The King James Bible and the York pageant ‘The Fall of Man’ differ in many ways in their presentation of the events surrounding Adam and Eve’s banishment from the Garden of Eden. In particular, there is a big difference in the level of detail, and the treatment of Eve with regards to her responsibility for the banishment. In this essay I intend to compare and contrast the accounts of the fall given in the bible and the play text, and consider how they portray Eve and her behaviour. In particular I will explore how the play shows Eve as playing a more active role in the fall, and how this affects the view the audience would have of her, compared with the sparser account given in The Bible itself. My aim is to conclude which of these representations
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Her naivety leads her to be tricked by the snake, and she then learns or copies the skills he shows her in order to tempt Adam, causing the fall of man. Whether her temptation/persuasion of Adam is intentional is not made entirely clear, but what is clear is that the blame and responsibility is placed solely on her shoulders. However though the bible’s account is less misogynistic it does not necessarily treat Eve more fairly, and arguably suggests that her decision to take of the tree of good and evil was her own, rather than something she was tricked into doing. Though she is not portrayed as being quite so naïve in this way, the portrayal is still negative as it suggests that the disobedience and greed for wisdom she displays was something inherent within her, rather than something she has learned or been persuaded to pursue. Nevertheless, unlike the play, the bible does not explicitly state that Eve enticed or tempted Adam with the fruit, absolving her of some of the blame for the fall of man. In addition to this, I would argue that the impact of the Bible’s depiction of Eve on its audience would not have been as great as that of the pageant, as the connection to the community provided by the pageant would have made the audience more likely to be influenced by the views presented
Her naivety leads her to be tricked by the snake, and she then learns or copies the skills he shows her in order to tempt Adam, causing the fall of man. Whether her temptation/persuasion of Adam is intentional is not made entirely clear, but what is clear is that the blame and responsibility is placed solely on her shoulders. However though the bible’s account is less misogynistic it does not necessarily treat Eve more fairly, and arguably suggests that her decision to take of the tree of good and evil was her own, rather than something she was tricked into doing. Though she is not portrayed as being quite so naïve in this way, the portrayal is still negative as it suggests that the disobedience and greed for wisdom she displays was something inherent within her, rather than something she has learned or been persuaded to pursue. Nevertheless, unlike the play, the bible does not explicitly state that Eve enticed or tempted Adam with the fruit, absolving her of some of the blame for the fall of man. In addition to this, I would argue that the impact of the Bible’s depiction of Eve on its audience would not have been as great as that of the pageant, as the connection to the community provided by the pageant would have made the audience more likely to be influenced by the views presented