John Milton Bibliography

John Milton (1608 – 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and civil servant for the Commonwealth 

of England under its Council of State and later under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious flux and 

political upheaval, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), written in blank 

Poetry

• Lycidas (1638)

• Poems (1645)

• Paradise Lost (1667)

• Paradise Regained (1671)

• Samson Agonistes (1671)

Drama

• Arcades (1632)

• Comus (1634)

Non-Fiction

• Of Reformation Touching Church Discipline in England (1641)

• The Reason of Church Government Urged Against Prelaty (1642)

• The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce (1643)

• Areopagitica (1644)

• Of Education (1644)

• The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates (1649)

• A Treatise of Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Causes (1659)

Development of Milton’s Mind and Art

Introduction

There were three stages in the development of Milton's poetic genius. In the first stage come all the early 

poems up to Lycidas. After this stage he wrote mostly prose except for most of his sonnets. It was at the final 

stage that some of his best works were produced. Some of his best poetry like Paradise Lost Paradise 

Regamed and Samson Agonistes are the product of this stage of Milton's development.

Ode on the Nativity of Christ is one of the early poems of Milton which shows unmistakable signs of his 

poetical genius. It is in this ode that we are exposed to a mind that is alert, varied and rich in fancy and 

imagination. We are assured, after going through this poem, of Milton's future poetical attainments.

Perfection of Form

The early Milton had an impression of Spenser on him. However, his keen love for beauty is at one with the 

Elizabethan poets. But Milton at the same time respected the classical conventions and did not rely entirely on 

inspiration to which the Elizabethans gave great importance. The strong intellectuality which is to be found in 

his earlier poetry is nevertheless "touched with a glow and beauty of the receding romantic color, emotion

and vital intentions" (Shri Aurobindo). There is no doubt that the blending of greatness and beauty is hard to 

find in any other English writer.

Love for Beauty

The lighter and more fanciful aspect of Milton's genius can be seen in his earlier poems. His love for beauty is 

best revealed in these poems. Poems like Allegro and Penseroso possess the charm of youth and there is a 

freshness about them that is uniquely Miltonic. Grierson has this to say of Milton's early poetry: "Of the 

wonderful richness and perfection of the art there can be no question. As I have said elsewhere, Keats' fine 

Odes are almost the only poems that give the same sense of sensuous and imaginative richness and perfection 

of form that is capable of evolution and changing but always as appropriate cadences."

The Use of Blank Verse

The quality of word music in Milton's poetry is of a special kind. His Lycidas when read aloud can make the 

reader feel its blended harmony. There is not the least trait of monotony in it. Milton was master in the use of 

proper names and though Lycidas is composed in a meter different from blank verse the cadence and music of 

the epic and elegiac poems have a striking affinity to each other.

Milton's use of the blank verse was equally masterful. The use of the "verse paragraph" in his Comus was 

regarded as a great contribution to the poetic art in English. This poem shows Milton's originality to a great 

extent.

The Sonnets

In the second stage of his development, Milton wrote mostly prose and a few sonnets. This handful of sonnets 

show a stateliness of manner and great dignity which is rarely equaled in English poetry. But all in all this was a 

period in which Milton had gone we might say, perhaps in a stage of "poetical hibernation." There was no 

marked development in his art. It was primarily a period of political pamphleteering and the mind of our poet 

seems to be fully occupied and excited by the heart of the controversy.

The Last Poems: 

Sublime, Incomparable and Complete in Majesty

The final phase of Milton's poetic career shows the maturity of his poetic powers. His puritanical background 

matured him into a serious and meditative sort of person. Paradise Lost (1667) is remarkable for the fusion of 

the two important elements - the Hellenic and the Hebraic, the Renaissance and the Reformation. The great 

story of the fall of man is matched by an appropriate style rising to great heights of sublimity. The variety and 

contrasts of character, scenes and ideas were exploited by the poet to compose an epic which the world will 

not willingly let die.

Paradise Regained (1671) shows the dominance of the Hebraic element. However, Milton's world is three-fold; 

the medieval, the Renaissance and the Puritan; and it is noteworthy how he has been able to harmonies them.

Samson Agonistes (1671) on the other hand is a kind of classical tragedy depicting conflict in the soul of the 

hero. Critics have identified Samson with the poet and like him he has been pushed to the wall. The poet's 

faith in God, however, remains unshaken.

Conclusion

Thus, we see that there is a marked progress in Milton's poetical genius. The later Milton is far superior to the 

earlier Milton. Yet all the poems reflect the personality of the poet and show his classical and puritanical bent 

of mind. His experiments in versification and his skillful use of figures of speech not only show his originality 

but also secure to him a niche in the mansion of English Poetry.