Desiring the Unattainable: An Analysis of the Fall of Eve in Milton’s Paradise Lost and Othello in Shakespeare’s Othello
Kayla Gonzalez
Milton’s Eve and Shakespeare’s Othello both exist as alienated characters in their fictional worlds. In the epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), Eve exists to fulfill the role of matriarch of mankind, and she must give in to the dependent, submissive, and inherently unequal nature of that role. In Othello (1622), the namesake character serves the role of an outsider in Venetian society because of his race and the hideous stereotypes associated with his blackness.
Because both Eve and Othello exist on the margins of identity, they both desire social agencies which are forbidden to them. For Eve, she desires the ability to think and exist independently of Adam and God. For Othello, he yearns for an existence not dictated by the color of his skin. Although vastly different works in terms of form and plot, the two texts end with the ruination of their tragic characters because they both commit tragic acts in an attempt to gain control over their narratives, escape their alienation, and gain a sense of self.
When Othello is introduced, we see him through the eyes of other characters, emphasizing his role as an outsider despite his impressive military rank. As Iago and Roderigo attempt to convince the senator Brabantio that Othello has kidnapped his daughter, they describe Othello as an “old black ram,” “a Barbary horse,” and “lascivious Moor.” (I.I. 92; 120; 135). This language is far from heroic imagery. Rather, Iago’s reference to the Barbary States functions as both a racialization of Othello and a reminder of his non-European origin, thus reinforcing his status as an outsider. Iago further dehumanizes Othello through his comparison to brutal, domineering animals such as rams and horses. He connects these animal instincts to Othello’s race by modifying each animal with targeted, racialized descriptors. The description of Othello as a “lascivious Moor” invokes the stereotype of black men as hyper-sexual predators in order to criminalize Othello and activate fear in Brabantio and the audience. Iago’s heavily racialized, sexualized, and criminalized introduction of Othello sets up the grounds for Othello’s insecurity concerning his reputation and perception by the Venetian society he so loyally serves. Through this introduction, Shakespeare establishes Othello’s existence as marked by difference and tied to his race, which (as we will see) provokes a deep anxiety within him.
Similar to the way Othello is associated with animalism to marginalise his identity, Eve’s association with nature acts as a method of subverting her agency. Eve’s description of her awakening establishes the root of her insecurity concerning her role as Adam’s image and mother of mankind. Eve states that she woke up “under a shade of flours, much wondring where / And what I was” (Milton, 451-52). She immediately hears the sounds of a lake “pure as th’ expanse of Heav’n,” and as she approaches it “with unexperienc’t thought,” she lays downs “on the green bank, to look into the cleer / Smooth Lake” (456-59). While emphasizing the presence of nature through the flower bed and the enchanting lake, Eve aligns her identity with nature because it is the first environment with which she comes into contact. By tenderly describing her approach to her own reflection in the lake, Eve establishes an affinity with flowers and water, both associated with pure, feminine qualities. As Eve equates this natural environment to her own personal Heaven, Milton sets the framework for an internal struggle to ensue when God commands Eve to leave her image, and consequently, her first sense of identity. God promises Eve to bring her “where no shadow staies” (470). He introduces Adam as “hee / Whose image thou art” (471-72). By comparing Eve’s reflection to a shadow, an impermanent and inaccurate reflection, God diminishes Eve’s sense of self and links her identity to Adam. Milton’s use of enjambment adds to the impending conflict. God is introducing Eve to her eternal role, one that is dependent on and extracted from Adam. But by separating “hee” and “whose image thou art,” Milton leaves room for separation between the two and implies a conflicting, insecure union that will lead to Eve’s sense of alienation.
This conflict is further heightened when Eve first sees Adam. She recalls, “methought less faire, / Less winning soft, less amiablie milde, / Then that smooth watry image; back I turnd” (478-80). Her evolution from wonder to inexperienced thought to, finally, a conclusive thought highlights the fact that Eve is just beginning to think, perceive, question, and form judgements. These significant actions help her establish her own identity, but she must give this up. Reiterating “less” three times, Eve concludes that she does not want to be a reflection of someone less beautiful than her. This repetition also highlights the subservient role Eve will take on should she obey God’s rule. When Eve realizes she would lose her identity if she took on the role of Adam’s image, she turns her back on Adam and God. This first act of rebellion confirms the insecurity and dissatisfaction Eve will experience once she accepts the role of Adam’s eternal image rather than existing as her own, independent “smooth watry image.” Much like Othello, Eve is defined by the command, perception, and expectations of those around her. This reality leaves her as an outsider in what is supposed to be her Heaven, and this outsider status makes her Satan’s ideal target later in the epic.
While Milton quickly establishes Eve’s insecurity concerning her union to Adam, Othello’s insecurity regarding his marriage to Desdemona is not evident until Iago triggers it. But once activated, Othello’s doubts about Desdemona reveal a deeper anxiety over his alienation. In Scene III, Act III, Iago mentions Desdemona’s previous suitors who were “Of her own clime, complexion, and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends” (259-60). By aligning those men with Desdemona’s country, skin color, and rank, Iago’s words have the effect of reinforcing Othello’s outsider status. However, by using the “we” pronoun, Iago simultaneously porports brotherhood with Othello and imposes his belief on Othello that Desdemona’s choice went against nature. Iago’s layered comments prove effective when Othello is left by himself and reveals his anxiety about society reducing him down to his race. During his monologue, Othello starts to theorize about the motivations behind Desdemona’s supposed infidelity. He states, “Haply, for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation” (III.III. 294-95). This is the first moment Othello calls attention to his race. By prefacing his statement with both “haply” and “for,” Shakespeare uses these conditional conjunctions to highlight Othello’s mindset that he lacks what others have because of his blackness. This mindset is further emphasized by the use of enjambment that positions “black” at the end of the line, establishing Othello’s race as his most salient quality. The statement links Othello’s blackness with a lack of sophistication and skill that other men possess, thus emphasizing his feeling of alienation. For the first time—even if it is just to himself—Othello confesses his awareness that his race shapes the way people interact with him and limits the possibility of people loving him.
Eve, too, feels limited in her potential, and this fuels her desire to separate herself from Adam. Eve’s request to work alone reveals her longing for complete independence rather than a life dictated by God and Adam. She asks Adams to “hear what to my minde first thoughts present, / Let us divide our labours, thou where choice / Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind / The Woodbine round this Arbour, or direct / The clasping Ivie where to climb, while I / In yonder Spring of Roses intermixt / With Myrtle, find what to redress till Noon” (213-19). By beginning Eve’s request with language that focuses on thoughts and the mind, Milton highlights Eve’s inclination toward logic and reasoning. This is further emphasized in the next line that ends in the word “choice.” This use of enjambment is critical in Eve’s request because it positions choice as an important right that Eve desires, but when read in its full context, choice becomes a subject rather than an object. This shift reflects the conflicting views between Eve and Adam. While Eve craves free choice, Adam is content with his decisions being made for him.
Milton displays Adam’s fulfillment when he makes Adam the object of the sentence, something to be led by choice rather than making his own. The imagery that follows further implies Adam’s satisfaction with his eternal union to Eve. His labor is associated with winding woodbine and ivy, two plants that naturally tangle and intertwine. Meanwhile, Eve’s labor is associated with roses and myrtle. While these are both romantic flowers associated with love and marriage, they also remind the reader of the flowerbed where Eve first gained consciousness and thought. Her desire to tend to these flowers alone reveals an inner conflict between her loyalty to God and her initial desire to reject the role of Adam’s image. This parallel is further emphasized through the “w” alliteration that shapes the description of Adam’s labor. The alliteration has the effect of mimicking the sounds of the lake—soft, watery echoes that entice Eve back to her origin. Milton uses Eve’s logical argument to reveal a deeper anxiety building within the matriarch figure. Eve desires to be a subject rather than an object; in other words, the agency to decide her own role.
The issue of having control over one’s own narrative also features importantly in Othello. At the end of Shakespeare’s tragedy, after Othello has been driven to madness and murders Desdemona, Othello desperately attempts to gain control over his narrative. His final plea solidifies the tragedy of Othello’s tale by emphasizing his complete lack of agency over his identity. Othello pleads with his audience to describe him as “an honorable murderer, if you will, / For naught I did in hate, but all in honor” (V.II. 331-33). He continues, “I pray you, in your letters… / Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate… / Of one that loved not wisely, but too well. / Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought, / Perplexed in the extreme” (V.II. 383-89). By modifying Othello’s appeal with phrases such as “if you will” and “I pray you,” Shakespeare draws attention to the power dynamics between Othello and his audience. Othello can only politely request that others speak kindly of him, but he cannot command actual change.
Through the progression of his plea, Othello’s pronouns shift from the personal “I” subject to the vague “one” object. He references himself as an object that was shaped, pushed, and worked by others to fall into the “extreme” stereotypes associated with black men. In becoming an object, Othello makes a final acknowledgement that he never had control over his narrative or identity. By taking on the conflicting phrase “honorable murderer” as his final identity, Othello reveals his awareness of the double consciousness he lives in as a Moor in Venetian society. Other conflicting terms throughout his plea further emphasize Othello’s alienation. Dichotomous structures such as “hate” opposed to “honor,” “not wise” to “too well,” and “not easily jealous” to “wrought” mimic the internal conflict that Othello continues to battle as he dies. This final attempt to control his narrative only reveals Othello’s lack of agency in both life and death.
While some scholars argue Satan appealed to Eve because of her vanity, I argue that Satan appealed to Eve’s need for independence and intellectual curiosity in light of her perceived entrapment in the Garden. As Satan, in the form of a serpent, describes the effects of the forbidden fruit to Eve, he informs her that he “perceave[d] / Strange alteration in me, to degree / Of Reason in my inward Powers, and Speech” (598-600). Satan’s emphasis on “inward Powers” suggests to Eve an opportunity to gain agency not only outwardly through her body and environment but also intellectually. The capitalization of “power,” “reason,” and “speech” emphasizes the agency that Eve covets.
Although painted as vain through Satan’s repetitive flattery, Eve does not yearn for material objects, but rather the gift of perception that the serpent now claims to possess. Milton confirms Eve’s appeal to logic through her own personal argumentation. As she assesses the possibility of death, she engages in a private, extensive analysis of the consequences. She thinks to herself, “How dies the Serpent? hee hath eat’n and lives, / And knows, and speaks, and reasons, and discerns” (764-5). She continues, “what hinders then / To reach, and feed at once both Bodie and Mind? / So saying, her rash hand in evil hour / Forth reaching to the Fruit, she pluck’d, she eat” (778-80). The repetition of questions pushes back against the narrative of a purely vain Eve. Rather, she pushes herself to carefully weigh the possible outcomes. The dichotomy of body and mind reveals Eve’s internal battle between existing as a body that produces mankind and the possibility of gaining intellectual freedom. The use of enjambment that separates the bodily function of eating from the internal actions (knowing, speaking, reasoning) further demonstrates how Eve wants an existence beyond labor and procreation. After Eve’s seemingly logical thoughts, her physical actions are described as “rash” and “evil.” This harsh contradiction prepares the reader for the tragedy that will follow. Much like Othello, Eve’s desires to gain agency result in an evil deed, thus reaffirming that despite her natural ability to perceive, question, and reason, Eve will never know true independence because it goes against God’s rule.
Both Eve and Othello were bound for tragedy from the start of their tales because they both desired the unattainable. Othello longed to exist in a world not marred by prejudice, and Eve sought an existence where God did not hinder her intellectual pursuits and freedom of choice. For these reasons, both Paradise Lost and Othello still exist as controversial texts that challenge deeply entrenched systems of oppression. Although both Eve and Othello were pushed to their downfalls by villainous figures—figures who represent true evil and hate—they were vulnerable to attack because of their alienation at the hands of these systems. Both texts skillfully reveal the character’s inner turmoil and conflicting desires that fueled their tragic endings. At the heart of these tragedies are two individuals longing to have the independent, free life every human deserves.
Works Cited
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. In The Broadview Anthology of British Literature. 2nd ed. Edited by Joseph Laurence Black, Broadview Press. 2010.
Shakespeare, William, and Russ McDonald. The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice. Penguin
Books, 2016.