John Milton and His Time Lecturer, Betül ALTAŞ
The English poet second after Shakespeare is John Milton. He wrote short poems and mainly prose. One of his notebooks includes pieces taken from eight writers: Greek, Latin, English, French and Italian. He lived a pure life and he believed that he had a great purpose to complete.
L’ Allegro is about joys of life in the country in the spring. II Penseroso; it is about a thoughful man and set in the autumn. Both of these poems are considered together. Comus (1634) is a masque and Arcades (1633) is a part of one.
Lycidas (1637) is a sorrowful pastoral on the death of drowning of Edward King who had been a student with Milton at Cambridge. Milton’s prose was mainly based on church affairs, divorce and freedom.
Many of his prose works are violent in language. They have neither literary value nor interest for modern readers. The divorce pamphlets were mainly result of his unsuccessful marriage. *pamphlets
His best prose is Areopagitica (1644) and A speech for the Liberty of Unlicenced Printing . This is good writing that is composed of little violent language of the other pampleths.
Opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making. Milton’s belief in the importance of freedom of writing and speech is illustrated as follows: Opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making. He who destroys a good book kills reason itself. A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit.
The English civil war between Charles I and the Parliament (Cromwell) began in 1642. It lasted until 1646 and it was followed by the second civil war, 1648-1651. During these years, Milton worked hard at his pamphlets, supported Parliament and became a minister of government. * civil war
However, he became unpopular when Charles II became the king (1660). On the other hand, it was from this time onwards that he wrote his three greatest works.
One of them is the story of Adam and Eve and their failure to keep God’s commands. This great poem is Paradise Lost (1667), written in the blank verse. The scene is the whole universe, including Heaven and Hell.
Like Marlowe, Milton ‘s focus is on proper names and there are many examples in Paradise Lost. Paradise Regained published in in 1671 is less splendid than Paradise Lost. Beauty of sound is also seen in the lines of the poem. Samson Agonistes (1671).
Lyric Poets Richard Lovelace wrote : To Althea, from Prison To Lucasta, on Going to The Wars Robert Herrick writes about the English country.
Edmund Waller (heroic couplets, a form of verse). Waller wrote His Majesty’s Escape. Waller has been honoured for inventing the heroic couplet . However, there are other poets who invented the heroic couplet before Waller. For instance , Shakespeare wrote Othello long before Waller.
John Denham wrote the poem entitled, Cooper’s Hill (1642). Books A small book in prose Microcosmographie (1628) was written by John Earle. This book in prose was important because it was basis for : character study of ordinary people. character writing in the novel.
Thomas Browne wrote Religio Medici (1642) which is a book on religion. Browne also wrote Vulgar Errors which is about mistaken beliefs of uneducated people.
Biographies Izaak Walton wrote the life of his friend John Donne, the great poet. It was interesting as it provides information on the social history of the time. Compleat Angler (1653)