In Paradise, Adam had to make the same choice between Will and Reason as Eve. She had to satisfy her curiosity or obey God's injunction not to eat from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Adam could have observed God's command, but he chose to reject it for her sake. The consequences of his decision affected subsequent generations in innumerable ways.

We have seen how Furtmeyr's illustration of the power of Mary and Eve uses a very standard image (the Tree of Jesse) to illustrate the story of the choice from a more feminist point of view. It does nothing, however, to explain the consequences of choice for men. Fortunately, a painting by Raphael Sanzio da Urbino (d. 1520) examines the choice facing one particular type of man in this highly stratified society: knights. It does so by using a strictly similar image.

Raphael's painting, traditionally called “The Dream of Scipio,” dates from around 1504, and was probably inspired by Poggio Bracciolini's rediscovery of Silius Italicus's Latin epic poem Punica, in 1417. This work celebrated the Second Punic War, which pitted Rome against Carthage (218–201 BC), and promoted its hero, Scipio Africanus, to the rank of one of the foremost Classical exemplars of heroic action among its Renaissance readers.

In Punica's chapter 15, the young Scipio—a representative of Stoic values—has a vision of two allegorical women, Virtus and Voluptas. The plainly-dressed Virtus tells Scipio of the difficulties encountered by those who must travel along a narrow road to her mountain dwelling. Voluptas, who is richly dressed, points to the easier path that awaits those who seek solace on earth in the face of death. Scipio, needless to say, opts for the harder life promised by Virtus and the fame she assures awaits those who follow her path regardless of consequences (see Figure 12).

Scholars are in general agreement that the painting depicts this moment in Scipio's life, but what is interesting for our purpose is that Raphael pictures the scene in much the same way as Furtmeyr. The canvas is divided into left and right sections by a tree and a sleeping man with Virtus and Voluptas occupying the same positions as the Virgin and Eve.