What This Collection Is
This collection spans from Milton's early academic exercises to the massive epics of his later years. It begins with 'Miscellaneous Poems' like the 'Nativity Ode' and 'Lycidas', alongside sonnets addressing political figures like Cromwell and Fairfax. The center of gravity is 'Paradise Lost', a twelve-book account of the war in Heaven and the expulsion from Eden, followed by its shorter sequel, 'Paradise Regain'd'. The volume concludes with 'Samson Agonistes', a closet drama patterned after Greek tragedy. Readers typically begin with the first two books of 'Paradise Lost' to witness the construction of Pandemonium before exploring the lighter pastoral songs of 'L'Allegro' and 'Il Penseroso'.
Figures & speakers
- Adam
The first man who wakes to a world of 'temperat vapors'. (in “Paradise Lost”)
- Hobson
A Cambridge carrier whose death is blamed on his forced retirement. (in “ON THE UNIVERSITY CARRIER”)
- Raphael
A divine messenger sent to render man 'inexcusable' through warning. (in “Paradise Lost”)
- Constantine
A historical emperor criticized for the 'ill' caused by church wealth. (in “COLLECTION OF PASSAGES”)
What it's really about
- Divine Justice
- Justifying the ways of God to men through cosmic history.
- Blindness
- Internal light compensating for the loss of physical sight.
Why it's memorable
- Fallen spirits tearing up rocks and hills in Hell to ride the air in whirlwinds.
- The Swan rowing her state with oarie feet across silver lakes during the creation.
Where it lands
The collection concludes with the dramatic fall of the Philistine temple and the scholarly appendices regarding Milton's original spelling.
For your book club
- The shift in tone from the playful 'Hobson' epitaphs to the grim gravity of the epics.
- How Milton uses the Sonnet form to address specific 17th-century political and personal grievances.