Milton, John (1608-1674), English poet, whose rich, dense verse was a powerful influence on succeeding English poets, and whose prose was devoted to the defense of civil and religious liberty. Milton is often considered the greatest English poet after Shakespeare.
John Milton 's work is marked by cosmic themes and lofty religious idealism; it reveals an astonishing breadth of learning and command of the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew classics. His blank verse is of remarkable variety and richness, so skillfully modulated and flexible that it has been compared to organ tones.
Milton has noble thought and splendid imagery. He is a great stylist. His poetry has a grand style. That is because he made a life-long study of classical and Biblical literature. His poetry is noted for sublimity of thought and majesty of expression. Milton is a great master of blank verse. He is the glorious pioneer to introduce blank verse into non-dramatic poetry. He has used it as the main tool in his masterpiece Paradise Lost. His blank verse is rich in every poetic quality and never monotonous.
Feature: Inheritance from traditional writings
1) Influence from France, Switzerland and Italy;
2) The blank verse inherited from Shakespeare;
3) Influenced and inspired by Greek and Roman epics by Homer and Virgil;
4) The Bible as source material and the themes of tragedy and redemption in the Old Testament mini-epic
Contribution:
1) His richly textured and passionate verse;
2) Milton 's use of blank verse and his treatment of the Sublime.
Simple introduction to John Milton/弥尔顿简介
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