Importance of Preserving the Union in John Milton’s...

The Importance of Preserving the Union in Paradise Lost Critics have long argued over the power structure operating in the gender relations of Miltons Paradise Lost. However, to really understand Adam and Eve and the intricacies of their relationship, it is necessary to view them in terms of a union, not as separate people vying for power. Because they are a union of contraries, the power dilemma is a moot point even though a hierarchy exists; it is a hierarchy of knowledge, not of power, and it in no way implies that Adam needs Eve any less than she needs him. Actually, they both need each other equally as much because they each have strengths and weaknesses that are complemented by the otheremdash; this†¦show more content†¦In Eves telling, she wakes the morning following the night of her creation: That day I oft remember, when from sleep I first awakt, and found my self reposd Under a shade of flours. (4.449-51) Not only does the darkness of her creation complement the light of Adams, but the coolness of the shade of flowers also complements the bright sun that dries Adams sweat. Each of their creations has limitations: Eves is lacking the heat of the sun and Adams is lacking the coolness of the night. The locations of their creations are also set in opposition. Adam is created outside of Paradise and then led into it: God says to Adam, Calld by thee I come thy Guide / To the Garden of bliss, thy seat prepard (8.298-99). The only way for God to lead Adam into the Garden is if he were created outside of it. Complementary to Adams exterior creation is Eves interior creation. Her creation follows the conversation that God and Adam have in which Adam tries to explain to God why he wants a mate. Since God and Adam are having this discussion inside Paradise, Eve is created within Paradise as well. Seventeenth Century women writers used this to argue that Eves creation is more favorable than Adams, but the most important