John Milton was a British poet, polemicist, and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under its Council of State and later under Oliver Cromwell. He is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost, which is considered one of the greatest works of literature in the English language.
Milton was born in London in 1608, the son of a scrivener. He received a classical education at St. Paul's School and Christ's College, Cambridge, and went on to become a prolific writer and intellectual. In addition to his poetry, Milton wrote numerous prose works on a variety of subjects, including politics, religion, and education.
Milton was a strong advocate for civil and religious liberty and was actively involved in the political debates of his day. He supported the Puritan cause and was a vocal critic of the monarchy and the Church of England. In 1649, he published a pamphlet called "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates," in which he argued that it was the right of the people to depose a tyrannical ruler. This was seen as a justification for the execution of King Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth of England.
Milton's most famous work, Paradise Lost, was published in 1667. The poem tells the story of the fall of man, as described in the Bible's Book of Genesis. Milton's portrayal of Satan as a tragic hero has made the poem highly influential and controversial.
Milton was also a strong advocate for education and wrote extensively on the subject. His work "Of Education" is considered one of the earliest and most influential treatises on the subject. In it, he argued that education should be broad and comprehensive, rather than solely focused on the acquisition of practical skills.
Milton's work has had a lasting impact on literature and culture. His portrayal of Satan in Paradise Lost has influenced countless works of literature, and his ideas on education continue to be studied and debated to this day. Despite his controversial views, Milton is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language.
John Milton
With the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Milton was forced into hiding, with a warrant out for his arrest and orders for all his writings to be burned. The last three lines concluding with "They also serve who only stand and wait" are particularly well known, though rarely in context. ADVERTISEMENTS: From his concept of liberty and individualism can be deduced his attitude to religion and church-state relation. His doctrine is, that he who eats or eats not, regards a day, or regards it not, may doe either to the Lord. He resolves to make his next job his last and, then, perhaps, he can start to make amends for everything that he has done. About The Milton Reading Room From its beginnings in the spring of 1997, The Milton Reading Room has been a project of collaboration between me, Thomas Luxon Professor of English at Dartmouth College , and my students.
Yet when the new light which we beg for shines in upon us, there be who envy, and oppose, if it come not first in at their casements. The temple of Janus with his two controversal faces might now not unsignificantly be set open. Retrieved 24 September 2021. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.
And if the men be erroneous who appear to be the leading schismaticks, what witholds us but our sloth, our self-will, and distrust in the right cause, that we doe not give them gentle meeting and gentle dismissions, that we debate not and examin the matter throughly with liberall and frequent audience; if not for their sakes, yet for our own? Delirious Milton: The Fate of the Poet in Modernity. Thanks to his connections and reputation from Engraving of John Milton, circa 1887. By the time he wrote Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained Milton was blind. Milton held the appointment of Secretary for Foreign Tongues to the Commonwealth Council of State until 1660, although after he had become totally blind, most of the work was done by his deputies, By 1652, Milton had become totally blind; On His Blindness", is presumed to date from this period. Those which otherwise come forth, if they be found mischievous and libellous, the fire and the executioner will be the timeliest and the most effectuall remedy, that mans prevention can use. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1899. Bright Essence: Studies in Milton's Theology University of Utah, 1971.
There I at once became the friend of many gentlemen eminent in rank and learning, whose private academies I frequented—a Florentine institution which deserves great praise not only for promoting humane studies but also for encouraging friendly intercourse. Sullivan, 'Milton and the Beginning of Civil Service', in Literature in the Public Service 2013 , Ch. With the connections from Florence, Milton was able to have easy access to Rome's intellectual society. I know they are as lively, and as vigorously productive, as those fabulous Dragons teeth; and being sown up and down, may chance to spring up armed men. A sense of history mattered greatly to him: The course of human history, the immediate impact of the civil disorders, and his own traumatic personal life, are all regarded by Milton as typical of the predicament he describes as "the misery that has bin since Adam". The Influence of Milton on English Poetry. He supported himself as a schoolmaster and wrote tracts advocating for the reform of the university system.
This order failed to receive his support. . . Access date: 13 January 2017". Milton's daughters survived to adulthood, but he always had a strained relationship with them.
A lawyer and politician, he was the governor of Florida through much of the Civil War, being a strong supporter of secession, as well as a slave owner. People must have the right to select their rulers or which may be called magistrates. An orthodox Presbyterian view of the time was that Milton's views on divorce constituted a one-man The fervently Presbyterian Even here, though, his originality is qualified: Milton wrote during a period when thoughts about divorce were anything but simplistic; rather, there was active debate among thinkers and intellectuals at the time. Paradise Lost was a "beautiful and grand curiosity", but his own unfinished attempt at epic poetry, Paradise Lost. . He also wrote several books on republican ideas. The major premise of his libertarian doctrine was the ancient postulate of natural freedom and natural rights.
Special Collections and Archives holds a variety of Milton's major works, including Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, L'Allegro, and Il Penseroso. The first version, published in 1667, contained ten books. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1942. The World Turned Upside Down: Radical Ideas During the English Revolution. By making law the supreme authority in the Commonwealth Milton has ruled out the importance of divine right theory.
He himself considered the rhymeless quality of Paradise Lost to be an extension of his own personal liberty: This neglect then of Rhime. The public authority is created by the people unitedly for this purpose. David Armitage, Armand Himy, and Quentin Skinner Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. Retrieved 4 January 2010. Michael Foretells the Crucifixion, Milton was not the first to write an epic poem on a Christian theme.
