L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas

by John Milton

It is a spectacular collection of poems and songs in which Milton's particular dramatic and natural chic is evident. The poetry is effervescent as it is spontaneous gush of thoughts, rhythmic and the lyrical measures delight the reader and bound him to read till it ends.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, British Literature, Fiction, Drama, Literature, School

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

People best know John Milton, English scholar, for Paradise Lost , the epic poem of 1667 and an account of fall of humanity from grace.

Beelzebub, one fallen angel in Paradise Lost, of John Milton, lay in power next to Satan.

Belial, one fallen angel, rebelled against God in Paradise Lost of John Milton.


John Milton, polemicist, man of letters, served the civil Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote in blank verse at a time of religious flux and political upheaval.

Prose of John Milton reflects deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. He wrote in Latin, Greek, and Italian and achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644) in condemnation of censorship before publication among most influential and impassioned defenses of free speech and the press of history.

William Hayley in biography of 1796 called and generally regarded John Milton, the "greatest ... author," "as one of the preeminent writers in the ... language," though since his death, critical reception oscillated often on his republicanism in the centuries. Samuel Johnson praised, "with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the ... mind," though he, a Tory and recipient of royal patronage, described politics of Milton, an "acrimonious and surly republican."

Because of his republicanism, centuries of British partisanship subjected John Milton.

Reviews

[Stifynsemons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poetry, oh no, my rating is low (2-ish)

Yet Milton's shorter poetry does have some appeal even to barbarians like me. I think I understand Iambic Pentameter and Blank Verse now.

The drawback is that it is hard to follow (well 17th century spelling is atrocious by modern standards). But the rhythm is enjoyable. Of these, I liked Lycidas the best, and Comus second; his rewriting of some of the Psalms were interesting, but I detested his substitution of 'Why do the nations rage' from Psalms 2 with 'Why do the Gentiles tumult'. Perhaps excessive listening to the Messiah has predisposed some level of intolerance here.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Such sights as youthful poets dream
On summer eves by haunted stream.
Then to the well-trod stage anon,
If Jonson's learned sock be on,
Or sweetest Shakespeare, Fancy's child,
Warble his native wood-notes wild.
And ever against eating cares,
Lap me in soft Lydian airs,
Married to immortal verse."

"Or let my lamp at midnight hour,
Be seen in some high lonely tow'r,
Where I may oft out-watch the Bear,
With thrice great Hermes, or unsphere
The spirit of Plato, to unfold
What worlds, or what vast regions hold
The immortal mind that hath forsook
Her mansion in this fleshly nook"

[Scott Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't quite grasp L'Allegro, which makes me feel a bit clueless. However, Il Penseroso suited my taste more, so perhaps I'm just sophisticatedly clueless.

The illustrations by William Blake make this book a fantastic addition to our library.

[John Yelverton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just didn't like it. There was nothing which horrendously jumped out at me, but I just did not like this book.

[Hunter Guiton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for Milton's companion poems, but I was also fascinated by Lycidas. If you do not understand the style Milton is using, these poems will easily lose you. However, the contrast between happiness and melancholy as states we must occupy at different times in our lives is brilliant. Lycidas (an elegy written for Edward King) has elements of both beauty and sadness for a topic that stretches far beyond the mere death of his friend. Though it took time to parse, I was inspired by Milton's work in this collection.

[Shahna · Rating 2 out of 5]

booooorrrrring

[Gracie Covington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic if you actually put in the work to truly read it

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outside of my comfort zone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. This edition was intended for classroom use and thus is well explained, entertaining, concise, and overall a great way to read Milton.

[Ælfric Miltonson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lycidas and IL Penseroso are particularly good. Even outside of his major works, Milton's genius is obvious.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Specifically regarding "Lycidas", a composition by Milton in honor of a fellow student at Cambridge, Edward King, who drowned while on a very short sea voyage, it is sometimes hard to distinguish whether Milton is praising King, praising himself through writing the work, attacking the clergy of the period, or (probably most likely) all of the above.

[Samadrita]

Only Comus remains to be read in entirety.

[John Redmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milton is great; there's just no two ways about it.