Who is more sexist: humanity or God? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayEvery member of society, religious or not, has heard the legendary story of Adam and Eve at some point. The biblical story has inspired countless accounts of humanity's creation, each with their own interpretations and extensions. The Play of Adam was written in the 12th century and provides detailed stage instructions and scripts for acting companies wishing to enact the story of Adam and Eve. Adam's Game draws on fifty original lines from the Bible to create a sexist conviction of Eve's role in the fall of humanity that spans nine hundred and sixty-two lines. From the beginning of Adam's Game, the author's use of characterization, speech, and setting emphasizes Adam's superiority over Eve and presents the audience with the narrative of a biased Creator. The original story of Adam and Eve details almost nothing beyond the creation and fall of humanity. The brevity of the biblical story lends itself to interpretation, which the author of Adam's Game uses to create a sexist depiction of Eve. In the very first speech God gives to Adam after the creation of Eve, God declares: “She is your wife, she is your equal; / You should be faithful to him. / You will love her, and she will love you too” (10-12). The word used for "equal" in the original French edition of the play is "pareil" which is defined in the old French-English dictionary, now called OFED, as "equal, peer, partner, spouse". The beginning of the play places Adam and Eve on equal footing, but the rest of the play shows how they are not. In the same speech, only two lines later, God continues: “She must heed your command / As you must do what I ask” (14-15). This statement creates a hierarchy with God on top, Adam obeying God, and Eve on the bottom obeying both Adam and God. If Adam and Eve were truly equal, they would heed each other's commandments and obey only the Father's demands. Evidence of Eve's rank below Adam in Adam's Game can be seen in more detail in God's first speech to Eve. God speaks directly to Eve saying, “He [Adam] is your husband, you his wife. / Towards him you should always bow. / Don’t stray too far from his discipline. / Serve him with love and affectionate spirit” (33-36). God's language in this speech clearly shows Eve's role in creation, and it is not about being equal to Adam. Eve was created to happily serve Adam and obey his commands, which is demonstrated again when God speaks: "If you are his good accessory / I will place you near him, in glory" (38-39). In the original French edition of the play, the word for "accessory" is "adjutoire", and is defined in the OFED as "aide". This means that in order for Eve to sit next to Adam in glory, she must be his good helper, while God does not give any requirements that Adam must fulfill for Eve in order to sit next to him. her in glory. This is completely different from the Bible, where God places no requirement on Eve to achieve glory beyond following His will. In the Bible, God places Adam in the Garden of Eden after its creation, before the formation of Eve. In Adam's Game, God creates the two partners before leading them into the Garden. As he enters, the stage directions ask God to hold Adam closer and speak to him privately about the gift he gives him: a long life without hunger, without thirst, without pain or sorrow (48-57). The stage directions make a point of ordering God to take Adam away from Eve todescribe everything he offers her. Were not all these things also given to Eve? The author makes a point of intentionally separating Adam from Eve for this particular part of the conversation, which highlights God's favoritism for Adam. God brings Adam back to Eve to continue his speech, saying, “I tell you [Adam] now, and I want Eve to hear this / (For if she does not, everything will go wrong)... » (58-59). God choosing to speak to both Adam and Eve for this part of the speech shows His preference for Adam. The Lord intentionally expresses doubts about Eve in front of Adam, which only reinforces their inequality in the eyes of their Father. This quote shows that God already had doubts about Eve from the first day of her existence. The author of the play alludes to God's knowledge and expectation of Eve's sin even before she was tempted. An equal and just God should not expect the worst from his children. The further the audience moves into the play, the more the play deviates from the true story of a just Creator and an equal man and woman. The inequality of Adam and Eve is found again in God's warning regarding the tree of knowledge. After seeing the many inhabitants and flora of the Garden of Eden, God takes Adam aside again. The stage directions then state: “And he [God] should show [Adam] the forbidden tree and its fruit, saying: / But this fruit I forbid you both to try. / If you eat it, you will surely die” (101-02). If Adam and Eve are truly equal, why does God only speak to Adam? If eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge has such dire consequences, God should want both parties to hear the warning. These actions directly place Adam as the superior of the two, making him the only person trusted to relay the unbreakable rule. Conversely, in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, only Adam is created when the Bible states: “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man: “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden; but you must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if you eat of it, you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:15-17). God gives the command not to eat from the tree of knowledge before creating Eve. Although in both stories Eve is not directly told to avoid eating from the tree, the biblical version does not place Adam above Eve, as the only reason she is not told is that it did not yet exist. Conversely, in Adam's Play, Eve is not explicitly narrated because she is portrayed as unworthy to hear God's command, making the division between Adam and Eve more significant. The author of Adam's Play uses the scene of the serpent's temptation to characterize Eve. as vain, gullible and disloyal to Adam. In the temptation of Eve by the serpent, he said: “You are such a delicate and tender thing; / You are fresher than a rose in spring. / You are white as crystal, or like snow / Which falls below on icy streams” (226-29). The serpent appeals to Eve's vanity to tempt her to accept his words as truth. The serpent continues his speech, calling Adam a “simple fool,” a “fool,” and a “big fool” (220-31). Throughout this speech, Eve never defends Adam against the serpent's insults, which, to a medieval audience, would make her appear unfaithful to her husband. Only after hearing insults against Adam and the flatteries of the serpent does Eve agree to listen to what the serpent has to say and accept his claims about the tree of knowledge. The neutrality of Eveduring the serpent's insults towards Adam and his affinity for flattery characterize Eve in a very negative and vapid light, very different from the Eve described in the original story. The Bible describes the scene of the fall with the serpent saying: “You will certainly not die… For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4-5). In the original story, the serpent appeals to Eve's desire to be like her Creator. This reason for giving in to temptation is more understandable to the audience than succumbing to flattery, as in Adam's Game. Readers of the Bible, especially Christians, would feel a desire to be like the Father, but would resent a woman who cursed humanity in return for compliments. The author of Adam's Game intentionally changes the cause of Eve's betrayal to make her a less sympathetic character. Eve's potential for sympathy is completely lost in the scene where Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge. The author of Adam's Game once again changes Eve's characterization by having her insult Adam to convince him to sin. Eve pressures Adam to eat the fruit, saying, “You will be a coward if you don’t” (297). The author describes Eve as someone willing to insult her husband to get what she wants after a conversation with the serpent. Not only did Eve now give in to temptation, but she also adopted the serpent's tendency to insult Adam. Eve is no longer an innocent woman who accidentally falls prey to temptation, but she is a woman who listens to verbal attacks on her husband and then repeats these attacks herself to get what she wants. After this fall into temptation, the chauvinistic treatment of Eve in Adam's Game reaches its climax. Immediately after eating the fruit, Adam begins the longest speech in the play, despairing over his loss of innocence and his betrayal of the Creator. Almost in the middle of the speech, Adam turns to his wife and begins to condemn her. Adam exclaims: “Ah, woman! False harpy! / In the evil hour, born of me! / I would rather my rib be burned / Than live to commit this evil trick! (357-60). Adam condemns Eve's entire existence because of a sin he also commits. God has endowed all man with free will, which Adam, like Eve, uses to consciously decide to eat the forbidden fruit. Although Eve persuaded her husband to eat the fruit alongside her, it was ultimately Adam's decision, making him equal with responsibility for bringing about the fall of man. In Adam's Game, Adam never fully admits his guilt and continually points to Eve as the cause of his suffering. When God confronts his children after their fall, Adam once again places all the blame on Eve. Adam begs: “The woman you gave me: / She was the first to enter! … A bad decision led to biting… / But this transgression was my wife’s” (418-23). Adam denounces his wife's actions to God, hoping to save his own skin by handing Eve over. Although God does not forgive Adam for listening to his wife about his Creator, he blames Adam much less than Eve. When the Father turns his attention to Eve, he says: “So many difficulties and so many worries / Have you brought upon all your heirs. / All who enter the world / Will mourn your sin forever” (458-61). God condemns Eve by placing the eternal suffering of the entire world on her shoulders, and none on Adam's. The play again distances Adam from Eve and deepens their inequality. In the Bible, the Lord punished Eve by saying: “I will make your birth pains very severe; it is through hard work that you will bear children. You will desire your husband.