Pandora's Box by Kate and Erin

Pandora's Box and Eve's Apple

By: Erin Nadel & Katherine Bruce

Eve

Pandora

Created by God from Adam's rib to be Adam's companion. She is temped by the serpent to eat an apple from the tree of knowledge. After she eats the forbidden fruit and is expelled from the Garden of Eden, she becomes the mother of Man starting with Adam and Eve's sons, Cain and Abel.

Created from earth and water at the order of Zeus. She was created to seek revenge on Epimetheus because he stole devine fire. She was presented to him as a gift but when he declined she opened a jar of evil. Or, as others tell it, she was gifted with curiuosity and thus was temped to open the box.

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Expression of harmless curiosity, contrasting to the way Christianity veiws Eve, Greek Mythology does not blame Pandora.

Pandora

Evil being relased to the world of Man.

Painted by John Waterhouse in 1886.

Exposed, pale skin

Bare feet often represent childlike innocence

Painting: Pandora By: John Waterhouse , 1886In this painting, a woman is peeking into a very slightly opened box. It is a portrait of Pandora. This is the exact moment in the story of Pandora's Box where she is opening the forbidden box/jar. She is peering in with a shy face, as if she were a little girl doing something her mom had asked her not to do. The image is dark all around, other than the gold box with something lightly seeping out of it. It is evening, and the only light we see is on the left side way beyond the trees, which give's the sense that she is alone. In the back is a dimly lit forest and pond. The water in the background suggests a calm, tranquil setting in the quiet woods. Pandora's pale skin symbolizes purity and innocence as well as her bare feet, which make her look vulnerable. Waterhouse painted Pandora in romantism style. Romantisism focuses on feelings, spirituality, and mystery. The box is clearly the focus of the piece, because it is known as the box that released all evil into the world. The story goes that only hope was left at the bottom of the box/jar that she has possesion of. This painting offers an interpretation and expression of this story. Visually, this picture makes it seem as though eve is just an innocent, curious woman. As viewers, we want to know what is in the box too, and it is difficult to blame Pandora, because we can feel the omnious curiosity in the painting. This painting brings light to the story and arguably takes blame off of Pandora in a beautiful work of art.

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Even a suggestion of pubic hair is said to symbolize promiscuity and defiance.

Eve, The Serpent, and Death.

Her mischiveiuos expression

Painted by Hans Baldung in the early 1510's.

Caught in this strange tanglement between the three of them as they each hold a part of the other.

The apple hidden bahind her back

Painting: Eve The Serpent and Death by Hans Baldung, 1510'sThis is a portrait of a woman holding an apple in one hand and the tail of a serpent in the other while a man without skin holds her wrist. It is night time judging by the darkness of the background and she is in a forest next to a tree. We know this is a portrait of eve because of the apple and the serpent. The serpent is known as the one who tempts Eve to eat the apple, which tells us this painting is depicting the moment Eve takes the forbidden fruit. Death is not typically painted along side Eve, which makes this painting unique because normally Adam is with Eve instead. This may be why the male figure representing death is said by some to be a representation of Adam, poisoned by her actions and the bite of the serpent. The story of Eve has many similarities to the story of Pandora. This painting has the same dark background and a brightly lit pale skinned woman. However, the way Eve is presentined is quite differenct from Pandora because Eve is not portrayed as innocent in this painting as Pandora is in her painting. The expression on Eve's face seems mischieviuos like she knows she's doing something bad. This painting emphasizes the thought that the seductive beauty of women leads to sin and death.

• Both paintings feature a very dark background with little going on and a brightly lit subject with pale skin.

• Both stories have an impact of evil being brought to the world by a female figure.

• The apple has been a symbol of evil in the Bible and in fairy tales as well as a symbol of health in modern culture.

• Pandora's box has become a popular expression of confusion, evil, and endlessness in modern day happenings.

• The two expressions of femininity in these paintings differs. The mischievous way Eve is portrayed and the vulnerably curious way Pandora is shown are two very different sites.

Features of the Paintings

Eve as related in the Book of Genesis, is here equated with Pandora who, in Greek mythology, spread all the evils that have afflicted mankind by curiously opening the box entrusted to her by the godsEve and Pandora have such specific iconography that they are usually very easy to identify. Eve is usually naked and often has a leaf of some other natural object covering her between her hips, she is often shown in Eden with the apple tree. Pandora is usually painted with her box or jar in the process of opeing it. On first glance, this woman is neither of them. On Closer examination, the serpent coiled around her arm hints at a reference to Eve. While the vase behind her suggests she is Pandora. The two have such similar stories and can be easily confused when the iconography is not clear. It is so easy to combine the stories that it is hard to analyze one without thinking of the other.

The Louvre: Eva Prima Pandora, 1550

Viewpoints

Judaism

Greek Mythology

Christianity

Early Judaism is very similar to early Christianity. The main differences are in interpretation and translation. It is important to note than women in the Hebrew Bible are more commonly refered to by their relation to a man than by their names.

Women in ancient Greece had very few rights but they had a very large role in their mythology and religion. There are many powerful Gods in Greek mythology like Athena, the goddess of wisdom and Persephone, the goddess of Spring.

There is less room for female figures of power in Christianity as there is only one God. However the most prominant figures are the VIrgin Mary and Mary Magdelene.

Pandora Today

Both stories can be used to teach the lesson of obediance; if you disobey, bad things can happen. Pandora's box has become a common expression. It is used in every day speech as a warning not to get into something that could be more complicated than it seems. It can also mean the same thing as the expression to 'open a can of worms'. It is also interesting to note that both Pandora and Eve brought evil to man and have left us to wonder; what does this mean for women? Are women inhearently bad? Some hold the opinion that all women are evil because they brought evil to the world. For all we know, this could be the root of feminism today. We know women are not evil by birth, but why is it that both these women are told to be the first women on earth and both brought evil to the human race?

Works Cited

Creation of Pandora - Ancient Greek Vase Painting. (2020). Retrieved 18 April 2020, from https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/T22.2.html Eva Prima Pandora | Louvre Museum | Paris. (2020). Retrieved 18 April 2020, from https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/eva-prima-pandora File:Hans Baldung Grien - Eve, Serpent and Death.JPG - Wikimedia Commons. (2020). Retrieved 18 April 2020, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hans_Baldung_Grien_-_Eve,_Serpent_and_Death.JPG File:Pandora - John William Waterhouse.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2020). Retrieved 18 April 2020, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pandora_-_John_William_Waterhouse.jpg The National Gallery, L. (2020). Lucas Cranach the Elder | Adam and Eve | L1244 | National Gallery, London. Retrieved 18 April 2020, from https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/lucas-cranach-the-elder-adam-and-eve