Two Treatises of Government · Character
Eve
The first wife in Scripture, whose sentence of desire and subjection Locke rescues from being stretched into a charter for kings.
supporting
First appearance: Of Adam’s Title to Sovereignty, by the Subjection of Eve
As a supporting figure in Two Treatises of Government, Eve is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Eve is mentioned in the context of Filmer's argument that God gave Adam dominion over her, which Locke considers part of the insufficient proof for Adam's absolute power.
Eve enters the argument as the proof-text Sir Robert Filmer cannot do without: if her subjection to Adam were the original grant of government, every husband would be a monarch. Locke presses the distinction between conjugal and political power, insisting that a wife's deference in household matters is not a sovereign's power of life and death. Her case matters because it exposes how a single ambiguous verse about a marriage is being made to carry the weight of all earthly authority.
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Character Web
23 connectionsA slice of how Eve sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Family
- Other
Character groups
- Patriarchal lineage and inheritance
- Protagonist
- Natural law and divine right theorists
- Diverse biblical and legal authorities
+18 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
The emotional and psychological peak occurs as the endnotes abruptly shift from Locke’s own argument to a dens…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Adam
family · positive
Adam and Eve are the first human couple, with Eve created from Adam's rib, forming the… How this plays out →
- Jacob
family · positive
- Adam
family · positive
Adam and Eve are the first human couple, with Eve created from Adam's rib, forming the… How this plays out →
- Adam
family · positive
Adam and Eve are the first human couple, with Eve created from Adam's rib, forming the… How this plays out →
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Eve in Of Adam’s Title to Sovereignty, by the Subjection of EveIn the story
Eve appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
- II: Of Paternal and Regal Power
- Of Adam's Title to Sovereignty by Creation
- Of Adam’s Title to Sovereignty, by Donation, Gen. 1:28
- Of Adam’s Title to Sovereignty, by the Subjection of Eve
- VI: Of Paternal Power
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Eve unlock in the free preview.
See Eve in Of Adam’s Title to Sovereignty, by the Subjection of Eve