Precis- Does temptation have a sex?

The Biblical tale of Adam and Eve's banishment from paradise and Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale both point to women as not only corruptible, but as the corruptor. In the Genesis account of "the garden of Eden" the Serpent specifically and successfully targets Eve in his attempt to bring humankind against the will of God, using the woman’s powers to tempt (or man’s ability to be tempted) to draw Adam into the snare as well. Shakespeare's Polixenes says that he was less sinful before his wife caused him "temptations," a renewal of the blame placed on the woman in Genesis 3. A similar scene in the Koran (al-A’raf 20-25) has both Adam and Eve tempted by Satan, who also finds no reason to disguise himself in snake costume in that case.

Post by Dan Ficklin