Paradise Lost by John Milton is an epic that has influenced Christian perceptions of God, Satan, sin, and the origin of humanity for centuries. His poetic account of the creation story, however, clearly develops several aspects of the most fundamental Christian version of creation, the Genesis story. Milton's development of Genesis particularly addresses the questionable equality between Adam and Eve and the concept of free will versus that of predestination and their role in the ultimate fall of Eden. Unprecedented attention is paid to the nature of Adam and Eve and their inherent qualities in Paradise Lost and it is through this attention that Milton develops the Genesis narrative. As a result, he presents readers with an interpretation of the creation story that reflects the gender attitudes of his day. Additionally, the emphasis on free will allows Milton to justify God's casting Adam and Eve out of paradise, while also prompting readers to recognize the presence of choice between good and evil in their lives. The epic is not simply a longer, more elaborate version of the origin of humanity, but a revision of Genesis that has ramifications involving the Christian doctrine of free will as well as the foundation of gender roles. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay The question of equality between Adam and Eve in the history of creation has always been debated, largely because It reflects the gender roles established by God for humanity. In Genesis, we find numerous references to equality between the sexes: “So God created man in his own image...male and female he created them” (1:27). Man and woman were created in the image of God, which indicates equality in God's eyes. Furthermore, there is a sign of equality in the creation of Eve from Adam's rib. It was not taken from his head, as if it were above him, nor from his feet, as if it were below him. Finally, God grants Adam and Eve dominion over the earth: “And God blessed them, and God said to them...replenish the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over...every living thing that moves on the earth . " (1:28). In the face of this biblical evidence regarding gender equality, Milton explicitly writes Paradise Lost with Adam and Eve as unequal guardians of Eden. First, he structurally alludes to the inequality between the two. In Adam and Eve's exchanges over whether or not they should separate, Adam receives forty more lines of dialogue than Eve, although the number of responses they make to each other to the other be equal. Second, while Genesis draws attention to the equal creation of Adam and Eve in the image of God, Milton places particular emphasis on the difference in nature of the two. Although the two / Not equal, as their sex did not seem equal / For contemplation he and valor formed, / For gentleness she and sweet and attractive Grace, / He for God alone, she for God; in him” (IV. 295-299) Here we see that God gave Adam a contemplative nature and a superior intellect compared to Eve, who is “inferior, in spirit/And inward faculties” (VIII). .541). In fact, Adam is placed so far above Eve in intellectual nature that Eve is incapable of hearing or understanding the dialogue between Adam and the divine Raphael: "her ear is not capable / Of what is high” (VIII. 49-50). God wanted Adam to be more contemplative than Eve; He wanted Eve to be less concerned with knowledge and to acquire it not on her own, but through Adam. Such emphasis on.