John Milton Questions and Answers
John Milton
What was John Milton's contribution to English literature?
John Milton is arguably the premier epic poet of English literature. Paradise Lost was Milton's attempt to craft an epic for the Protestant Christian world just as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and...
John Milton
Discuss Milton as a sonneteer.
In the estimation of most literary critics and scholars, John Milton is generally regarded as a minor sonneteer. He wrote only twenty-three sonnets that we know of, the number of which pales into...
John Milton
Do you think John Milton is a metaphysical poet?
The Metaphysical movement, which is said to have begun at the start of the seventeenth century (1600s), preceded and overlapped John Milton's writing career as he was born in 1608 and some of his...
John Milton
How would you analyse the poem "Evening in Paradise" by John Milton? What literary devices appear in it?
"Evening in Paradise" is from the epic poem Paradise Lost written by John Milton. In summary, the poem describes the approach of evening and the animals settling in for the night—except for the...
John Milton
How did John Milton impact the Renaissance era?
Milton's impact on English literature overall did not really occur until after his death. By this time the period we label "the Renaissance," even in its broadest sense, was over. When Paradise...
John Milton
Write a short note about John Milton.
John Milton is most famous today as the epic poet who published Paradise Lost, which traces the fall of Man. In addition to his work as a poet—and he was among the most important poets in the...
John Milton
What does 'ere half my days' mean, in terms of years?
This line is not from Paradise Lost, but from his sonnet known as "On His Blindness." Milton was born in 1608. He penned "On His Blindness" around 1655. (He was completely blind by 1660.) The...
John Milton
What was John Milton's religious affiliation?
Milton's official affiliation for most of his life was with the Church of England. But he lived during a time of profound religious ferment. Having separated from the Catholic Church a century...
John Milton
Identify some of the main features of English Renaissance that were to influence Milton's poetic work.
The English Renaissance was a historical period that roughly spanned the years 1500-1660. What marked this period as distinct from where it emerged from was a change in the perspective of human...
John Milton
What does this passage mean and what is the significance? "New Presbyter is but Old Priest writ Large.” —John Milton
Although a staunch supporter of the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War, Milton was nonetheless deeply unhappy with some of the political developments taking place under the new...
John Milton
Describe the purpose and context of the following words written by John Milton in the mid-1600's: "Who kills a man...
The English writer John Milton penned these words in a self-published pamphlet entitled Areopagitica, which appeared in 1644 as a vociferous argument against Parliament's Licensing Order of 1643,...
John Milton
Discuss features of the English Renaissance that influenced John Milton's poetic work and life.
The English Renaissance brought changes that influenced people and how they viewed the world. After the death of Elizabeth I and James I, who were both great supporters of the arts of the...
John Milton
Why can it be said that Milton does not represent but dominates his age? [Milton's] was a more general education than...
One indicator of why Milton can be said to have dominated his age is the language that we use today that was coined (i.e., originated) by Milton yet sounds modern and contemporary. Milton coined...
John Milton
What does it mean to say that "Milton does not represent but dominates his Age"?
The theory that ‘John Milton does not represent , but dominates his age’ may be a reference to the idea that the poet was a groundbreaker and a way-paver rather than a poet who fitted in with the...
John Milton
What did Johnson say about Milton's political ideology?
According to Walter Jackson Bate, author of Samuel Johnson, Johnson, an Anglican, disliked Milton's Puritanism. Bate writes that Johnson included in his Life of Milton "a vein of antagonism... to...
John Milton
Which of the two poems "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso" more accurately represents Milton's personal view and why?
The two poems of "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso" where mirth and melancholy are compared and contrasted, and it is clear that the poems are meant to be read together as each features a speaker who...
John Milton
Both the Son (in Paradise Regained) and Samson (in Samson Agonistes) claim an internal motivation for their actions....
In Paradise Regained, the Son is tempted by Satan with promises of worldly power. Through his rejection of Satan's promises, the Son comes to greater self-knowledge regarding his purpose as the...
John Milton
How is the licensing ordinance of 1643 used as a form of censorship, like killing reason, and thus like killing the...
The Parliamentary licensing order of June 14, 1643 forbade the printing, binding, stitching, or sale of any "Book, Pamphlet, paper, nor part of any such Book, Pamphlet, or paper" without first...
John Milton
Discuss Christian themes in "On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough."
The Christian theme in John Milton's poem “On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough” is that the soul's joy in heaven ultimately takes priority over man's earthly existence. Milton may lament...
John Milton
What essays did Milton write?
Aside from poetry, Milton also wrote prose. His prose works include essays, treatises, tracts and pamphlets that often reflect his social, political, and religious beliefs and opinions. Among his...
John Milton
"Milton is our only great poet in whom the ideals of the Renaissance and of Puritanism are an equal passion."...
The Renaissance is a period of history that relates to a fundamental change in the way that man began to think about the universe. It indicated a shift from more medieval ways of thinking about the...
John Milton
I am searching for historical facts regarding John Milton, including his birth, childhood, literary achievements,...
John Milton is regarded as one of the greatest writers of all time. I will be happy to provide you with some details regarding his life. More information is available at the at the reference links...
John Milton
Was Milton a critic?
It depends what kind of critic you mean. If you're asking whether Milton was a literary critic, then the answer is no, as literary criticism as we understand it today didn't really exist in...
John Milton
What are three reasons I should be interested to meet John Milton?
Milton wrote about the most critical issues facing human beings, believed in freedom of thought, and is considered to be one of the most important writers in the English language. One reason why it...
John Milton
I need help on some notes of John Milton, a brief bio, genre of his work, and Classical examples that employ that...
John Milton (1608-1674) is best remembered for his epic poem, Paradise Lost, and is considered one of England's greatest writers. A scholar fluent in at least three languages, he served as an...
John Milton
In Of Education, what are the specific aspects of education Milton is focusing on and why?
In his 1644 short treatise Of Education, Milton argues that education is necessary in order to achieve two main goals. The first one is to prepare the children to become responsible, knowledgeable,...
John Milton
How would I discuss the treatment of faith and loss in Milton’s Sonnets XV and XVI, Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’...
Lets look at how form is instrumental to imparting mood and idea in a work: convey: to communicate (a message, information, etc); to communicate; impart; make known (Collins and Random House...