| John Milton, as the most prominent poet, thinker, statesman and political writer inseventeenth century Britain, plays an important role in prompting the cultural advancement ofseventeenth century Europe. Paradise Lost, the masterpiece of Milton,is regarded as theexample of epics in the western world, together with Homer's Ilia, Virgil's Aeneid andDante's The Divine Comedy.Paradise Lost is an epic on the early period of mankind and deeply rooted in Genesis Iand II of the Bible. However, Milton believes that Bible is divinely inspired but open tointerpretation by the individual conscience guided by the Holy Spirit and the rule charity.Therefore, the Eve in Paradise Lost is quite different from the one in the Bible who is flatbecause Milton split much ink in characterizing her, from her birth to her union and to her fallat last. It has become quite a controversial topic in the circle of Miltonic criticism.This thesis is intended to be a tentative study of Milton's attitude towards women inParadise Lost through analyzing the development of Eve he characterizes in it.One on hand, constrained by traditional assumptions, Milton believes that women aredevils because in the Bible, Satan chooses Eve instead Adam to tempt;and her pride andvanity and fragility drives her to eat the forbidden fruit which occasions her fall. But on theother, Milton holds that women, created by God, possess various gifts, and can realizespiritual as well as moral perfection, just like men. Moreover, in his divorce tracts, hestrenuously emphasizes the significance of the union of mind and soul and argues thatincompatibility of them is the basis of divorce. Eve in Paradise Lost is such a woman withnumerous talents and can converse with Adam equally. Therefore, trapped in the traditional ideas, Milton sometimes thinks that women are evilin nature. However, he is avant-garde in terms of his attitude towards women because he alsodemonstrates respect for women;this embodies his identity as a radical revolutionist.
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