Like Consort to Thyself Canst no Where Find: Gender Politics and the Rhetoric of Negation in John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Abstract

The social value of women during the Renaissance limited their intellectual interests to
marriage and obedience to their partner. When a woman did not follow this pattern, she was
considered a spinster. Women who showed intellectual inclinations in any way usually remained
unmarried and part of a social group considered threating to society. In many cases they were
accused of witchcraft and of being demon worshipers. This article deals with the Biblical figure of
Eve, a woman created perfect, in similarity to the creator, but who does not follow the social norm,
thus being the cause of what is known as the human Fall from divine Grace. In particular, I look at
John Milton’s Paradise Lost where Eve stands as an allegorical figure that represents all women.