetic language as Eve and fulfills a persona of God's puppet relaying all of what should be done and what is "good".

Satan's embodiment of a serpent to tempt Eve may seem random, but I believe it appeals to pre-established gender constructs of the tempting woman. As noted earlier, Sin is both half woman and half serpent, both beautiful and alluring. While Satan's presence is known in Eden both by Adam and Eve, in his disguised form he appeals to Eve's sense of vanity and reliance on desire. While Satan created Sin and Death, he embodies Sin to appease Eve and to seem more attractive. Eve seems to focus on the serpent's pretty poetic language in his compliments and mental challenges than what her actions will cause. The joining of man in Eve with Sin causes Death in the world. I believe that Satan took on the form of the beautiful serpent to appeal to Eve's ocular senses as well as to suggest that women are temptresses both in the form of the Sinful serpent tempting Eve as well as Eve tempting Adam to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree.