Transcending time: Reflections of Eve in English Renaissance tragedies

During England's Renaissance, there was a great deal of controversy over the nature of women and their role in society. Both sides employed biblical exempla, a favorite being the Eve exempla. Dramas of the time, especially tragedies, reflect both sides of the controversy by alluding to the story of Eve and the Garden of Eden story in the portrayals and situations of the main female characters. Tragic heroines were often presented as Eves, anti-Eves, or both. John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, John Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, and William Shakespeare's Othello and Hamlet are all good examples of this phenomenon.