Milton's Paradise Lost has been praised since its edition as being the greatest English epic of all time, most stunningly in its author's realistic depiction of the fabled parents of humanity, Adam and Eve. How Milton chose to portray the original mother and father has been a focus of much criticism- especially with contemporary readers. One of the main subjects of these comments is in reference to Eve, who, according to many, is a trivial character that is rather nave, juvenile, and most definitely inferior to her mate. Nonetheless, which many do not recognize is that, surprisingly, after the fateful Fall, she becomes a much more evolved character. When Eve is introduced to the storyline of the epic, her character is shallow and extremely undeveloped, meant simply for display. She is quite firmly set as being inferior to her mate as a female in a predominantly male world. However, upon her decision to eat the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, her change is dramatic and she is no longer the simple character seriously lacking in depth of intellect or knowledge. Thus, as portrayed by Milton, the Fall of the parents of humanity is, in fact, an educational and developing process for Eve. .
Immediately upon the introduction of Eve to the epic she is clearly portrayed as being slightly dimwitted and unsophisticated, and seems to simply exist for the exhibition of her beauty and grace. She is shown as being desirable and extremely beautiful to look upon, as Milton often describes her beauty. Actually, the first time that Eve sees Adam she flees from him in fear, as he was not as beautiful as the image that she saw of herself in a pool of water. In fact, she was so infatuated with the image of herself that she would have remained had God not taken her away to meet her mate: "Pleas'd it return'd as soon with answering looks/ Of sympathy and love, there I fixt/ Mine eyes till now, and pin'd with vain desire - (IV, 464-466).