POETRY-1 (ENG403)

LECTURE – 15

THE PURITAN AGE

JOHN MILTON

POLITICAL BACKGROUND (1)

• Queen Elizabeth- 1603 • James 1 (1603- 1625)• Scottland• Patriotic unity• People resented taxes, alliance withSpain• Middle Class clashed with monarchy• Dissolved 3 parliaments (1604, 1614, 1621)• Imposition of customs, money grants, right of speech

POLITICAL BACKGROUND (2)

• Charles 1• Popular• Deceitfulness & wrong headedness• Henriietta Maria/ France• Buckingham as Lord Chancellor• Gave in the petition of civil rights (1628)• No taxation/imprisonment/billeting• 11 years

POLITICAL BACKGROUND (3)

• Archbishops punished Puritans• Civil war 1642- 1648

o Royalists/Cavaliers/Catholicso Parliamentary Forces/Puritans

• Sentenced to death in 1649• The Common Wealth (1649- 1653)

o Scotland proclaimed Charles II

• Cromwell took step & succeeded in 1651• Parliament/dissolved

POLITICAL BACKGROUND (4)

• Cromwell/Lord Protector• Strong foreign policy• Monarchy by 1658• He died in 1658• Restored monarchy under Charles ll

SOCIAL BACKGROUND

o Horse racingo Bear baiting o The sport of the cock-pito Theatrical performance

SOCIAL BACKGROUND/ THE PURITANS• Puritans for King & Court were a symbol of

o Spiritual prideo Hypocrisy o Rebelliono Tyranny

• The Typical Puritano High idealso Tolerant of differences of Opiniono Its spirit was a noble forceo it saved England's national idealso Encouraged the pilgrim fathers

GREATEST WRITERS

• ENGLISH WRITERS• John Milton• Bunyan

• OTHER FIELDS• Bacon in Philosophy• W. Harvey in medical

science• John Napier in

mathematics• Inigo Jones in

architecture

LITERATURE OF THE PURITAN AGE• Relaxing in vigor/ Transition• exuberant gaiety & imaginative freedom • artificial cheer , philosophic melancholy & sobriety• Temperament changed• Less originality in poetry of thought & emotions• Correctness of form• Intellectual play of fancy• Fashionably short• Affected language• Triviality of subject matter

THE SCHOOL OF SPENCER

• Giles Fletcher (1583-1623)o Famous work is “Christ victore, Triumph, Earth

over & after death.

• Phineas Fletcher (1542-1648)owrote many Spenserian pastorals & allegories.

Famous work is “The Purple Island”

• William Browne• George Wither

THE METAPHYSICAL SCHOOL• John Donne

o Love songs, hymns, elegies, holy sonnets• George Herbert• Richard Crashaw• Henry VaughanThe characteristics of poetry were as follows:

o Far fetched ideas. o Full of logic & reasoning.o Heterogeneous ideas are combined.o Theme like love is experimented like science.

THE CAVALIER POETS

• Herrick Robert• Richard Lovelace• Sir John Suckling• Thomas Carew.

o Followers of Ben Johnsono The Cavalier means (Royalist who fought on the

side of the king during the civil war).o Pseudo classicist. They only followed Ben in rules

& regulation

JOHN MILTON(1608-1674)

• Milton was a Prominent writer in the Puritan Age.• Combines the spirit of Renaissance & Reformation.• Musical versification, spirit of freedom & morality in

his poetry.• A great scholar of Hebrew language• Early poetry. Sonnets & hymns

JOHN MILTON (1)

• English poet, pamphleteer, and historian• Considered the most significant English author after

William Shakespeare • Born in London on December 9,1608• 2nd son of John & Sara• Wealthy family; second house• Law-writer/scrivener; composed music• Went to St. Paul’s school in 1620• Christ’s College, Cambridge (1625-1632)• ‘The Lady of Christ’ for his features

JOHN MILTON (2)

• B. A in 1629• M. A in 1632• Gave up his plan to be a priest • Wrote poetry in Latin, Italian & English• Spent 6 years in country home 1632-1638 • L’ Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, Lycidas• Travelled to Italy & France (1630s)• Met Hugo Grotius & Galileo Galilei• References in Paradise Lost • Moved to Horton, Buchinghamshire

JOHN MILTON (3)• Back to London (1639)• Set up a school with his nephews• Marriage to Mary Powell (1642)• Came back in 1645• 4 children• Civil War: Oliver Cromwell & Charles 1• 20 year: no poetic work• Puritan: a series of Pamphlets/Civil rights• During Civil War in 1642-1649; a Latin secretary to

Cromwell.

JOHN MILTON (4)• Gave up teaching in 1647 • The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates (1649)• Common wealth Government/Foreign sec. • Milton became completely blind. (1651)• Cromwell’s death; Friendless• His wife & daughter turned against him• His wife died (1652)• Marriage to Katherine woodcock (1656)• She died in 1658

JOHN MILTON (5)

• Restoration changed his fortune• He was arrested/fined• Marriage to Elizabeth Minshull (1663)• Milton wrote his greatest poetical works Paradise

lost, Paradise Regained & Samson Agonistes. • Married thrice; unhappy marital life• Died, November 8, 1674 St. Giles Buckinghamshire• Buried beside his father.• Teeth and hair were robbed.

MILTON’S WORKS

• First Period till 1640• Second Period, 1640-1660 • Third Period 1660-1674

FIRST PERIOD

• Major Poemso L’ Allegroo Il Penserosoo Comuso Arcadeso Lycidas

• Minor poems

SECOND PERIOD

• Proseo Anti- Prelatical Tractso Divorce Tractso Educational Pamphletso Political Controversial Works Civil Rights

• Poetryo Sonnets

THIRD PERIOD

• Paradise Lost• Paradise Regain’d• Samson Agonistes

CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS WORKS

• Master of English Blank Verse• Cosmic Sweep of Theme• Sublimity of Execution• Sharp concreteness• Intensity of Religious Idealism• Full of Classical Allusions to Literature• Profound Scholarship• Organ-roll of linked Vowel Sounds

CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS WORKS

• Power of delineating character• Vivid accurate description• Presentation of Nature• Simple, sensuous and Passionate• His rule of Poetry

THE PARADISE LOST

• Printed in 1667; 10 books• Printed in 1674; 12 books

His ambition: write an epico Vacation Exerciseo Lycidaso Epitaphium Damonis

LITERARY SOURCES

• Scriptual & Talmudic writings• The Illiad, Oddyssey & Aeneid • St. Augustine’s Civitas Deis• Claudian’s De Raptu Proserpine• Vondel’s Lucifer• Caedman• Shakespeare• Marlowe • Giles Fletcher• Phineas Fletcher

DOCTRINAL CONTENT

• The Creation of World is Purposeful.• Christ is the son of God but second to him.• Absolute Freedom/Human will• Epitome: belief in Reformed Catholicism

COSMOGRAPHY

• Copernican system• Ptolemaic system• Plato, Dante & Aquinas• Better represented his poetry

METER

• Blank verseo Heroic Verse without Rhyme

ARGUMENT• The Fall of Satan & his angels; the burning lake of

Hell; the palace Pandemonium

• In each book one aspect is described in detail. Book Vll and book X is divided into two parts

REVIEW OF LECTURE 15

• The Puritan Age• Political and Social background• Notable Writers• John Milton• His Literary Career• The Paradise Lost• Literary Sources• Meter• Argument