7.John_Milton_(1608-1674).ppt

1、John Milton (1608-1674),Paradise Lost,Paradise Regained,Samson Agonistes,I. Life and Works,Boyhood At 12 we found him already a scholar in spirit: “When I was yet a child, no children play To me was pleasing; all my mind was set Serious to learn and know, and thence to do What might be public good;

2、myself I thought Born to that end, born to promote all truth, All righteous things.”,2. Cambridge Days 。acquired an excellent knowledge of Latin 。defined the true aim of knowledge as making the spirit of man “reach out far and wide, until it fills the whole world and the space far beyond with the ex

3、pansion of its divine greatness.” 3. At Horton 。Roaming over the wide fields of classical, Hebrew, Italian and English literatures, and studying science, theology and music. 。He prepared himself studiously for the calling of a poet.,4. Early Poems Lycidas, an elegy 5. His Travel on the Continent Fra

4、nce, Switzerland and Italy “made me alter my purpose, for I thought it base to be travelling for amusement abroad, while my fellow-citizens were fighting for their liberty at home.”,6. “Areopagitica” 。As a declaration of peoples freedom of the press, has been a weapon in the later democratic revolut

5、ionary struggles. 。He appealed for the freedom of the press. 。He was fighting for a further development of the bourgeois revolution. After the Restoration of Charles II He went back to his early dream of becoming a poet. “Paradise Lost” was finished in 1665. “Paradise Regained”, 1671 “Samson Agonist

6、es” marked the end of Miltons writing life.,II. Paradise Lost,Miltons masterpiece, and the greatest English epic 12 books, done in blank verse The stories are taken from the Old Testament: 。the creation; 。the rebellion in Heaven of Satan and his fellow-angels; 。their defeat and expulsion from Heaven

7、; 。the creation of the earth and of Adam and Eve; 。the fallen angels in hell plotting against God; 。Satans temptation of Eve; 。the departure of Adam and Eve from Eden.,2. Characters,Satan (serpent) God Adam Eve Archangel,3. Theme and Characterization,Adam and Eve embody Miltons belief in the powers

8、of man. It is their longing for knowledge that opens before mankind a wide road to intelligent and active life. The Image of Satan: Satan is the real hero of the poem. To Milton, Satan represented the spirit of rebellion against unjust authority.,III. Samson Agonistes,poetical drama modelled on the

9、Greek tragedies. deals with the story of Samson from the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. The whole poem strongly suggests Miltons passionate longing that he too could bring destruction down upon the enemy at the cost of his own life. Samson is Milton.,Significance,Milton the revolutionary is as great as Milton the epic poet. Milton is a great artist. Milton is a great master of the blank verse.