约翰弥尔顿诗歌
约翰·弥尔顿诗歌文献综述
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost , written in blank verse.Miltons poetry and prose reflect deep personal
convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. William Hayleys 1796 biography called him the greatest English author, and he remains generally regarded as one of the
preeminent writers in the English language, though critical reception has oscillated in the centuries since his death Samuel Johnson praised Paradise Lost as a poem which with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the human mind, though he described Miltons politics as those of an acrimonious and surly
republican.
Milton is the greatest writer of the seventeenth century, one of the giants in English literature. Milton was born in London. His education began at St Paul’s school, where he showed talent for mastering the ancient language and literatures: Greek, Latin and Hebrew. His poetic compositions came only occasionally during this period of intense private study. In 1634 he wrote a masque called Comuns at the request of an aristocratic family who lived nearby. In 1637 he wrote the finest pastoral elegy in English, Lycidas. In 1638 he left England to complete his education with two years of travel in Europe. After his return to England, he soon plunged himself into the struggle for which he had long been preparing. At that time, the Church of England was the major bulwark of the monarchy. Vigorous attacks were made on the Church of England as well as on the king. Milton was stirred by the controversy and wrote a series of pamphlets, in which he urged the necessity of a thorough religious reform. After the Revolution succeeded, the commonwealth was established, Milton wrote a number of pamphlets defending the English revolution, such as Defence of the English People and Second Defence of the
defendingEnglish People. He played an active
role in public affairs during the Civil War and the Commonwealth.
Paradise Lost: It is a long epic in 12 books, done in blank verse. The stories were taken from the Old T estament: the creation; the rebellion in Heaven of Satan and his fellow-angles; their defeat and expulsion from Heaven; the creation of the earth and of Adam and Eve; the fallen angles in hell plotting against God; Satan’s temptation of Eve; and the departure of Adam and Eve from Eden.
Led by freedom-loving Satan, the rebellious angels rise against God Himself, but in the battle with the hosts of angels that remain true to God they are finally defeated. Satan and his followers are banished from Heaven and driven into hell. But even in hell, amidst flames and poisonous fumes, Satan and his adherents are not discouraged. The epic opens with the description of a meeting of the fallen angels in hell. Satan’s proud spirit is unyielding; he fearlessly withstands all agonies and passionately strives for revenge and victory.
Satan chooses for his new battlefield the most perfect of spots, ever created by God, the Garden of Eden, where live
the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, who are allowed by God to enjoy the supreme beauties and bountiesof paradise, if they do not eat the fruit that grows on the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan desires to tear them away from the influence of God and make them tools in his struggle ag
ainst God’s authority. God learns of his intention, however, and sends the Archangel Raphael to warn Adam and Eve of Satan’s plan. The Archangel reminds them of their vow of obedience and gives a detailed narration of Satan’s rebellion. But on Adam’s request for an explanation of the rotation of the celestial bodies, Raphael advises him not to inquire into matters that do not concern him directly, and then leaves him.No sooner is Raphael gone than Satan assumes the shape of a serpent and appears before Eve. He persuades her to break God’s command. Eve eats an apple from the forbidden tree and plucks another one for Adam. God sees all this, Adam and Eve, are both deprived of immortality, exiled from Paradise and doomed to an earthly life full of hardships and sufferings, to eat bread by “the sweat of the face.”
The main idea of the poem is the heroic revolt against God’s authority. In the poem God is not better than a selfish
despot, seated upon a throne with a chorus of angels about him eternally singing his praises. He is cruel and unjust in punishing Satan. His Archangel is a bore. His angels are silly. While Satan rises against God, though defeated, still seeks revenge, is by far the most striking character in the poem. The finest thing in Paradise Lost is the description of hell, and Satan is the real hero of the poem. Like a conquered and banished giant, he remains obeyed and admired by those who follow him down to he
ll. He is firmer than the rest of the fallen angels. It is he who makes man revolt against God. Though defeated, he prevails, since he has won from God the third part of his angels, and almost all the sons of Adam. Satan represented the spirit rebellion against an unjust authority.
篇二：约翰弥尔顿
约翰·弥尔顿
百科名片约翰·弥尔顿（John Milton,1608～1674）英国诗人、政论家，民主斗士。弥尔顿是清教徒文学的代表，他的一生都在为资产阶级民主运动而奋斗，代表作《失乐园》是和《荷马史诗》、《神曲》并称为西方三大诗歌。
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