The differences in the statures of Adam and Eve are indicative of Adam’s strident insult, words that bring light and thought to the obvious physical differences between their bodies. The silhouettes of Adam and Eve are a testament to the line in Paradise Lost in which Adam refers to Eve as a “fair defect.” However, the importance of this line in the artwork is undermined by the more prominent eyes superimposed over the figures of the picture. The eyes are representative of reconnection, adapted from Eve’s “augmented, opened eyes, new hopes, new joys” from her compassionate conversation with Adam. Eve’s words symbolize a domestic partnership in which harsh words or difficulty is addressed through mutual love and respect. My adaptation provides new insight into the original characters of Adam and Eve because it forces the audience to reconsider the characters' differences- the drawing removes the space between Adam and Eve and resuscitates their relationship with a newfound focus on their similarities. The eyes in my artwork signify a hope of renewal and beauty in the form of Eve’s eventual apology; the allusion to the “defect” quote is implicit in the obvious differences between the man and woman’s body, but the eyes are at the forefront, suggesting that they are more significant than said differences with their promise of reconciliation.
The lines I chose to adapt in my artwork are those in which Adam labels Eve a “fair defect” (Milton 10.891), questioning God’s choice not to “fill the World at once / With Men” (10.892). My artwork also, and more importantly, refers to the loving and passionate conversation shared between Adam and Eve in Book 9— specifically, the lines uttered by Eve, "This happy trial of thy love which else / So eminently never had been known…So faithful love unequaled. But I feel / Far otherwise th’ event: not death but life / Augmented, opened eyes, new hopes, new joys, / Taste so divine that what of sweet before / Hath touched my sense flat seems to this and harsh" (9.975-987). The left side of the illustration represents Eve: it features an outline of her figure and a more strongly outlined female eye in front of it. The right half of the illustration bears the likeness of Adam, and similarly, a clearly defined male eye drawn over it.
The differences in the statures of Adam and Eve are indicative of Adam’s strident insult, words that bring light and thought to the obvious physical differences between their bodies. The silhouettes of Adam and Eve are a testament to the line in Paradise Lost in which Adam refers to Eve as a “fair defect.” However, the importance of this line in the artwork is undermined by the more prominent eyes superimposed over the figures of the picture. The eyes are representative of reconnection, adapted from Eve’s “augmented, opened eyes, new hopes, new joys” from her compassionate conversation with Adam. Eve’s words symbolize a domestic partnership in which harsh words or difficulty is addressed through mutual love and respect. My adaptation provides new insight into the original characters of Adam and Eve because it forces the audience to reconsider the characters' differences- the drawing removes the space between Adam and Eve and resuscitates their relationship with a newfound focus on their similarities. The eyes in my artwork signify a hope of renewal and beauty in the form of Eve’s eventual apology; the allusion to the “defect” quote is implicit in the obvious differences between the man and woman’s body, but the eyes are at the forefront, suggesting that they are more significant than said differences with their promise of reconciliation.
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