Poems of Milton Summary

The main characters are Samson, his father Manoa, and Samson's wife Dalila.
There is also a chorus. A chorus is a Greek dramatic convention, which uses a

group of people who are outside the main action to comment on it.
The biblical Samson is a man of superhuman strength whose Achilles' heel is

actually his . . . hair. The drama takes place after Samson's wife Dalila has cut his
hair, robbing him of his strength. He's imprisoned in Gaza, blinded by his enemies
the Philistines. In this drama, Samson finds himself at his lowest point. He's been
betrayed by his wife, thrown in prison, and blinded. The chorus, visiting him in
prison, doesn't help matters, lamenting the strong man's self-pitying state.
Next, Samson's elderly father Manoa comes to prison and tells him that the
Philistines are celebrating a feast day in commemoration of their defeat of Samson,
which depresses him even more. Manoa has money for his son's ransom, but he
can't seem to snap Samson out of his depression.
Next, Samson's wife Dalila visits him, weeping and apologizing for her betrayal.
While Samson eventually forgives her, he wants nothing more to do with her.
Harapha of Gath, a giant, ridicules Samson in prison. Samson challenges him to

combat, citing God as his strength, but Harapha balks. Samson derides him as a
coward, and Harapha runs off.
The story's climax comes with off-stage violence. Samson goes off to show his
feats of strength in the Philistines' festival. His father returns to the prison with the
ransom money, and a messenger describes what has happened. Samson, led
docilely to the Philistines' Temple, the main arena for the festival, pulls the
building down around himself killing his enemies and dying in the process.
Composed in 1645, this poem is a companion piece to Milton's 'Il Penseroso',

which focuses on more sober aspects of life. Companion poems are two or more
poems that complement each other, usually by showing some kind of contrast.
'L'Allegro' was published in a collection titled The Poems of John Milton, Both
English and Latin.
Throughout the poem, the speaker directs his words to various Greek gods and
personifications. He begins by telling Melancholy to leave him alone and go bother
the Cimmerians, a people who dwell in unending darkness. After all, spring is a
time to banish darkness. He then calls on Euphrosyne, a goddess of joy. The
speaker asks her to bring him happiness and all it entails, such as smiles and nods.
The day breaks bright and cheerful around him--the sun rises and people start their
day.
As he watches the people, the speaker imagines their idyllic small town lives. For
instance, a group of shepherds counting their sheep catches his eye, and he
imagines that they're telling stories as they guard their flocks. Each villager or bit
of nature the speaker's eye falls on is seen through his euphoria. Some of the sights
include meadows full of flowers, cloud-covered mountains, and people telling
stories over ale.
Then, the speaker shifts to life to city
Milton considers melancholy so important to the production of poetry that he

imagines it as a goddess - one so radiant that human senses can't detect her true
form (lns 13-14). Instead, we see her characterized as having dark skin and clothed
in black. In a style befitting the Classical predecessors whom he imitates, Milton
next lays out Melancholy's divine lineage, claiming her to be the daughter of the
Roman hearth goddess Vesta and her father Saturn, who had connections to the
element lead.
Having provided some background information on the goddess, Milton next

invokes Melancholy, asking her to come to him in her usual subdued demeanor
and dress (lns 31-44). He also requests that she bring with her some other
attendants that are helpful in the poet's work: Peace, Quiet, Fasting, Contemplation,
Silence, and the Muses, of course.
Milton then imagines all of the dark, secluded places where he and his company
can ponder the mysteries of astrology, alchemy, and philosophy (lns 77-96) - all of
which would have been viewed as material for poetry. However, Milton identifies
some other sources of inspiration in the personification of Tragedy, as well as in
the works of dead poets, both mythological and real (like Orpheus, Chaucer).
In the most extensive section of Il Penseroso, Milton elaborates on an imagined

encounter with Melancholy in a sacred grove, typical of those envisioned by many
other poets past and since (lns 131-166). Here, he is also visited by Dream and the
Guardian of the Wood, who endow him with vivid mental images that he will
undoubtedly use in his work.
In the end, the poetic narrator gladly accepts Melancholy's asceticism - a lifestyle
distinguished by commonly severe self-discipline, including seclusion and an
aversion to pleasure. He consents to life as a hermit in exchange for the profound
effect contemplation has on his work.
Synopsis of 'Lycidas'
Have you ever heard a setting or situation described as 'idyllic?' Maybe it was a
secluded farm or some representation of country living. Either way, this descriptor
is taken from the term idyll. An idyll is basically a really peaceful, happy scene,
usually in a pastoral area, like a quaint farm or spiritually serene natural spot. At
only 193 lines, 'Lycidas', a poem by John Milton, is certainly shorter than some of
his other work, but like Paradise Lost and others, it's nonetheless filled with dense
metaphors and highly referential imagery.
Comparing them to fruit-bearing vines, Milton invokes the Muses in the poem's
first two stanzas, quickly and firmly establishing the Classical Greco-Roman
tradition his work operates in. The invocation begins his remembrance of time
spent at school with his friend, for whose passing this idyll, identifying the friend
as the shepherd, Lycidas, is meant to be 'some melodious tear.' Quickly following
this brief recollection, Milton conjures the image of blighted flowers to represent
the untimely passing of his schoolmate.
Milton's old school chum was also apparently a poet. Milton spends the next two
stanzas questioning how the art of poetry, symbolized by Nymphs and Muses,
could have possibly saved his friend from his fate. Milton acknowledges that
literary prowess may bring one notoriety, but he insists that the real, enduring fame
is that which comes through recognition of one's good life in Heaven.
Seeing as how his friend was drowned at sea, Milton next ties in references to
ancient rivers to the testimony of the Roman sea-god Neptune, who claims no
responsibility for the loss, but instead blames it on the shoddy construction of the
friend's ship. Then a representation of the River Cam continues the watery
allusions as it comes to mourn the passing of its former pledge.
Milton shifts gears at this point in the poem, but maintains the water imagery to
bridge the subject matter. By mentioning 'The Pilot of the Galilean lake,' i.e. St.
Peter, Milton launches into an allegorical description of the Catholic Church and
the empty spiritual promises it holds for its congregations.
Next, in the poem's longest stanza, Milton quickly returns to the task of mourning
his lost friend, and even implores flowers associated with mourning or seemingly
decked in funeral attire, speckled with black, to decorate his friend's funerary
procession. In this case, that would mean accompanying the body to wherever the
sea would take it, the mention of which gives Milton another opportunity to deride
the Catholics with an allusion toward protection from Spanish influence.
Using an allegory of sunset over water, Milton asserts that, like the next day's
sunrise, his drowned friend will be renewed through his true faith in Christ. Since
Lycidas is headed to a better afterlife, the poem's closing lines call for an end to
lamentation, and Milton ends his work with a reprisal of the sun allegory in which
the fiery orb has found 'pastures new.'
Analysis of 'Lycidas'
As an idyll, Milton's 'Lycidas' belongs to the ancient poetic tradition of pastoral poetry, a type
of poetry that presents an idealized and tranquil vision of the country life. Throughout the work,
Milton uses images and themes repurposed from the pastoral works of Classical authors like
Theocritus or Vergil. For example, the poem's title is a reference to a popular recurring pastoral
character. This lends his own sense of foundation to the time-honored tradition of allegorically
representing the art of poetry through a shepherd's interaction with nature in his rural life.

Poems of Milton Summary

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The main characters are Samson, his father Manoa, and Samson's wife Dalila.

There is also a chorus. A chorus is a Greek dramatic convention, which uses a

The biblical Samson is a man of superhuman strength whose Achilles' heel is

Harapha of Gath, a giant, ridicules Samson in prison. Samson challenges him to

Composed in 1645, this poem is a companion piece to Milton's 'Il Penseroso',

Then, the speaker shifts to life to city

Milton considers melancholy so important to the production of poetry that he

Having provided some background information on the goddess, Milton next

In the most extensive section of Il Penseroso, Milton elaborates on an imagined

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