Eve and Pandora share the role of “The First Woman.” Likewise, they are both depicted as giving in to temptation, thus bringing suffering into the world. However, these two figures have stark contrasts between one another that reveal the views of their respective cultures’ towards women, god, and the world around them.
I will begin by comparing major elements of both story. In Genesis, Eve is personally created by God, and born from Adam’s rib. In contrast, Pandora’s creation is delegated by Zeus, instructing the other gods to aid in her construction. She is a creature born separate from mortal man.
The starkest difference between these acts of creation, however, is in their purpose. Eve is created by god to be a beneficial companion …show more content…
But I will give men as the price for fire an evil thing in which they may all be glad of heart while they embrace their own destruction. (Works and Days, ll. 54-59)
While the biblical God is acting out of compassion for his creation and caring for his well-being, Zeus is generally uninterested in humanity’s well-being, intervening when it serves his purposes, and vengeful when crossed, even when humanity themselves have done nothing to earn his ire.
Both women are warned not to perform their respective misdeed, but there are key differences in how and why the women succumb. While Pandora opens the Jar without outside provocation, she does so by the gods’ design, and stood no real chance of avoiding her fate. She is perhaps, along with humanity, blameless, as they have no true agency in acting out this punishment.
Eve, on the other hand, is tempted by the serpent but it is ultimately her choice to eat the apple in defiance of God’s command, and her choice to convince Adam to join in with her. Adam is equally culpable, however, as he did not try to prevent Eve, or refuse to eat the apple. Humanity is culpable for its own …show more content…
Greeks are like pawns to the gods and have o control over their lives. There is nothing that they do that isn’t dictated by the heavens, and everything that is theirs is given to them by the Gods at their discretion. The Gods act in their own interests and quarrel amongst each other, such as with Zeus and Prometheus, and the aftermath rains down upon hapless humanity. The universe is unkind, and there’s nothing you can do but try to appease the gods, keep your head down, and stay out of their business. To the Greek view they’re a necessary evil. Perhaps this conflict-filled, hostile cosmos reflects how the Greeks themselves are warlike. Their society, at least early on, being built upon conflict amongst each other and conquest, much like their gods.
The Hebrew story on the other hand presents a more beneficent, ordered universe. There is one god, with one set of rules to follow, and he is invested in humanity. Man is still beholden to god, and works to appease him, but man is given the knowledge and free will to be able to determine between good and evil and act accordingly. If misfortune happens, it is your choices and actions that have disappointed god and brought punishment upon
I will begin by comparing major elements of both story. In Genesis, Eve is personally created by God, and born from Adam’s rib. In contrast, Pandora’s creation is delegated by Zeus, instructing the other gods to aid in her construction. She is a creature born separate from mortal man.
The starkest difference between these acts of creation, however, is in their purpose. Eve is created by god to be a beneficial companion …show more content…
But I will give men as the price for fire an evil thing in which they may all be glad of heart while they embrace their own destruction. (Works and Days, ll. 54-59)
While the biblical God is acting out of compassion for his creation and caring for his well-being, Zeus is generally uninterested in humanity’s well-being, intervening when it serves his purposes, and vengeful when crossed, even when humanity themselves have done nothing to earn his ire.
Both women are warned not to perform their respective misdeed, but there are key differences in how and why the women succumb. While Pandora opens the Jar without outside provocation, she does so by the gods’ design, and stood no real chance of avoiding her fate. She is perhaps, along with humanity, blameless, as they have no true agency in acting out this punishment.
Eve, on the other hand, is tempted by the serpent but it is ultimately her choice to eat the apple in defiance of God’s command, and her choice to convince Adam to join in with her. Adam is equally culpable, however, as he did not try to prevent Eve, or refuse to eat the apple. Humanity is culpable for its own …show more content…
Greeks are like pawns to the gods and have o control over their lives. There is nothing that they do that isn’t dictated by the heavens, and everything that is theirs is given to them by the Gods at their discretion. The Gods act in their own interests and quarrel amongst each other, such as with Zeus and Prometheus, and the aftermath rains down upon hapless humanity. The universe is unkind, and there’s nothing you can do but try to appease the gods, keep your head down, and stay out of their business. To the Greek view they’re a necessary evil. Perhaps this conflict-filled, hostile cosmos reflects how the Greeks themselves are warlike. Their society, at least early on, being built upon conflict amongst each other and conquest, much like their gods.
The Hebrew story on the other hand presents a more beneficent, ordered universe. There is one god, with one set of rules to follow, and he is invested in humanity. Man is still beholden to god, and works to appease him, but man is given the knowledge and free will to be able to determine between good and evil and act accordingly. If misfortune happens, it is your choices and actions that have disappointed god and brought punishment upon