History of john milton

John Milton December 9, — November 8, was an English poet, pamphleteer, and, most enduringly, author of what is widely considered the greatest epic poem in the English language , Paradise Lost An outspoken defender of religious and civil rights, Milton also published influential tracts supporting the overthrow of Charles I and the establishment of the Puritan-influenced English Commonwealth.

Composed by dictation after Milton became blind, Paradise Lost relates the story of the biblical Fall of Man : It begins with the story of the archangel Lucifer's rebellion in Heaven, his defeat at the hands of God, and his imprisonment along with his fellow fallen angels in Hell, where he becomes Satan the fiery prince of demons. The poem goes on to depict the temptation of Adam and Eve , and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden , all the while defending theological positions on predestination, free will, and engaging with political ideas of tyranny, liberty and justice.

Significantly, the central role of lust and seduction is evident in the action of the fall. Satan laments that in hell "there is neither joy nor love, but fierce desire," an allusion to his sexual frustration. Though given to grandiose, cosmic justifications for his despicable behavior, Satan's true motivation for escaping hell and perverting paradise is, at least partly, basic human lust, burning with perverted intensity.

A defender of the Puritanism, Milton published a series of pamphlets critical of the Church of England and, later, in support of the execution of Charles I, in which he argued that the citizenry have the right to depose and punish tyrants. Though morally austere, Milton took some unconventional stands in conflict with Puritan values.

In "The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce" , composed after his young wife had deserted him, Milton scandalized English society by arguing that the chaste were more likely to find themselves "chained unnaturally together" in unhappy marriages than those who had had a more experienced youth.

John milton famous works

Milton is considered one of the most learned of English poets, having a fluent command of Latin , Greek , Hebrew, and Old English. The influences of these ancient languages infused Milton's poetry with a unique and sometimes frustratingly complicated syntax. Although Milton's poetry is sometimes derided for being too difficult and arid—T. Eliot claimed that Milton's earlier sensuousness had been "withered by book-learning"—the poet's enormous influence on English verse cannot be underestimated.

Hundreds of years after his death it is Milton, not Shakespeare , who is considered the quintessential poet of England. To this day, any poet writing in English who attempts the epic genre must contend with the voice of Milton. John Milton's eponymous father c.