GENERAL OVERVIEW
“Of all the English poets, Milton is the most autobiographical.
Milton’s poetry has another specialty and that specialty is use of Milton’s character and
personality in his poetry.
Consciously or unconsciously, he tries to reveal himself in almost every line or every word he
writes.
The autobiographical elements in Milton’s works are perfectly estimated by Emile Legiouis
when he says,“Milton is in truth the only living being who exists in his own works.”
Milton’s poetry is chockfull of the autobiographical elements.
However the autobiographical element in Milton’s poetry does not mean much of the
revelation of his outer life; it rather abides in his expression of his intellectual and spiritual
character.
His poetry is the reflection of his thoughts on religion, theology, Puritanism, republicanism
and liberty.
This characteristic of Milton’s poetry, autobiographical element, has made him distinctive
personality in the English literature among all the other poets.
MILTON’S POEMS THAT HAS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENT
The poems that has this obvious and clear autobiographical element are these.
1. PARADISE LOST
2. PARADISE REGAINED
3. ON HIS BLINDNESS
4. SAMSON AGONIST
5. LYCIDAS
6. ON THE MORNING OF CHRIST’S NATIVITY
7. HOW SOON HATH TIME
Except two master-pieces Allegro and Pensoroso, almost all his works offer us a glimpse of one or
the other aspect of his life.
1. AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN ‘ON HIS BLINDNESS’
The poem On His Blindness is an autobiographical verse in which the poem is
describing the problems of his own life. According to him, he is unable to use the
talent of writing poetry which was gifted him by God because of his blindness.
However his patience (mind) tries to calm him by saying that God does not need
a person’s hard work. Those who bear the troubles of their life serve Him. He
then compares himself to the angels which stand and wait for orders.
He says in this poem,
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
According him, like those angels, he is serving God by having patience. So the
whole poem is about the poet, his life, his problems and his hope and faith.
The poem describes Milton’s philosophy of life.
2. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENT IN PARADISE LOST
In so far as Paradise Lost is concerned, Coleridge says, “John Milton is in every line of
Paradise Lost.”
We are highly surprised at the idea of how a poet with the projection of his personality
can write such a master-piece in English literature.
He puts much of his own self in the portraits of Satan and Adam.
Satan stands for Milton's courage, love for freedom, independence,
republicanism and hatred for tyranny.
As William Blake says, Milton was of the Devil's party without knowing it”.
“What though the field be lost?
All is not lost; the unconquerable will”
“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven”
The war in heaven seems to be the civil war of England. Similarly Satan’s preference for
sovereignty in hell to slavery in heaven is an echo of Milton’s own slogan for freedom and
independence
3. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENT IN ‘SAMSON AGONISTES’
Samson Agonistes has particularly strong autobiographical overtones.
It is obviously clear that (the biblical characters) Samson’s career largely
corresponded to the state of mind of Milton himself, and to Milton’s own
circumstances in life.
Like Samson Milton also suffered blindness, an unsuccessful marriage, and
political upheaval.
He finds himself blind among his enemies and on account of it, he is exposed to
daily fraud, contempt, abuse, and wrong, both within doors and out of the door.
So he says:
“O dark, dark, dark amid the blaze of noon
Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse.
Without all hope of day!”
Now, these lines simply give an expression to Milton’s own sense of loss and
wretchedness during his blindness as it was not possible for Milton to keep
himself and his own feelings out of the portrayal of Samson.
FINAL REMARKS
To sum up, we cannot separate Milton, the poet from Milton, the man.
The Paradise Lost is replete with the touches from Milton’s life.
Not only the Paradise Lost is full of touches from his personality, but also the other
poetic works of Milton except two or three works.
We fully agree with the remarks of Tillyard: “Milton is perhaps the only man who
has translated the mental urge into literature and not into action.”
