A Brief Comment on John Milton's Samson Agonistes
温州师范学院98英专⑴班 李节和
[Abstract] Milton, a great English poet, was a whole man, integrated in both his
art and his life, and political in highest sense in both. Samson Agonistes was
the last great creation of his old age. Samson was an ancient Israeli hero of
the Old Testament. Milton and Samson had some same characters. Though they all
became blind later, they kept their faith, still fought for the freedom bravely.
In my opinion, Samson was Milton himself.
[Key Words] Milton Samson Situations Freedom Success
Introduction
The 17th century was one of the most tempestuous periods in English history. It
was called the Period of Revolution and Restoration . Milton lived from 1608 to
1674. There were three main periods among Milton's whole life. Milton spent the
first years of his life as a student and academic. In the second period of his
life, he virtually ceased to write poetry, political writing, taking up most of
his time. The third period in his life dates from 1660-74. Deprived of political
work and influence, he created three great works Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained
and Samson Agonistes. Samson Agonistes was Milton's last work. It based on the
biblical story of Samson, the champion of Israel, who just liked Milton himself,
passed his last days in darkness. The more we study Samson Agonistes, the more
we'll know Milton. This paper tries to analyze the similarities between Samson
and Milton.
Conclusion
To sum up, the article analyzes the Samson Agonistes, one of Milton's great works.
To some degrees, Samson was Milton himself, who was longing for sight and freedom
in the whole life. So Milton was a brave fighter for the Revolution. Even he got
blind, he still went on fighting by using his own pen.
Bibliography:
1.Wuweiren, 1999, History and Anthology of English Literature, No.1, Foreign Language
Teaching and Research Press, Page142-145, Page152-158
2.Martin Stephen, English Literature, Longman Group Limited 1986, Page129-141
3.Annette T. Rubinstein,1969, The Great Tradition in English Literature from Shakespeare
to Shaw, No.1, Modern reader Paperbacks New York and London, Page121-163
4.蒂里亚德 等(著),殷宝书(选编),1992,《弥尔顿评论集》,外文文学研究资料丛书
5.Holy Bible, Judges13-16, China Christian Council, 2000