Literary works of John Milton

1. John Milton. (1608-1674)
Literary Period(1629-1674)
Sr Chandrodaya J
Assistant Professor of English
St Xavier’s College, Mahuadanr,
Nilamber-Pitamber University,
Latehar, Jharkhand.

2. Early Life and Education
Milton was a "passionately individual
Christian Humanist poet.” He appears on the
pages of seventeenth century English
Puritanism, an age characterized as "the
world turned upside down."
He is a Puritan and yet is unwilling to
surrender conscience to party positions on
public policy.

3. Milton's political thought, driven by
competing convictions, a Reformed faith and a
Humanist spirit, led to mysterious outcomes.
He was a renowned English poet, historian
civil servant for Commonwealth and pamphleteer.
After William Shakespeare, he is considered
to be one of the great writers in England.
He was a prominent author during a time of
political upheaval and religious flux.

4. John Milton was born in Bread Street, London on
9 December 1608, the son of composer John Milton and
his wife Sarah Jeffrey.
The senior John Milton (1562–1647) moved to
London around 1583 after being disinherited by his
devout Catholic father Richard Milton for embracing
Protestantism.
In London, the senior John Milton married Sarah
Jeffrey (1572–1637) and found lasting financial success as
a scrivener, an occupation that combined the duties of the
modern banker and lawyer.

5. The elder Milton was noted for his skill as a
musical composer, and this talent left his son with
a lifelong appreciation for music and friendships
with musicians such as Henry Lawes.
Milton attended St Paul's School in London.
There he began the study of Latin and Greek, and
the classical languages left an imprint on both his
poetry and prose in English (he also wrote in
Italian and Latin).

6. In 1625, Milton began attending Christ's College,
Cambridge. He graduated with a B.A. in 1629; ranking
fourth of 24 honours graduates that year in the University
of Cambridge. Preparing to become an Anglican priest,
Milton stayed on and obtained his Master of Arts degree
on 3 July 1632.
As a youth Milton was so attractive and so he was
known as “The Lady of Christ’s College.”
Upon receiving his M.A. in 1632, Milton retired to
Hammersmith, his father's new home since the previous
year. He also lived at Horton, Berkshire, from 1635 and
undertook six years of self-directed private study.

7. Milton’s Literary works:
John Milton’s career as a writer of prose
and poetry spans three distinct eras:
Stuart England; the Civil War (1642-1648)
Interregnum, including the Commonwealth
(1649-1653) and Protectorate (1654-1660);
and
 The Restoration.

8. Milton’s literary works both prose and poetry
reflects his deep personal convictions, a passion for
freedom, self-determination and the urgent issues and
political turbulences of his day.
Writing in English, Latin, Greek and Italian he
achieved international renown within his life time.
He is well known for his unique style of blank verse and
skill.
Milton’s poetic creation was the result of his
artistic mind, wide reading and scholarly approach.

9. John Milton’s literary career was
divided into three phases.
• The First Period (1629-1640)
• The Second Period (1640-1660)
• The Third Period (1660-1674)

10. The First Period (1629-1640)
This period is also called Horton Period because Milton
spent most of this time as a student in the University of Horton.
He composed many youthful poems in Latin and English which
show the young poet endeavouring to seek his own work.
He was writing under the Renaissance authors’ influence
and so both the renaissance exuberance and the reformist
excitement are seen in his early work.
His use of sensual language and tendency to perceive
things in terms of tangible imagery took him away from the
prevailing metaphysical conventions.

11. Ode On The Morning of Christ’s Nativity (1629):
His first poem On the Morning of Christ's Nativity,
though marred by conceits and inequalities of style, is the
high watermark of lyric poetry in England.
In this poem Milton shows remarkable ability to
absorb diverse poetic influences but combines them all to
create a distinctly English Music.
The poem celebrates the Birth of Christ and it is
universally regarded as one of the most distinguished
lyrics in English for its splendid imagery and style that
beautifully lead to the “elevation of thought and grandeur
of conceptions.”

12.  On Shakespeare (1630):
 On Arriving at the age of Twenty Three
(1631):
These poems show Milton’s command
of impressive diction and his
high ideals both in literary
and religious aspects.

13.  L'Allegro, II Penseroso (1632):
These poems establish Milton as a poet f
“disciplined, classical sobriety.”
Two longish poems in octosyllabic couplets
(verses) dealing with the respective experiences of
the gay (cheerful) and thoughtful man.
The correspondences and contrasts between
“L’Allegro” and “Il Penseroso”—in themes,
images, structures, and even sounds—are
innumerable.

14. Essentially, Milton compares and contrasts two
impulses in human nature: the active and contemplative,
the social and solitary, the mirthful and melancholic, the
cheerful and meditative, the erotic (sensual) and Platonic
(spiritual).
The two are really complimentary, dividing all
legitimate pleasures into the public and private spheres.
Both give great prominence to music.
These poems embody Milton’s sense of music and
his exceptional talent for exploiting the rhythms and
sonorous (deep) qualities of language.

15. L'Allegro symbolizes the Joyful man, expressing
invocation to the goddess of Mirth to “allow the poet to
live with her amidst delights of music senses”.
II Penseroso symbolizes the Thoughtful man who
invokes the Goddess of Melancholy (sadness) to bless
him with Peace, Quite and Leisure.
The pieces are decorative rather than descriptive,
Artificial rather than natural but full of scholarly fancy
and skilful poetical phrasing.

16.  Comus (a masque) (1634):
It contains the rich mythological elements,
describing the magnificent scenes in which the
poet takes full delight.
In this work we see Milton’s new-found
convictions in the strength of virtue,
which going through several tests
emerged victorious and blessed.

17.  Lycidas (1637):
This is a pastoral elegy (lament) commemorating the death of his
college friend Edward King who was drowned on a voyage to Ireland.
This poem has been universally recognised as one among the most
precious treasures of English Literature.
In its varying moodswe see the interplay of doubt, fear, anger and
finally a peaceful reliance on the belief that true fame rests on God and is
only to be found in Heaven.
It is this underlying subject which gives the poem its passionate
sincerity.
This poem is the finest example of how a great theme, poetic
strength and complete sincerity can transform a supposedly dead conviction.
Lycidas remains one of the best poems ever written, embodying
professed artistic assertions of Milton’s supreme genius.

18. The Second Period (1640-1660)
• Most of Milton’s prose was written during this
period when he was busy with public affairs.
• He has written 25 pamphlets of which 21 are in
English and 4 in Latin. Milton mostly dealt with
political and social issues in England during those
times.
• These serve to enlighten on the social, economic
and political issues of puritan age.

19.  Of Reformation, Of Prelatical Episcopacy
(1641):
They speak of the changes in the Church of
England and criticize the hierarchical system in
ecclesiastical government and the origins and authority
of Episcopacy.
 Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce (1643)
When his wife deserted him he composed two
pamphlets on divorce which scandalized the public by
the freedom of their opinions and slashing nature of
their style.

20. Of Education (1644)
It portrays his opinion concerning the best
and the noblest way of education.
 Areopagitica (1644)
It is a noble and impassioned
plea for the liberty of Press.
A quotation from Areopagitica—"A good book is
the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, embalmed
and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life"

21.  The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates (1649)
In this he defends the right of people to execute a guilty sovereign.
He gives a theory of how people come into commonwealth and elect kings.
He explains what the role of a king should be and why it is necessary to
limit a ruler’s power through laws and oaths.
Later works include a defence (in Latin) of the execution of
Charles I and of other actions of the commonwealth Government.
In the Prose treatises his desire to achieve the fame of a great leader and
preacher of nations is expressed. These prose works offered him an
occasion to formulate most of his religious and spiritual ideas and
elaborate them.
During the last years of his life Milton partly completed History
of Britain and other scholastic works.

22. The Third Period (1660-1674)
This period gives us
the poetry of matured Milton.
This was the period when Milton suffered total
blindness; but produced three great works
Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained and Samson
Agonistes that represent the pinnacle of his
poetic attainment.

23. Paradise Lost (1667):
Milton composed his great piece of work
“Paradise Lost” (a magnum opus and an epic poem)
as a blind poet.
It was begun in1658 and issued in 1667. At first
it was divided into 10 books but in the second edition
it was divided into 12 books.

24.  In form it follows the strict unity of the classical epic.
An epic, according to the classical tradition, must
contain three elements of greatness, that is, great action,
great hero and great style. These three conditions are
fulfilled in the Paradise Lost.
• No great action than the fall of man is inconceivable.
• Again, no hero can be greater than the First man
created by God in His own image.
• And lastly, the style of Paradise Lost has all the
grandeur and greatness which the epic demands.

25.  In theme it deals with the fall of man.
 In conception the poem is spacious and commanding.
 It is sumptuously adorned with all the detail that Milton’s rich
imagination fed with classical and Biblical knowledge can suggest.
 The characters especially that of Lucifer are drawn on a gigantic
scale.
 The blank verse in which the work is composed is new and
wonderful and this has founded a tradition in English. It has been
imitated and modified but never paralleled.
 It is almost infinite in modulation and is instinct with beauty and
scholarly care

26. In "Paradise Lost", Milton produced the greatest English
poem. In this masterpiece, he revealed his intellectual energy and
creative power. The inspiration and the subject matter of the poem
come from Milton's Puritanism insist on Eternal Providence and
justify the ways of God to men.
In "Paradise Lost", Milton set forth the revolt of Satan
against God, the war in heaven, the fall of the rebel angels, the
creation of the world and man, the temptation of Eve and Adam,
and their expulsion from Eden.
Several critics are of the view that this poem reflects the
personal despair of Milton due to the failure of Revolution.

27. Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes
(1671):
In 1671 Milton issued his last volume of Poetry
which contained Paradise Regained and Samson
Agonistes.
Paradise Regained: Milton published, “Paradise
Regained” a sequel to “Paradise Lost”.
It tells of Christ’s temptation and victory. Milton
hoped that it would surpass the
former but in this his hopes were dashed.

28. Samson Agonistes tells of
Samson’s death while he was a prisoner
of the Philistines. It has a curious interest
because in the Biblical hero Milton saw
more than one resemblance to himself.
In form the work has the strict unity of time, place
and action universal in Greek tragedy.
In style it is bleak and bare, in places harsh and
forbidding but in several places Milton’s stubborn soul is
wrung with pity and exalted by the hope that looks beyond.

29. Conclusion:
As a poet Milton is not a great innovator but rather he
refined and made perfect. Every form he acquires a finality
of grace and dignity.
The Epic, the ode, the classical drama, the sonnet, the
masque, and the elegy- his achievements in these have never
been bettered and seldom approached.
His hand and temper were firm enough to gather into one
system the wavering tendencies of poetry and to give them
sureness, accuracy and variety.