The Age of Milton

Literary features:-

(a) During this period, it is clearly apparent the decline of Elizabethan standards in several ways- (1) the fashion of shorter poems, especially the lyrics of a peculiar type. (2) Decay in the high poetical arduous.

(b)This age has few great writers among Milton stands the very great. His prose is among the finest controversial writing and his poetic achievements are considered to be second to that of Shakespeare.

(c) There is a group of poets who have the influence of Donne called the "Metaphysical Poets" by Dr Johnson. Their poems are full of imagery and striking conceits, revealing great psychological insight and delicacy of thought development. It includes poets like- Crashaw, Georg Herbert, Vaughan, and Marvell.

(d) There is another group of poets called "The Cavalier Poets". They dealt with the theme of Love. Henerck, Lovelace, and Suckling represent this group.

(e) Prose made an expansion in the age. The output was excellent and there was a notable advance in seroman. But drama collapsed in this age. 

John Milton (1608-1674) was born in Bradstreet, Cheapside, London, England, Jason of money-scrivener, educated at St. Paul's School, London and at Cambridge. At university, he was sent down for a term because of his stubbornness, ill-temperedness, and insubordination. He refused to enter the church. Poetry, Mathematics, and Music were his main studies. In 1938, he met many scholars and literary men in Italy during his continent tour.

He was an active supporter of the parliamentary. In 1943, he married but soon his wife left him for two years and this unfortunate occurrence forced him to write two pamphlets on divorce. In 1964, he was appointed secretary for foreign tongue by the Commonwealth Government. He retore an obscure village in Buckinghamshire to write poetry. He died and was buried in London. 

His works:-

(1) Prose- a large number of Milton's prose was written during 1640-1660; the middle period of his life. At this time he was also busy with public affairs. His prose has a usual interest. One of his prose works is "Of Education" (1644) at the same time he published one of his greatest tracts "Arcopagitica" in 1644; it is a notable and earnest plea for the liberty of the press. He began pamphleteering at the time when he was engaged in a lively controversy with Bishop Hall over episcopacy. In 1643 and 1644 he wrote two pamphlets on divorce that horrify the public. During the last years of his life, he partially completed the "History of Britain".

As far as his prose style is concerned. They are characterized by strong and conflicting emotions and disorder. voluble, violent and lax in style. they reveal intense zeal and pugnacity. They lack humour.

(2) Poetry- Milton's poetry was written during two periods separated from each other by twenty years: (a) the period of his university career and his stay at Horton, from 1629 to 1640. (b) the last year of his life, from 1660 to 1674.

(a) At university, Milton began to compose poems of remarkable maturity which shoe his impressive diction and high ideas. These poems are- "Ode on the Morning of Christ's Nativity" (1629), "On Shakespeare" (1630), and "On Arriving at the Age of Twenty-three" (1631). At Harton, he composed two long poems in octasyllabic copulates that deal with specific experiences of the gay and thoughtful man. These two poems are- "L'Allegero" and "Il Penseroso". His other works are- "Comus" (1634), and "Lycidas" (1637) an elegy for his friend Edward King. It is also his one of highest achievements.

(b) The period from 1660-1674 gives poetry of a mature kind. The great works of this period are-"Paradise Lost" (begun in 1658 and published in 1667). In the beginning, it had ten parts but its second edition was re-divided into twelve parts. It deals with the fall of man. 

In 1671 Milton issued "Paradise Regained" and "Samson Agonistes".

Milton also composed sonnets during the time between these two periods. His best sonnets are- "On his Blindness" and "On the late Massacre in Piedmont".