Eve, Milton’s ‘Bogey’

Art can add ambiguity to a familiar scene or story. But it can also remove it.

In the Book of Genesis, the account given of the Fall of Man is, in psychological terms, perplexing. We are told that Eve is approached by a serpent who contradicts God’s instructions, promising that she and Adam “shall be as gods” if they eat the forbidden fruit. We are told that the tree appeared, in Eve’s mind, “pleasant to the eyes” and desirable in lending her wisdom. We are told that Eve succumbed to temptation, ate the fruit first, and then gave it to Adam, who did the same. We are told that they realized their nakedness, felt shame, and confessed their sins.