Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve are the first human pair in Genesis, living in the garden of Eden until they disobey God. Their story matters in Jewish and Christian traditions and gives literature lasting images of temptation, shame, lost happiness, and the hardships of human life.
Key stories of Adam and Eve
Life in Eden
God places Adam in Eden to tend the garden and makes Eve as his companion. They may eat from the garden's trees except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In Paradise Lost, John Milton shows Adam and Eve caring for their garden and sharing conversation before their disobedience.
In Paradise Lost by John Milton
The forbidden fruit
The serpent persuades Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and she gives some to Adam, who also eats. They become aware of their nakedness and cover themselves.
In Genesis, Adam and Eve sew fig leaves together after eating, then hide when they hear God in the garden.
In Genesis by Traditionally attributed to Moses
Leaving the garden
God sends Adam and Eve out of Eden, and access to the tree of life is guarded. Their life outside the garden brings toil, pain, and mortality.
At the end of Paradise Lost, John Milton shows Adam and Eve leaving Eden hand in hand, grieving but facing the world together.
In Paradise Lost by John Milton
How to recognise Adam and Eve in stories
- Look for a garden that offers happiness before a forbidden choice.
- Notice a serpent, forbidden fruit, fig leaves, or a guarded entrance.
- Watch for a couple whose disobedience leads to shame, hardship, or exile.
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Was the forbidden fruit an apple?
The fruit is not identified as an apple in Genesis. The story names the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but leaves its fruit unspecified. Apples became familiar in later Western art and literature, so an apple can suggest the story without matching its exact details.
Is the serpent the same as Satan?
The serpent is not explicitly called Satan in Genesis. Later Christian tradition commonly connects the two, and John Milton makes Satan act through the serpent in Paradise Lost. Readers should distinguish what the biblical episode says from what later works add.
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