Eve Disordered: The Relationship of Feminine Happiness and Hierarchy in Paradise Lost

Milton\u27s Eve falls into sin when she attempts to upset the hierarchy by and for which she has been created, an attempt which offends on multiple levels. Her choice to disobey God\u27s command violates her position in respect to him, and her desire to attain knowledge - a defining characteristic of masculinity in Milton\u27s universe - encroaches on Adam\u27s position while degrading the defining characteristic of her femininity - her beauty. However, an analysis of the simultaneously contractual and companionate marriage model that appears in Paradise Lost, paired with an appreciation for the historical context for Milton\u27s depiction of the sexes in marriage reveals that Eve\u27s relative subjection under God and Adam and the traits that render her as such are not necessarily to be interpreted negatively. For Milton, the restrictions of one\u27s hierarchical position are a divinely-ordained fact of life; one who fulfills his or her hierarchical duty is praiseworthy, though the ubiquity of this conviction throughout the poem has not always been reflected in critical responses