Chapter V : John Milton and his time :
It's generally agreed that the English poet second after Shakespeare is John Milton (1608-1674) .
John Milton influenced the Victorian Age (1837-1901) and Romanticism Movement (1820-1900) .
It's convenient to consider his works in three divisions. At first he wrote his shorter poems at Horton. Next he wrote mainly prose. His three greatest poems belong to the last group.
John Milton works divided into three categories : 1-Shorter poems 2-Prose ( mainly concerned with church affairs, divorce, and freedom ) 3-Greater poems .
Among Milton's other sonnets, he wrote one on his own blindness.
1652 famous sonnets are : Sonnet 18 "Shakespeare" _ On His Blindness "Milton".
The English civil war between Charles I and Parliament (Cromwell supporters of the church) began in 1642 & lasted until 1646 ; it was followed by the second civil war 1648-51.
During 1642-51 Milton worked hard at his pamphlets, supported Cromwell, and became a minister of the government.
John Milton's eyesight began to fail, and by 1651 he was totally blind.
He became unpopular when Charles II was made king (1660), but it was from this time onwards that he wrote his three greatest works .
The great epic poem (Paradise Lost) was planned in ten books, but written in twelve. The scene is the whole universe, including Heaven and Hell. Milton's spending voice can be heard here at its best, in the great blank verse. Strengthened by his immense learning and ornamented .
Paradise Lost contains hundreds of remarkable thoughts put into musical verse .
The greatest lyrical epic poem "paradise Lost" (1667) - written in 12 books in blank verse - about a scene of the whole universe including Heaven and Hell. It contains hundreds of remarkable thoughts put into musical verse .
Paradise Regained is more severe, less splendid than Paradise lost, yet occasionally it also shows the same use of names. These call up rich images for the reader to whom they are familiar, and add to the power and beauty of the sound.
Milton towers above all other poets of the time, several lyric-writers have left us sweet songs.
Richard Lovelace wrote To Althea, from Prison.
Robert Herrick was considered by the men of his own time to be the best living lyric poet.
The closing of the theatres in 1642 meant that no important drama was produced in the years before 1660