How does Milton portray women in Book 9 of Paradise Lost?

Throughout Paradise Lost, and most notably in Book 9, Milton takes an unconventional stance in the depiction of women, shown in the character of Eve. The traditional rhetoric of the 17th century encouraged people to view women as the root of all evil and they were seen as being responsible for the fall of man due to their vanity and selfishness. In Book 9 Milton does present Eve's vanity in her visions of herself being as great as God. Satan tempts her through describing her in increasingly powerful positions, culminating in his image of her as a "goddess" and this acts as part of Eve's temptation as she envisions herself at a similar level to God, something which readers would have been shocked by. However, Eve is not simply a naive woman who can easily be fooled through praise. Milton also depicts her as a strong-willed character with a capacity for using powerful rhetoric. When she argues with Adam early in Book 9 she presents him with arguments that he cannot deny and this leads to him allowing her to roam the garden by herself. This powerful and impressive rhetoric is another way that Milton's portrayal of Eve contrasted with views of the period. Unlike many in the 17th century Milton believed in divorce and wrote pamphlets in support of it. He believed that men and women should be equally matched in a marriage and that debate was a crucial feature of any marriage. His portrayal of Eve is therefore in keeping with his own beliefs about women and he presents her as a strong-willed character, though he does not shy away from depicting her flaws either.