Course:English Literature Teacher’s Name:Liu Jianhang Class:2
Student’s Name:Cao Youyi
Student’s Number:20155061201 Date:2017.12.20
The Influence of Milton’s Life Experience on the Creation of
Samson Agonistes
Milton, a great English poet, was a whole man, integrated in both his art and his moral.He prepared himself for many years to create some famous religious poems. Samson Agonistes, the last great creation of his old age, was one of them. Samson was an ancient Israeli hero of the Old Testament. Milton and Samson have a lot in common. This thesis is trying to analyze the similarities between the Milton and Samson from three aspects. In the end,you will find that milton’s life influenced the creation of Samson Agonistes.
1 .Milton and His Samson Agonistes
The 17th century was one of the most tempestuous periodsin English history. It was called the Period of Revolution andRestoration. Milton just lived in this turning period. He was veryrevolutionary in spirit and wrote many articles to support the revolution. Deprived of his political work, he prepared himself formany years to create some famous religious poems, includingParadise Lost, Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes. SamsonAgonistes was Milton's last work and was regarded by many ashis autobiography.Samson Agonistes is based on the story of Samson, an Israelite hero in the Old Testament who falls from grace. In thiswork，Milton displays Samson by contrasting his God-givenstrength with his self-effected weakness. His wife betrayed himand his eyes were blinded by his enemy. In destroying his enemies, Samson destroyed himself. Although died at last, his revolutionary spirit is
unconquerable. All these things happened onMilton too. This thesis is trying to analyze the similarities between the Milton and Samson from three aspects. Namely, theyhave the same unhappy marriage and the same revolutionaryspirit. They came to know more about life through biter experiences. Both of them were blind in the later part of their lives buttheir determinations to destroy their enemies can never be reduced.
2.Similarities between Samson and Milton
2.1Personal Misfortunes
In Samson Agonistes, Milton's last important work, wefind once more Milton the fighter against tyranny The theme is that a strong man wasbetrayed and made a slave, but finally rising up to bring destruction to his enemies. Thestory is again taken from the Bible. It is an ancient Greek tragedy, with every detail drawnfrom the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. Milton's life misfortunes are mainly fromtwo aspects: the poet's loss of eyesight and unhappy marriage.In Milton's age, the imminent repression was revolution and counter-revolution, bothpolitically and religiously. The humanistic and puritan ideals for which the revolutionariesfought so hard faltered when Cromwell died. The \Restoration\in 1688 was asymbol of the complete defeat of the revolutionary forces, or at least, it was a shamefulcompromise between the revolutionary and traditional forces. To Milton, this was thehardest time in his life. He suffered threefold losses. One was physical: he was aging,impoverished, and being blind he could not fight for what his heart desired any longer. Hewas exasperated by painful fits of gout in his later years. The other was spiritual: the deathof his three wives and his son John and daughter Katherine gave a succession of blows tohim. The family life was all but a happy one. In his early years, he was outraged when hisnewly married wife returned home only several days after marriage which resulted in hisconsideration of divorce and a following treatise on it. While in later years, his childrencomplained about his bad temper. His daughter Mary was said to have wished him deadrather than married, and several of his daughters were said to
have conspired to sell someof his books \1968:1:586). The historical JohnMilton was subjected to \torments of love and jealousy\(William R. Parker, 1968:17:2)at the hands of his three wives and three daughters. The unhappy relationship with thesesix women not only made Milton a misogynist but also created a real suppression upon hismind. In the chorus sung to Samson, Milton writes, \(SA. 210-211 Lu Peixuan:1996). Although more or less resultingfrom his unhappy relationship with his wives, this opinion is quite in accordance with thepopular notion that women are the weaker sex, morally as well as physically, and hence,they are more frail to seduction. 2.2 Deeper understanding of life
At the beginning of the story, Samson was already blinded and imprisoned. At this moment, he became aware that his life is not completely predetermined by God. He was able to decide his own deeds. In the field of making friends, he was unable to recognize true friends. After his downfall, he realized that most of his friends who had been with him in his \his power. This realization led him to appreciate his real friends in a higher sense.Milton has been a persistent revolutionist. He has written many articles for the revolution. \the list of regicides to be tried and executed.\of his friends left him away. But Andrew Marvel saved him after some efforts. This experience made Milton think about life.Both Samson and Milton learned some lessons from their unfortunate experiences and both of them had a deeper understanding of their lives. 2.3 Unhappy marriage
When Samson was born, God gave him extraordinary physical strength. The very fact that God puts prohibitions on Samson implies that there is an element of free choice. His parents told him that in order to preserve his strength he should not cut his long hair or drink alcohol. In fact, Samson had the freedom to do things. The first time he assumes responsibility for a major decision is when he chooses his wife. He is
The influence of milton
