Societal expectations for women in Paradise Lost and The Rape of The Lock

Abstract

In John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Alexander Pope’s The Rape of The Lock, Eve and Belinda are depicted as innocent women who fall into the hands of objectification. Belinda's getting ready in her toilet is similar to the scene of Eve seeing her reflection in Eden's pool, because here Eve and Belinda both admire their physical or outer beauty. Besides, their beauty is always admired by the people around them. Therefore, in both epics, physical appearance is given so much importance that a woman's character, chastity, and aims depend on physical beauty. In the epic Paradise Lost, the character Eve is the first woman, and she is frequently depicted as the archetypal female character whose actions ultimately lead to the downfall of humankind. Over that, Eve is beautifully accessorized and created only to serve Adam. On the other hand, in The Rape of The Lock, Belinda beautifies herself for maintaining social class, impressing good marriage proposals, fancying her privacy, and saving herself from all the cruel manipulations of society. Eve and Belinda's portrayals reveal social expectations or gender dynamics manifested during the time periods in which the epics were written. Though Eve and Belinda are two different characters from two different worlds and situations, their representation reflects many similarities. These similarities include their innocence, unwise behavior, objectification, and inferiority. Society also thinks of them as sources of temptation