Famous English poet John Milton produced a number of works, including "l'Allegro," "Il Penseroso," "Comus," and "Lycidas." A set of poems called "l'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso" address the conflicting emotions of pleasure and sorrow. While "Il Penseroso" emphasises the values of knowledge, learning, and meditation, "l'Allegro" praises the joys of life and the natural world. The masque "Comus" depicts the tale of a young woman's meeting with Comus, the god of excess and partying, and her brothers' efforts to save her. The drama examines issues of virtue, morality, and temptation, highlighting the need of restraint in the face of temptation. Milton wrote the pastoral elegy "Lycidas" in remembrance of his friend Edward King to convey his sadness and loss. The poem criticises the corruption and hypocrisy of the Church of England while mourning the death of a young life using the traditional forms of pastoral poetry. Themes and emotions covered by these Miltonian works often cover a wide spectrum, including joy, sadness, virtue, temptation, morality, sorrow, and spirituality. Milton explores the human experience via his poems, highlighting the beauty and importance of literature and art as a way to preserve memories and leave a lasting legacy.
John Milton was a 17th century writer, journalist and poet born on 9 December 1608 in London, England. His parents were John Milton, Sr. and Sarah Jeffery, who lived in a affluent neighbourhood of merchants. He was educated at St. Paul's School, proceeded by the University of Cambridge. At Cambridge, Milton was affectionate with Edward King, for whom he later wrote Lycidas. He understood at least 10 languages, and was exceedingly well-read in literature, history, theology, philosophy and natural sciences. Milton became very busy in politics, and often wrote political pamphlets along with his other writings. One of his first major works, Comus, a Masque, was written in 1932. In 1942, the Civil War began and its effects impressed Milton directly. He married Mary Powell, daughter of a Royalist family from Oxford. While Milton's impression as a prose writer was great, of equal or greater importance is his poetry. He spent his life clashing with ideas of personal, political and religious freedom in the conditions of different forms of governance by the Church and state. Milton is well-known for Paradise Lost, widely regarded as the greatest epic poem in English. Milton died of kidney failure on 8 November 1674.
