Eve’s Apology
B
ut surely Adam cannot be excused;
What weakness offered, strength might have refused;
Being lord of all, the greater was his shame;
Although the serpent’s craft had her abused,
God’s holy word ought all his actions frame;
For he was lord and king of all the earth[KLB1]
Before poor Eve had either life or breath,
[KLB2]
Who being framed by God’s eternal hand
The perfectest man that ever breathed on earth,
And from God’s mouth received that strait command,
The breach whereof he knew was present death;
Yea, having power to rule both sea and land,
Yet with one apple won to lose that breath
Which God had breathed in his beauteous face,
Bringing us all in danger and disgrace;
And then to lay the fault on patience’s back,
That we (poor women) must endure it all[KLB3];
We know right well he did discretion lack,
Being not persuaded thereunto at all.
If Eve did err, it was for knowledge sake;
The fruit being fair persuaded him to fall.
[KLB4]No subtle serpent’s falsehood did betray him[KLB5];
If he would eat it, who had power to stay on him?
Not Eve, whose fault was only too much love,
Which made her give this present to her dear,
That what she tasted he likewise might prove,
Whereby his knowledge might become more clear;
He never sought her weakness to reprove
With those sharp words which he of God did hear;
Yet men will boast of knowledge, which he took
From Eve’s fair hand, as from a learned book.
[KLB1]When God created the earth, He placed Adam as the natural overlord of all creation, since man was His most perfect creation.
[KLB2]This gives the reader concrete evidence that the writer was an active feminist. She presents reasons why Adam was to blame for the fall of man.
[KLB3]Lanyer uses the art of inclusion to argue her case against the seemingly unjust blaming of women for the destruction of mankind.
[KLB4]In this section of the passage, the writer attempts to make a counter-argument against the wide belief that the fall of man was on the fault of Eve. Yet, the writer’s argument is not persuasive because it is based on pure opinion instead of factual evidence.
[KLB5]According to Judeo-Christian teachings, the fallen archangel, Lucifer, took the form of a serpent and tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit.