John Milton conforms much to the popular misogyny of his time - the belief that women are inferior to men, and wives subservient to their husbands. However, his epic Paradise Lost explores the positive and important role women in that society could offer in marriage. He argues that the purpose of matrimony is not necessarily procreation, as was the norm in the 1600s, but instead to bring a man and a woman in completion. Eve's role in Paradise Lost is Milton's commentary on this very matter. She represents a typical woman and (with Adam) a typical union of Milton's time before the fall from grace, and what Milton theorized women could be after. Eve's wifely role is an important one, as husband and wife help one another to become better and more complete individuals. Ultimately, Eve is Milton's representation of a progression for women, at least in their role in marriage.    Any extensive study of history will bring forth the notion that women were, and in some cases still are, denied rights and basic freedoms. This concept becomes obvious when traditional marriage roles are examined. To elaborate, wives were predetermined to carry out two functions during matrimony: taking care of the family and procreation. Moreover the woman is groomed from a young age to provide the aforementioned roles and is essentially forced into the marriage. Milton mirrors this belief through the Eve character. She is not just forced to be Adam’s mate; she is specifically created for this purpose. However, the relationship between the two characters in regards to any social structure such as marriage is purely figurative. But if this position is taken, then the metaphor could be extended even further to include the idea that the Garden of Eden itself acts like a church. All this information lends itself to Milton’s proposition that Adam and Eve’s fall from grace was fortunate because it allows for the female counterpart to evolve in position from someone who is treated like a tool into a companion who is loved and cherished. In order to show this transformation Eve needs to start out in a lowly place and right from the point of her inception this is true. Her role in the early parts of the epic is to be the vain and oblivious housewife. While recounting the story of her origin to Adam, she mentions that the first sight that caught her eye was a lake (90). More precisely it was “A shape within the wat’ry gleam appeared Bending to look on me” (90). In a scene inspired by the Narcissus story, which we discussed in class on many occasions, Eve stares at her own reflection. The same idea can be derived from both stories: vanity overcomes rational reasoning. It is not until she hears the voice of god that Eve turns away from the water. In contrast, as soon as Adam wakes up he questions who he is and where he is actively by yelling it towards the great expanse of paradise (184). Milton further underscores the disparity between the two humans during the meeting between Adam and Raphael. The angel directly criticizes Eve and suggests that she is weaker then her husband. Ultimately, in the first half of the text the bard describes the mother of man as being too involved with her looks and therefore not suited to matters outside of her designated role. This all contributes to the general notion in 17