Serpent

Serpents in literature often have a negative connotation attached to them. In both “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and The Old Testament’s tale of Adam and Eve, the character of the serpent plays a large role. It can be argued that the serpent in “The Epic of Gilgamesh” played both a positive and negative role, whereas the serpent in The Old Testament was primarily an antagonistic character. By looking at the general symbolism of serpents in literature, it is easy to uncover the important yet slightly differing roles that this creature played in both tales. The serpent can be viewed as a creature of wisdom as well as the instigator of chaos and evil in both tales. Serpents typically have a negative connotation in literature (Joines 1). They are seen…

1. If you look at Genesis 3:1 the serpent states “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” It appears the serpent is questioning and contradicting God’s directions. In addition the serpent’s fallowing statement is perceived as God holding out on Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3:1 the serpent claims “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, Knowing good and evil.” This gives Eve the impression that having her eyes open to good…

Eden provides the basic necessities to survive a pre-fallen Earth, such as food and water. When discussing the necessity of shelter, for pre-fallen Earth, Eden is insufficient. Shelter is necessary to protect humans from various aspects of Earth that would harm us, whether by intention or inadvertently. Eve and the slumbering serpent were tormented while they rested, because Satan and his darkness were able to enter their home. The Garden of Eden was not “sufficient to have stood” Satan’s…

innocent and naïve, Adam and Eve neither one had any desire to eat of the forbidden tree. They had no knowledge at this point of lies or deception. They lived pure, sin-free lives in the garden walking with God. That is, until Chapter 3. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made” (NISB 11). Different translations of the original text call the serpent subtle, cunning, the shrewdest, the most clever, and the sliest (Curtis Higgs 25). That just even…

In my personal upbringing I was taught that temptation by itself was sin because the thought of doing evil should be avoided in our minds, and when we have thoughts that provoke evil we have half way made the choice to follow the acts. As an adult and through this course I have gained the knowledge through the Bible that temptation on its own is not sin, it is at the point of temptation that we decide to follow through or back away. In my own life I have temptations and still struggle to avoid…

Hamlet. In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Shakespeare uses a wide array of Christian allegories and allusions to create a memorable plot. While these allegories occur frequently, they do not play a major role in the development of the story. Allegories are prominent in almost all great literature. Christian allegories, like the Garden of Eden, the serpent, the crucifixion, and heaven and hell, are popular in all great Christian works, and Hamlet is no exception. These allusions appear…

com/genesis/3-3.htm). This excerpt is taken from the creation story of Adam and Eve. It is true that Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent and then excommunicated from the Garden of Eden. They were ultimately forced to live in the mortal world and endure all of the pains and brutalities it posses. This creation story parallels with the Myth of Pandora’s box in Greek Mythology. Both stories exhibit the presence of good and evil and how human error introduced evil into our world. The role of…

and forming a man named Adam out of dust and a woman named Eve out of Adam’s rib. He allows the pair dominion over everything in the Garden of Eden, with the exception of having a taste of the forbidden fruit off the Tree of Maxfield 2 Knowledge. After Eve is tempted by the serpent and the two indulge in the one thing that was off limits by eating the fruit from the tree, thus resulting in their banishment from the garden. There is a parallel to this account in Popol Vuh called “A Maiden’s…

In the book of Geneses in the Bible, the devil living within the serpent, tempted Eve by telling her she would by like God and know good from evil if she ate from the tree of life in the garden of Eden. Just as the serpent tempted Eve, the old man was tempting Goodman with the staff so that Goodman could travel faster to the ceremony. Ultimately, Goodman’s weak faith and curiosity as to what was ahead in the forest takes him to the ceremony. It was Goodman’s choice to use the staff the old man,…

‘orchard’, but I think Shakespeare’s inclusion of the word ‘serpent’ supports this passage’s allusion to scripture. In addition, I believe that the ghost is using ‘orchard’ to sound elegant (kings such as King Henry IV spoke formally and elegantly in Shakespeare’s plays) and to provoke imagery that alludes to the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which bore the forbidden fruit of which Adam and Eve ate. Moreover, I believe the ghost’s description of Claudius as a serpent adds to this allusion.…