Milton John - short biography. John Milton and his poem "Paradise Lost" "Paradise Regained" and "Samson the Fighter"

John Milton (1608-1674) is the greatest English poet, public and political figure, author of many works of art, as well as treatises, pamphlets, philosophical and theological articles.

Full of high-profile historical events and complex life turns, the biography of John Milton is a vivid and impressive example of serving his people.

First lessons of childhood

John was born on December 9, 1608 in London, into an intelligent family. His father was a notary. From a young age, the boy received a good home education: they played music in his house, organized literary evenings, and taught him to read early. In addition to home lessons, John received lessons at St. Paul's School.

At the age of sixteen, J. Milton went to Cambridge to enter Christ's College. In 1625 he began his studies and successfully completed the program. According to the traditions that have developed in closed educational institutions in England, parents or guardians of students receive letters from the school several times a year about the success or, conversely, failure of students. The father could not get enough of his son’s intelligence, talent and diligence. A little more, and John would complete the course, receive a Master of Arts degree, plus he would be ordained... But it turned out differently.

An unexpected collision arose. The first student of the class and school categorically refused a church career. And if so, then he must leave college. And J. Milton, without thinking twice, leaves Cambridge. He does not compromise with his conscience.

On his native estate

John spends the next six years on his father's estate Horton (Buckinghamshire), where he continues to study - only on his own, and tries to write. The first poetic experiments showed that it was not a fledgling youth who took up them, but actually a mature master. According to critics and researchers of J. Milton’s work, even his very first literary works are worthy of forever adding the author’s name to the history of English and world literature.

Among the works written in the early period of the author’s work, the poems “Joyful”, “Thoughtful”, “Comus” stand out. These are the most interesting examples of poetry by an aspiring writer. J. Milton contrasts the purity of thoughts with temptations and vices, thinks about the nature of feelings, about a person’s struggle with himself.

Travel and first treatises

In 1638, J. Milton went on a two-year trip to Europe. The notary father pays for it and agrees to the trip. John gets acquainted with France and Italy, he is fascinated by the beauty of these countries, their exquisite architecture, monuments, palaces, cheerful, cheerful people. After prim England, it was as if he had arrived on another planet!

In Italy he will get to meet Galileo Galilei himself! But what is surprising here? The widely educated Englishman was drawn to people like himself - scientists, purposeful, talented. But the journey is suddenly interrupted: England is unsettled, a civil war is brewing, and we must return home.

Supporters of the Stuarts, represented by King Charles 1, are opposed to young forces - the emerging “republicans” represented by parliamentarians. Which side is John Milton on? An enlightened person, of course, is on the side of the young, healthy, strong. On the side of the republic.

John writes pamphlets “Discourse on the Government of the Church”, “On the Reformation in England”, in which he shows himself to be a worthy citizen and a mature personality.

Milton opens a private educational institution for his brother's sons. He wants Edward and John to grow up interested in more than just horse racing and reading gossip columns. He wants to see his nephews politically active, influencing what is happening to the best of their strength and abilities. What was never in him was indifference, lack of curiosity and inertia. He does not accept these traits in those closest to him.

Family life

Returning from a holiday on the outskirts of Oxford, the young man introduced his fiancée, Mary Powell, to his loved ones. Unfortunately, family life did not work out right away. The young wife soon left her husband and went to visit her relatives... And she stayed there for several years. The reason for family disagreements could also be that John took a wife from the “nest of royalists,” while he himself was always a staunch opponent of the monarchy.

End of the civil war and victory of parliament

The royal troops failed to protect Charles 1, and on one January day in 1649 he was executed. J. Milton came out with a treatise “The Duties of Sovereigns and Governments,” in which he substantiated the regularity of the act carried out. Soon he receives an invitation to work as a correspondence secretary in the State Council.

At the same time, a pamphlet written by an anonymous royalist entitled “The Image of the King, a Portrait of His Sacred Majesty in Solitude and Suffering” is being circulated. J. Milton wittily mocks the author with his response essay “The Iconoclast”; his arguments are impeccable. But Europe is seething, outraged by the execution of the monarch. Milton writes in Latin "Defence of the English People", "Re-Defense" and "Justification for Self". It was an act of civil courage: to publicly, clearly, convincingly, boldly and confidently defend the position taken by Parliament, to proclaim the goals and objectives of the English Revolution.

Troubles and misfortunes

Alas, the second half of the life of the brilliant poet and politician is full of adversity. At the beginning of 1652, John goes blind. Almost immediately his wife dies from childbirth. In the summer of the same year, his only son passed away, having never set foot on the ground. Milton is shocked by the series of misfortunes that have befallen him. To top it all off, the revolution in which he believed so much and whose arrival he so awaited degenerated into a dictatorship. Chaos is brewing in the country, the church has split... Among the people and among the elite, there is more and more talk about the restoration of the reign of the Stuarts.

Despite his blindness, J. Milton did not leave his duties in the secretariat until 1655. He dictated pamphlets, letters, and orders. “A Treatise on the Participation of Civil Power in Church Affairs” and “A Quick and Easy Path to the Establishment of a Free Republic” were published in 1559-1660.

The accession of Charles II to the English throne was a shock for Milton and his personal tragedy. The poet ended up in prison, from where, through the efforts of his friends and like-minded people, he was released with great difficulty.

"Paradise Lost"

One of the pinnacles of English poetry, a philosophical poem with a biblical plot, “Paradise Lost.” was written by J. Milton in 1667

Long before God created the earth and people, Satan rebelled against the Almighty and managed to attract some of the angels to his side. God sent the entire camarilla to hell: that’s where they belong. But the archons did not calm down. They discuss an impending event: as if God will soon create new creatures and settle them on one of the planets. And he will love them just like angels...

Since Satan has no place in heaven, he can try to take over the new world. The Creator's enemy flies across the Universe in search of people. At first he turns into a cherub. They point him to the planet Earth, and Satan, taking the form of a raven, dives to the top of the Tree of Knowledge. Having overheard a conversation between Adam and Eve, he learns that they are forbidden to eat the fruit from this tree. And then a plan is born at the center of evil. We must awaken a thirst for knowledge in people, force them to violate the prohibition of the Almighty.

The poem is deeply metaphorical, it is written in a high style and, ultimately, proclaims the human right to freedom of choice. Everyone has the right to live according to their conscience. Readers are captivated by the mystical power of the song in Paradise Lost when the defeated Satan sends curses at the Creator. Byron and other romantic poets subsequently fell under the impression of these lines.

Contrasted with “demonic” poetry is the description of paradise, where the first people lived and from where they were subsequently expelled. J. Milton masterfully, with a sharp pen, draws bucolic pictures that take your breath away, they are so poetic, so visible.

The poem “Paradise Regained” is not a continuation, but a completely independent work. She talks about the temptation of the Son of God by the forces of evil.

The poem-drama “Samson the Fighter” contains pessimistic notes. Blind, seriously ill, having lost his loved ones, having lost the political struggle together with his party, but energetic and unyielding, a brilliant poet - sums up his life.

John Milton is a titan of English and world literature, the pride of the freedom-loving people of England and all humanity. A crater on the planet Mercury is named after the poet.

Please note that the biography of Milton John presents the most important moments from his life. This biography may omit some minor life events.

English John Milton

English poet, politician and thinker; author of political pamphlets and religious treatises

Brief biography

The famous English poet, publicist, thinker, politician was born in London on December 9, 1608. His father was a successful notary, a versatile educated man, who nevertheless adhered to Puritan views, raising his son in the spirit of asceticism and religious worship. John Milton was a well-educated man. After studying at home and at St. Paul in 1625, he became a student at Christ's College, Cambridge University, from which he graduated in 1632 with a Master of Arts degree.

Having made a difficult choice, Milton abandoned his career as a clergyman and went to his father’s estate, located near the capital, for six years, where he continued to study independently. At the beginning of 1638, he went on a trip to France and Italy, during which he met many celebrities, in particular, G. Galileo. In 1639 he urgently returned to England due to rumors of an approaching civil war.

John Milton's early poetic works - the short poems "Merry" and "Thoughtful", the dramatic pastoral "Comus" - are a reflection of his bright mood and inner harmony. Other periods of his biography were far from so cloudless. Having settled in London after the trip, Milton founded a private educational institution where he taught his nephews, but soon became interested in public and journalistic activities. In 1641, the first prose pamphlet dedicated to the English Reformation was published. Subsequently, Milton, being an outspoken supporter of the revolution and an enemy of the monarchy, would write a number of political pamphlets on the topic of the day, eloquently demonstrating his oratorical gift, rich imagination and indifference to the fate of his homeland.

In 1642, the poet married Mary Powell, a young girl with whom he had very little in common. After a month of living together, the newly-made wife went to her parents and returned only in 1645, depriving Milton of peace during this entire time. During 1645-1649. he became much less involved in public affairs, most likely delving into preliminary work on the history of Britain. The execution of Charles I in January 1649 forced him to abandon his seclusion and burst out with a bold pamphlet, “The Duties of Princes and Governments.” In March 1649, Milton was appointed secretary of the State Council, whose duties were to correspond in foreign languages.

The 50s became a real black streak in Milton's life. In February 1952, he completely lost his sight, in May his wife died during childbirth, and in June his little son died. The second wife, with whom he tied the knot at the end of 1656, died at the beginning of 1658. Until 1655, blind Milton continued to work as a secretary with the help of assistants - scribes and readers.

In the period 1660-1674. Milton, as a human being, was completely alone: ​​his relationship with his remaining two daughters did not work out. After the accession of Charles II to the throne, he fell into disgrace. His poignant political pamphlets were burned, he had to sit in prison, even his very life was in danger and was saved only thanks to influential friends. However, it was during this difficult time that he wrote his best works on biblical themes - “Paradise Lost” (1667) and “Paradise Regained” (1671), as well as “Samsonbreaker” (1671), which became a worthy end to his literary journey. On November 8, 1674, John Milton died in London.

Biography from Wikipedia

John Milton(eng. John Milton; December 9, 1608, London - November 8, 1674, ibid.) - English poet, politician and thinker; author of political pamphlets and religious treatises.

Youth. First works

Born into the family of a successful notary. At the age of 14, John began writing his own small fragments, which did not end well. His parents did not support him; only Milton’s grandmother, Anna, provided help. She instilled in the boy a love of poetry and literature. After the death of Anna Milton, the boy stopped writing. He received a very good education - first at home and at St. Paul, and then at Cambridge University. It was at the university that John began his path as a writer again and was appreciated by the rector of the university, who then gave him a good start in the world of literature. After completing the course, he spent six years on his father's estate at Horton (near London), immersed in self-education and self-improvement. There he wrote at least four works of poetry. This first youthful period of Milton's life ended in 1637-1638 with a trip to Italy and France, where he met Galileo, Hugo Grotius and other famous people of that time.

Unlike most great people, Milton spent the first half of his life in complete spiritual harmony; suffering and mental storms darkened his mature age and old age.

The bright mood of young Milton corresponds to the character of his first poems:

• “L’Allegro” (“Merry”) and “Il Penseroso” (“Thoughtful”), where Milton paints a person in two opposite moods: joyful and contemplatively sad - and shows how nature is colored for the contemplator with the change of these moods. Both short poems are imbued with direct feeling and a special gracefulness that characterizes the lyrics of the Elizabethan era and is no longer found in Milton himself.
• "Lycidas" The poem gives subtle descriptions of idealized rural life, but the mood itself is deeper and reveals the patriotic passions hidden in the poet’s soul; the fanaticism of the Puritan revolutionary is strangely intertwined here with melancholic poetry in the spirit of Petrarch.
• "Comus" This is one of the most brilliant dramatic pastorals ( masks), which were not yet fashionable at that time.

Maturity

From 1639 to 1660 the second period in life and activity lasts. Returning from Italy, he settled in London, raised his nephews and wrote a treatise “On Education” (“Treatate of Education, to Master Samuel Hartlib”), which has a mainly biographical interest and shows Milton’s aversion to any routine.

In 1642 he married Mary Powell - and this marriage turned his previously serene existence into a series of domestic disasters and material adversities. His wife left him in the first year and with her refusal to return drove him to despair. Milton extended his own unsuccessful experience of family life to marriage in general and wrote a polemical treatise, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce. In February 1652 he became blind.

In his old age, Milton found himself alone in a close family circle - his third wife (the first and second died) and three daughters from his first marriage; He forced the latter to read aloud to him in languages ​​they did not understand, which aroused in them an extremely unfriendly attitude towards him. For Milton, complete loneliness came - and at the same time, a time of greatest creativity. This last period of his life, from 1660 to 1674, was marked by three brilliant works: “Paradise Lost”, “Paradise Regained” and “Samson Agonistes”.

Views

Milton and politics

Having joined the ranks of the “Independent” party, Milton devoted a whole series of political pamphlets to various issues of the day. All these pamphlets testify to the strength of the poet's rebellious soul and the brilliance of his imagination and eloquence. The most remarkable of his defenses of popular rights is devoted to the demand for freedom of the printed word (“Areopagitica” - “Areopagitica: A Speech for the Liberty of unlicensed Printing to the Parliament of England”).

Of the remaining 24 pamphlets, the first (“Of Reformation touching Church Discipline in England and the Causes that hitherto have hindered it”) appeared in 1641, and the last (“A Quick and Easy Way to Establish a Free Republic” — “A ready and easy way to establish a free Commonwealth") in 1660; thus, they cover the entire course of the English revolution.

With the advent of parliamentary rule, Milton took the place of government secretary for Latin correspondence. Among the other commissions Milton carried out during his secretaryship was a response to the anonymous royalist pamphlet "Eikon Basilike", which appeared after the execution of Charles I. Milton wrote the pamphlet "The Iconoclast" (“Eikonoklastes”), in which he wittily defeated the arguments of the anonymous author. Less successful was Milton's polemics with other political and religious opponents, Salmasius and Morus.

Milton may have been the founder of the Calf's Head Club, formed in 1650 to mock the memory of the executed king.

Marchmont Nadham, who published the magazine "Mercurius Politicus" 1650-1660, was associated with many of the influential republican writers of his generation, including Algernon Sidney, Henry Nevile, Thomas Chaloner, Henry Marten and John Milton. Milton, while Secretary of State in the early 1650s, oversaw Nadham's publishing activities and the two men became personal friends.

In 1652, Milton went blind, and this had a serious impact on his material means, and the Stuart restoration brought him complete ruin; Even more difficult for Milton was the defeat of his party.

Philosophical and religious views

The publication of De Doctrina Christiana in 1825 raised the question of how well John Milton's religious views corresponded to the religious norms of his time. In particular, it was discussed whether Milton was an anti-Trinitarian or an Arian.

Creation

« Areopagitica: Speech on Freedom of the Press from Censorship, Addressed to the Parliament of England»

This is John Milton's polemical treatise against censorship. The Areopagitica is considered one of the most influential and insightful philosophical speeches in defense of freedom of speech and press.

Published on November 23, 1644, at the height of the English Civil War, Areopagitica borrows its title from a speech by the Athenian orator Isocrates, written in the 5th century BC. e. Like Isocrates, Milton did not intend to address the meeting personally, formatting the text in the form of a pamphlet, the very publication of which violated the prohibition on uncensored publication, refuted by the poet. Having written the Areopagitica, John showed in it how difficult it was for him to deal with all the adversities that happened to him during the years of the revolution. Here he describes the deaths of his friends and relatives, loved ones and enemies. “I have never had it so hard before,” wrote Milton, and in 1652 he became blind.

As a supporter of parliament, Milton harshly criticized the 1643 decree on preliminary censorship of publications adopted by deputies, noting that such procedures did not exist either in classical Greece or in Ancient Rome. The text of the treatise is full of references to ancient and biblical sources, supporting the arguments of the English poet, who had previously suffered from censorship when trying to publish several treatises in defense of divorce and the loss of his wife, daughters, all his sisters, brother, best friend Michael, his only son. All he had left was faith in himself and a few children to look after. Taking care of them is not easy for him, all this household fuss seriously bothers him, then he reflects all his thoughts in his treatise “on education.”

"Paradise Lost"

“Paradise Lost” appeared in print in 1667, “Paradise Regained” and “Samson the Fighter” - in 1671.

“Paradise Lost” is a Christian epic about the outrage of the angels who fell away from God and the fall of man. In contrast to the heroic epics of Homer and medieval epics, as well as the poem of Dante, Paradise Lost does not give scope to the poet’s creative imagination. The Puritan Milton chose the biblical story and conveyed it according to the words of Scripture; in addition, its characters belong for the most part to the realm of the superhuman and do not allow for realism in description.

On the other hand, angels and demons, Adam and Eve and other characters in Milton’s epic have a certain image in the popular imagination, brought up on the Bible - and Milton, a deeply national poet, never deviates from these traditions. These features of the material on which Milton worked are reflected in his poem; the technical side of the descriptions is conventional, there is little imagery in the presentation; biblical creatures often seem only allegorical.

The great significance of “Paradise Lost” is in the psychological picture of the struggle between heaven and hell. Milton's seething political passions helped him create a grandiose image of Satan, whom the thirst for freedom drove to evil. The first song of Paradise Lost, where the defeated enemy of the Creator is proud of his fall and builds a pandemonium, sending threats to the sky, is the most inspired in the entire poem and served as the primary source of the demonism of Byron and all romantics in general.

The militant religiosity of the Puritan embodied the spirit of the times in the image of a soul yearning for freedom. The pathos of this demonic (in the literal sense of the word) side of “Paradise Lost” corresponds to the idyllic part - poetic descriptions of paradise, the love of the first people and their exile. Countless poetic beauties in the conveyance of feelings, the musicality of the verse, the formidable chords, speaking of intransigence in the matter of faith, give eternal life to the epic of the 17th century.

"Paradise Regained" and "Samson the Fighter"

The poem “Paradise Regained” (1671) conveys the story of the temptation of Jesus Christ by the spirit of evil and is written more coldly and artificially.

In the tragedy written by Milton in his old age - “Samson the Fighter” - the poet reflected the broken hopes of his party in the image of the biblical hero.

Memory

Translations

Russian translations of Milton's works:

• M.A.P.A. (that is, the Moscow Academy prefect Ambrose (Serebrennikov)), “Paradise Lost,” a heroic poem (Moscow, 1780; 3rd ed. with the addition of “Paradise Regained,” M., 1803; 6- ed., M., 1827, with a biography of Milton, 1828; 7th ed., M., 1860; translation from French);
• E. P. Lyutsenko, “Paradise Lost” (St. Petersburg, 1824); F. Zagorsky, “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Returned” (M., 1827; 4th ed., 1842-1843);
• E. Zhadovskaya, “Lost Paradise”, with the addition of the poem “Paradise Regained” (M., 1859; very unsuccessful translation in verse);
• A. Zinoviev, “Paradise Lost” (M., 1861);
• S. Pisarev, “Lost Paradise” (St. Petersburg, 1871; in verse); “Paradise Lost”, with the addition of “Paradise Regained” (M., 1871);
• A. Shulgovskaya, “Paradise Lost and Returned” (St. Petersburg, 1878);
• N. M. Borodin, “Paradise Lost and Returned” (M., 1882; 2nd ed., 1884, translation from French);
• V. B-b, “Paradise Lost and Returned” (M., 1884, translation from French); "Paradise Lost", ed. A.F. Marx, from fig. (SPb., 1895); Andreev, “The Birth of Christ,” hymn (St. Petersburg, 1881); "Areopagitica", Milton's speech addressed to the English Parliament, 1644 (Modern Review, 1868, No. 5).
• O. N. Chyumina. Paradise Lost and Returned. Poems by D. Milton. / In a new poetic translation by O. N. Chyumina (with 50 large drawings by the artist G. Dore). - St. Petersburg: Publication by A. A. Kaspari, 1899 (in 1901 awarded half

Brief biography of the poet, basic facts of life and work:

JOHN MILTON (1608-1674)

John Milton was born on December 9, 1608 in London, in the family of a successful notary. His father was a well-educated, well-read man, a great lover of music. He was a staunch Puritan. Since all of Milton’s ancestors were Catholics, his parents deprived the father of the future poet of his inheritance for apostasy. Having settled in London, Milton Sr. made a living by writing petitions to the court for those who turned to him for help.

John Milton dictates his poems to his daughters. Artist Mikhail Munkassky

The boy received a home education, and most of his subjects were taught under the guidance of his father. At the age of fifteen, John was sent to St. Paul, from where two years later he moved to Cambridge University. The future poet studied at Christ's College and was preparing to receive a bachelor's degree and then a master of arts. In both cases, it was necessary to take holy orders. After painful reflection, Milton decided to abandon his church career. The parents didn't mind.

At twenty-four, John Milton left Cambridge and went to his father's estate Horton in Buckinghamshire, where he lived freely for almost six years. At that time, he was mainly engaged in self-education, studying classical literature.

Milton created his first poetic work, “A Hymn for the Nativity,” while still in Cambridge. At Horton, the poet composed the pastoral elegy Lycidas, as well as the dramas Arcadia and Comus. He also wrote the magnificent idyll poems “L’Allegro” and “Il Penseroso”.

In 1637, John, with the blessing of his father, made a two-year trip to France and Italy, where, by the way, he met and was welcomed by Galileo Galilei.

Rumors of an imminent civil war prompted Milton to hastily return to England. The poet settled in London and opened a private educational institution in the suburb of St. Brides Churchyard for his nephews, John and Edward Phillips.

Milton's journalistic activity soon began. His first pamphlet, the treatise “On the Reformation in England,” was published in 1641. This was followed by the treatises “On the Episcopal Dignity of the Higher Priesthood”, “Censures regarding the Defense of the Exhorter”, “Discourse on the Government of the Church”, “Justification of Smectimnuus”. In other words, the main topic of his journalism was church problems.

In the summer of 1642, Milton rested for a month near Oxford (his family came from these places). The civil war was already in full swing in the country. Against the “cavaliers” - as the king’s supporters were called for their long locks - came the “roundheads” - supporters of parliament with their hair cut in a circle. The “Cavaliers” won, and in the ranks of the “Roundheads” there was a squabble between the Presbyterians and the Independents. Not being a military man or politician, Milton preferred to stay aloof. He attended to personal affairs and returned home with a sixteen-year-old bride, née Mary Powell. In 1643 they got married. This ended the poet's serene life.

All of Mary's relatives were staunch royalists. Almost immediately, political squabbles began between them and the Puritan Milton. While the royalists were winning, the Powell family was triumphant. A month after the wedding, the wife asked for leave to visit her parents, left by agreement with her husband for two months and refused to return.

Meanwhile, in London, a Convention was formed to fight against the royalists - a union of Scotland with the English Parliament. The Puritan army was led by the Independent Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), and the victorious march of the “Roundheads” began. Milton took the side of the Independents and issued a number of political pamphlets in support of their ideas. The poet's work was highly appreciated by both the Puritans and Cromwell. In the summer of 1645, when the royalists were completely defeated, the Powells needed the support and protection of their son-in-law, and Mary urgently returned to her husband. Milton acted nobly, providing his relatives with comprehensive assistance.

In the years 1645-1649, Milton retired from public affairs. He was busy thinking about and collecting materials for the History of Britain, and also worked on a general treatise On Christian Doctrine.

Meanwhile, the revolutionaries captured Charles I. A trial took place, and in 1649 the king's head was publicly cut off. An extraordinary uproar arose in the royalist circles of Europe - the Puritans executed the anointed of God. The question arose whether anyone had the right to try the monarch and kill him. At the same time, it was argued that the king is free to do whatever he wants with his subjects, and no one will dare to protest, since the will of the monarch is the will of God. Even a bad king is God's permission to punish the people for their sins.

Less than two weeks after the beheading of Charles I, Milton published a pamphlet on “The Duties of Princes and Governments.” Against the backdrop of the recent execution of the criminal king, and Charles, as historians of all directions confirm, was a bad king, the poet’s speech sounded unusually harsh and was most suitable for Oliver Cromwell.

The authorities did not hesitate to express their gratitude. Already in March 1649, Milton was appointed “Latin” secretary for correspondence in foreign languages ​​at the Council of State.

In total, the poet created three apologies for the execution of the king in Latin - “Defense of the English People”, “Re-Defense” and “Justification for Oneself”.

In February 1652, Milton became almost blind, which was perceived by the royalists as a punishment from God. In May of that year, Mary Milton died giving birth to his third daughter, Deborah. In June, before reaching the age of one year, the poet's only son, John, died. The year 1652 turned out to be a harsh year for Milton.

Despite his blindness, the poet served as secretary to the State Council for several more years thanks to readers, assistants, and copyists. The poet had a hard time with Cromwell's dictatorship. He was finally convinced that the so-called republicans were even worse than the notorious monarchists. The latter had no shame, no conscience, no fear of God, but the new ones turned out to be even more shameless, even more unscrupulous, even more godless. The crowd grew more drawn to the Restoration. In 1655 Milton resigned.

The poet tried to find solace in his family. At the end of 1656 he married Catharine Woodcock, but at the beginning of 1658 the woman died. Milton remained in the company of his daughters. The girls were obedient, but they treated their father with increasing hatred. The blind man continually forced them to read aloud to him texts written in Latin, which the poor things did not know. This tedious process turned into daily torture for young girls full of vitality. Meanwhile, John Milton was just entering the flowering period of his genius. Lonely, unloved by everyone, he was finally ripe to create the main works of his life.

At the very beginning of the revolution, the pregnant Queen Henrietta Maria fled to France. There she gave birth to an heir to the throne, to whom she gave her father's name - Charles. Everywhere they whispered about the imminent accession to the throne of a new king, Charles II Stuart.

Shortly before the Restoration, John Milton published three daring pamphlets against the monarchy - "A Treatise on the Participation of the Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Affairs", "Considerations Concerning the Proper Methods for Removing Mercenaries from the Church" and "A Quick and Easy Way to Establish a Free Republic."

During the days when the last pamphlet was published, General Monck carried out a coup d'état. King Charles II (reigned 1660-1685) was called to the throne.

Charles's accession was a disaster for Milton. The poet was immediately arrested and imprisoned. There was talk of the trial of the traitor and his execution. However, through the efforts of Milton's friends, he was released. Several of his books, including both Defenses of the English People, were publicly burned.

The blind poet returned to private life, now completely. In 1663, he married for the third time to twenty-four-year-old Elizabeth Minschel, a cousin of his friend Dr. Poget. Milton failed to have spiritual intimacy with his wife; the marriage was unhappy.

Back in 1658, the poet began work on the poem “Paradise Lost.” He graduated from it in 1665, and published it two years later. Next, the poem “Paradise Regained” was created, the plot of which was the gospel story about the temptation of Christ in the desert; Milton published it in 1671. And then the last poem of the poet “Samson the Fighter” was born.

In the last years of his life, the poet became interested in Russia. In 1682, his book “A Brief History of Muscovy” was published.

John Milton died on November 8, 1674. He was sixty-six years old. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

John Milton (1608-1674)

From his youth, Milton dreamed of creating a work that would glorify British literature for centuries and would be truly sublime. And he succeeded - “Paradise Lost” became such a work. He took as a model the works of Homer, Virgil, Tasso, the tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides...

Milton's poem seems to reflect Old Testament history, but in fact, contemporaries saw in it a reflection of the history of England during the era of the bourgeois revolution.

The bourgeoisie and the new nobility grew stronger and felt their strength. Royal authority limited further entrepreneurial activity of both. War was declared on both the king and the landed aristocracy. Cromwell led the bourgeoisie. King Charles Stuart, in front of a huge crowd of people in the square, was beheaded by the executioner. By an Act of Parliament on March 17, 1649, the royal power was abolished as "unnecessary, burdensome and dangerous." A republic was proclaimed.

Cromwell was a strong-willed, talented military leader and a very powerful person. He successfully reformed the revolutionary army, and it won victories over the royalist troops. Parliament respected him. In Europe he was considered the most important politician.

Parliament presented Cromwell with a royal palace and lands that brought in enormous income. Cromwell began to ride in a gilded carriage, accompanied by bodyguards and a large retinue. Very soon this man was fed up with wealth, fame, and power.

Cromwell died at the age of 59 and was buried in the burial ground of the kings. But three years later the Stuart monarchy was restored, and Cromwell's corpse was removed from the grave and executed by hanging.

So, Milton became a poetic interpreter of the events of which he was an eyewitness. He glorified the revolution, sang the rebellion of indignant human dignity against tyrants. The uprising became the symbol of the poem. Experts believe that he was the only one in the 17th century who understood and appreciated the worldwide significance of the bourgeois English revolution.

Milton was born in 1608 into the family of a wealthy notary in London. He studied at the best London school at St. Paul's Cathedral. At sixteen he became a student at Cambridge University.

“From my youth, I devoted myself to literature, and my spirit was always stronger than my body,” the poet said about himself. John traveled a lot around Europe, wrote poetry, plays, poems... “Are you asking what I’m thinking about? - he wrote to his friend. - With the help of heaven, about immortal glory. But what am I doing?.. I am growing wings and getting ready to soar.”

Milton, dissatisfied with the policies of Charles I Stuart, wrote journalistic articles in which he denounced the Anglican Church, advocated freedom of speech, and defended the right to divorce...

Under Cromwell, the poet served as secret secretary of the republic. His treatise, The Rights and Duties of the King and Rulers, served as the basis for the trial and execution of Charles I.

But the revolution led to arbitrariness, to uncontrolled power even more terrible than it was under the king. Cromwell essentially became a dictator. It so happened that spiritual insight coincided with physical loss of vision. Milton is completely blind.

After Cromwell's death, the poet lived out his life away from society in a small house on the outskirts of London. He was poor, sometimes hungry, but he created all the time, dictating his poems “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Regained”, the tragedy “Samson the Fighter”.

The poem “Paradise Lost” has been translated into Russian several times. The last time this was done was by A. Steinberg. The translation is considered very successful. A. Steinberg worked on it for several decades.

The poem amazes the reader with its cosmism, a grandiose picture of the universe created by the poet’s imagination.

The plot is taken from the Old Testament about the fall of the Ancestors - Adam and Eve. It all begins with Satan's rebellion against the Almighty. Satan and his legions fight the Archangel Michael and his army. Those who rebel, by God's command, are swallowed up by hell. But Satan himself, who was one of the most beautiful and powerful in the Divine hierarchy, does not completely lose his appearance even after defeat. There is no light and love in it, but what remains is grandiose in Milton’s poetic depiction.

In pitch darkness, in chaos, unconquered, with unquenched hatred, Satan is plotting a new campaign against the Kingdom of Heaven.

To verify the correctness of the Heavenly prophecy about the newly created world and new beings like Angels, Satan flies through the cosmic abyss and reaches the gates of Gehenna. The gates open to Satan. Overcoming the abyss between Hell and Heaven, Satan returns again to the created world.

God sitting on the Throne and the Son at his right hand see Satan flying. The Son of God is ready to sacrifice himself to atone for the guilt of Man in the event of the Fall. The Father commands the Son to become incarnate and commands all that exists to worship the Son forever and ever.

Meanwhile, Satan reaches the Gates of Heaven and tricks Seraphim into finding out the location of Man - Eden. Seeing Man, Satan, in the guise of a sea raven, one is overcome by fear, envy, and despair.

Satan, under the guise of fog, penetrates Paradise and inhabits the sleeping Serpent. The serpent seeks out Eve and slyly seduces her, praising her before all other creatures. Having brought Eve to the Tree of Knowledge, the Serpent convinces her to taste the fruit. Free will, granted by God to Man, results in the Fall of Eve. Adam, out of love for Eve, realizing that she died, decides to die with her. Having tasted the fruit, they allowed Sin, and after it Death, into the new created world. Sinful humanity falls under the power of Satan, and only the Seed of the Woman will erase the head of the Serpent. Humanity itself is doomed to atone for original sin through prayers and repentance.

Having returned to Hell, Satan and his minions turn into serpents, devouring dust and bitter ashes instead of fruits.

Archangel Michael and a detachment of Cherubim expel the ancestors from Paradise, having first shown the path of humanity before the flood; then - the incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension of the Son of God; then - humanity until the second coming. Cherubim occupy posts to guard Paradise. Adam and Eve leave Eden.

Turning around, they are the last time

To your recent, joyful refuge,

They looked at Paradise: the entire eastern slope,

Embraced by the blazing sword,

Flowing, swirling, and in the opening of the Gate

Menacing, fearful faces could be seen

A weapon of fire. They unwittingly

They cried - not for long. The whole world

Lying before them, where to choose housing

They had to. By the Providence of the Creator

Followers, walking heavily,

Like wanderers, they are hand in hand,

Crossing Eden, we wandered

On his deserted road.

(Translation by A. Steinberg)

Milton glorifies Man in the spirit of the Renaissance. Especially his physical beauty. It glorifies nature on Earth.

“If the image of Satan reflected the rebellious spirit of Milton himself,” writes researcher of Milton’s work A. Anikst, “the image of Adam reflected his stoic inflexibility in the struggle for a life worthy of man, then the figure of Christ embodies the desire for truth and the desire to enlighten people.” The image of Christ will become central in the poem “Paradise Regained.” Satan tempts Christ with all worldly goods, but Christ rejects them in the name of goodness, truth and justice. His Christ is the enemy of all tyranny. Milton always believed that with the loss of freedom, virtue in a person perishes, and vices triumph.

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“Paradise Lost” is an outstanding work of world literature, one of the brightest examples of literary epic, a creation that is extremely diverse in content and at the same time extremely complex and contradictory, which affected its fate among different generations of readers.

Since the plot of “Paradise Lost” is based on biblical legends, the poem was classified as a book of a pious nature. It was considered as a poetic adaptation of the Bible. Only at the beginning of the 19th century did the English romantic poet Shelley doubt Milton’s piety, but neither he nor other writers and critics who noticed the poem’s deviations from religious dogma reversed popular opinion. Only at the beginning of the 20th century did they truly understand the true meaning of Milton’s great work. It turned out that “Paradise Lost” not only deviates from church teaching, but sometimes comes into direct contradiction with it.

You can understand the complex content of the poem only by standing on solid historical ground. But before doing this, it is useful to ask the question: is a work created more than three hundred years ago worth our efforts?

In English-speaking countries, Milton is considered the second greatest poet after Shakespeare. Milton's sonorous, solemn verse, bright and impressive images correspond to the majesty of the theme chosen by the poet. The theme is man and his fate, the meaning of human life.

The combination of a philosophical theme with a religious plot in European poetry was by no means a new phenomenon, widespread since the Middle Ages. Even Dante, this last poet of the Middle Ages and the first poet of modern times, in his “Divine Comedy” put into the form of a vision of a journey through the afterlife - “Hell”, “Purgatory” and “Paradise” - a comprehensive philosophy of life. The development of secular culture during the Renaissance led to the displacement of religious themes from literature. But at the end of the Renaissance, at the end of the 16th and then in the 17th centuries, religious themes again penetrated poetry. In England, this was embodied in the work of John Milton (1608-1674).

Milton's worldview and literary works combined two different trends - adherence to the humanistic ideology of the Renaissance and Puritan religiosity. His father gave the future poet a humanistic education and instilled in him a love of literature and music. At the age of sixteen, as was customary at that time, Milton entered Cambridge University, graduated at the age of twenty-one with a bachelor's degree and, after studying for another three years, received the degree of Master of Arts. He refused the offer to become a university teacher, since this required taking holy orders, settled on his father’s estate and took up poetry, continuing to expand his knowledge.

According to the general opinion, to complete his education it was necessary to see the world, and at the age of thirty, without having yet chosen any specific field for himself, Milton set off on a journey. Through Paris and Nice he came to Genoa, then to Florence, Rome and Naples. Milton spent more than a year in Italy, the birthplace of European humanism, where he communicated with scientists and writers. He was especially impressed by his meeting with Galileo, who was sick and disgraced, but continued his scientific studies even after persecution by the Inquisition, which demanded that he renounce his seditious theories.

On his way home, Milton stopped in Geneva, the birthplace of the religious reformer John Calvin.

Galileo and Calvin embodied for Milton two trends of advanced European thought. In Galileo, this great scientist who became a symbol of the secular science in its struggle with Catholic reaction, Milton saw a brave fighter against obscurantists who sought to suppress free thought. Calvin was also a kind of symbol for the young Englishman, the embodiment of religiosity, free from subordination to the church.

The humanistic worldview of the Renaissance did not always reject religion. It is not for nothing that one of the directions of thought at that time was called Christian humanism. Religious sentiments intensified during the decline of the Renaissance, its crisis. The spiritual dictatorship of the Catholic Church in the public life of the era was broken. Many medieval prejudices fell. But the emancipation of the individual was accompanied not only by the flourishing of talents. A monstrous rampage of predatory egoism and complete immorality began. This is especially clearly reflected in Shakespeare in his great tragedies, for example in “King Lear,” where one of the characters gives a very expressive description of the moral state of society: “Love cools down, friendship weakens, fratricidal strife is everywhere. There are riots in the cities, discord in the villages, palaces of betrayal, and the family bond between parents and children is collapsing "..." Our best time has passed. Bitterness, betrayal, disastrous unrest will accompany us to the grave" ("King Lear", 1, 2, trans. B. Pasternak).

Humanism rehabilitated earthly life, recognized man’s desire for joy as natural, but only privileged and wealthy layers of society could take advantage of this teaching. Having understood humanism very superficially, people from the nobility used it to justify their unbridled desire for pleasure and did not take into account any moral standards. A paradoxical situation was created: the doctrine developed in the fight against the shackles of feudal-class society was used to justify aristocratic tyranny and debauchery.

In contrast to the flatly understood humanism, the progressive thought of the era more and more persistently conquered and mastered the sphere of religion. By the beginning of the 17th century, England had taken significant steps along the path of capitalist development. The bourgeoisie grew into a great economic force, which was already cramped within the feudal monarchy. In need of ideological support, the English bourgeoisie turned to one of the reformist movements of the then religious thought - Calvinism.

Here we are forced to recall the main points in the history of religious movements at the turn from the Middle Ages to modern times, without which it is impossible to understand Milton's Paradise Lost. The dominant ideological stronghold of the feudal system was the Roman Catholic Church, whose power extended throughout Western Europe. Advanced anti-feudal movements began with the struggle against the Catholic Church. At the beginning of the 16th century, a reformation of the church in Germany took place, led by Martin Luther. Most German states refused to submit to Rome and pay the pope a huge monetary tribute. The reformation of the church in England soon followed. The Anglican Church ceased to obey the Pope and recognized the king as its head. Changes concerned rituals, the church became more modest compared to the Catholic one, but the reform did not suit the growing bourgeoisie. After the first reform movement, the second began. It was based on the desire to free the church from the power of the king and the bishops obedient to him. The teachings of the Genevan preacher Calvin perfectly suited the needs of the bourgeois hoarders. Calvin was opposed to the centralized feudal church. He created a new form of church organization - a community of believers, not governed by anyone and holding prayers without any ritual. F. Engels wrote: “The structure of Calvin’s church was thoroughly democratic and republican; and where the kingdom of God had already been republicanized, could earthly kingdoms remain loyal subjects of kings, bishops and feudal lords?” “His dogma met the demands of the boldest part of the then bourgeoisie.”

However, among the English bourgeoisie, a new religious movement, which received the general name of Puritanism, split into two groups. The more moderate Presbyterians maintained some semblance of the former church organization and recognized the spiritual and organizational leadership of the elders (elders), while the most zealous reformers rejected all spiritual authority. They were called independents. If such parallels are permissible, then the Prosbyterians can be called the Girondins of the English Revolution, and the Independents its Jacobins. Milton joined the Independents.

He returned from a trip abroad to the beginning of the intensification of the struggle between the king and the Puritan bourgeoisie, which ended in the civil war and the victorious Puritan revolution that overthrew the king, and took an active part in the revolution as a publicist. He spoke with theoretical works in which he substantiated the right of the people to overthrow a bad monarch and argued that the only legitimate basis of any power is the will of the people. When the victorious Puritans brought King Charles I to trial, Milton proclaimed the right of the people to execute the king.

Milton occupies an honorable place in the history of socio-political thought as the ideologist of the English bourgeois revolution and one of the founders of the theory of bourgeois democracy. However, already during the Puritan revolution he had to become convinced of the difference between the theory and practice of the bourgeois revolution. Milton shared the illusions of those revolutionaries who hoped that the overthrow of the king would lead to the creation of a truly democratic state. These illusions were shattered by the actual course of events. After the victory of the bourgeoisie over the nobility, power in the country was increasingly taken into his own hands by Oliver Cromwell, who led the fight against the royal camp. Milton, who collaborated with Cromwell, urged him not to abuse his power. Cromwell suppressed all opposition in parliament, forced him to assign the title of Lord Protector of the country and even made this title hereditary. Having begun under the slogans of democracy, the bourgeois revolution in England ended with the one-man dictatorship of Cromwell.

Milton's unexpected political turn prompted him to increasingly withdraw from participation in government affairs in which he was involved. This was also due to the fact that Milton, who was visually impaired, became completely blind in 1652. He continued to perform the duties of a Latin secretary (diplomatic correspondence was conducted in the international language of that time, Latin) with the assistance of assistants.

When Cromwell died in 1658 and his weak-willed son Richard became Protector, Milton was inspired and returned to political activity in the hope of restoring democracy. The pamphlet he wrote in favor of the “rapid establishment of a free republic” did not meet with support. The people were depressed and tired, and the bourgeoisie needed strong power to protect them from the disgruntled poor. The capitalists came to an agreement with the aristocrats, and the monarchy was restored in the country.

The Restoration regime dealt harshly with the former rebels, especially those who were responsible for the execution of the king. Milton miraculously escaped punishment. Blind, he lived in hiding from possible persecution, cared for by his third wife and daughters, as well as a few old friends.

Nothing could break the steadfastness of the revolutionary Milton. Now, after the defeat of the revolution, he returned to where he began his activity, to poetry.

Already in his youth, he created a number of small poetic works that testified to his extraordinary talent. But, having gone into political struggle, he abandoned poetry. True, already in the last years of the Republic, Milton again wrote a small number of poems, but for fifteen years he devoted his main energies to journalistic prose. During the Restoration, Milton created three large poetic works: the poems “Paradise Lost” (1667), “Paradise Regained” (1671) and the poetic tragedy “Samson the Fighter” (1671). All these works were written on subjects from the Old and New Testaments. They clearly showed that Milton remained true to his ideal of freedom and was still an enemy of the monarchy.

The very choice of subjects had a fundamental meaning.

The Bible was the main ideological weapon of the revolutionary bourgeois-Puritans. Here it is appropriate to recall the deep thought of K. Marx about the ideological cover of bourgeois revolutions. “Precisely when people seem to be busy remaking themselves and their surroundings and creating something unprecedented,” wrote K. Marx in “The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte,” “it is precisely in such eras of revolutionary crises that they fearfully resort to spells, calling to their aid the spirits of the past, borrowing from them names, battle slogans, costumes, so that in the attire consecrated by antiquity, in this borrowed language, they could play out a new scene of world history "... "Cromwell and the English people used the language for their bourgeois revolution , passions and illusions borrowed from the Old Testament."

In light of this, it is clear why Milton remained faithful to the Bible as a source of wisdom and poetic images and traditions. But it cannot be said that the experience of the bourgeois revolution passed without a trace for him. The appeal to biblical stories was an undoubted challenge to the social and state order established after the Puritan revolution. But Milton also looked at the revolution now, after it had passed, with different eyes. The best traditions of the Puritan revolution live in Paradise Lost, but, taken as a whole, the work is a critical revision of the political experience accumulated by Milton during the years of the Republic (Commonwealth), as the new system continued to be officially called even when its ruler seized power greater than the one possessed by the king overthrown by the revolution.

Paradise Lost begins by depicting a war between heaven and hell; on one side is God, his archangels, angels - in a word, the whole host of celestial beings; on the other, the fallen angel is Satan, the spirits of evil Beelzebub, Mammon and the entire synclite of demons and devils. It would seem that everything is clear and simple. But once you read into the speeches of the inhabitants of hell, this clarity turns out to be imaginary. The spirits cast down from heaven are plotting a rebellion against God. You can't help but pay attention to how they call it. “King of heaven”, “Sovereign, One Autocrat” - he is a despot and tyrant for those cast into the hellish abyss. For the Puritan Milton, God was a towering shrine. For the revolutionary Milton, any individual power is intolerable. We understand, of course, that everything bad is said about the king of heaven by evil spirits, for whom it is natural to blaspheme God.

But one cannot help but notice the aura of heroism that surrounds Milton Satan.

Rebel Lord, Surpassing everyone with his stately posture, How tall the tower is. No, not really He has lost his former greatness! Sorrow The pale face was gloomy, lashed by lightning; look, Sparkling from under thick eyebrows, Hidden boundless courage, Unbroken pride...

This is how Satan addresses his minions after defeat:

We are unsuccessful They tried to shake His Throne And they lost the fight. So what? Not everything was lost: the fuse was preserved Indomitable will, along With immense hatred, thirst for revenge And courage - not to give in forever. Isn't this a victory? After all, we have What remains is what He cannot Neither rage nor force to take away Unfading glory! If I An enemy whose kingdom was shaken From fear of this hand, I would beg on my knees for mercy, I would be embarrassed, I would be ashamed I would have covered myself and the shame would have been worse, Than overthrow. By the will of fate Imperishable is our empyrean composition And strength equal to God; having passed The crucible of battles, we have not weakened, But we have hardened ourselves and are now more faithful We have the right to hope for victory...

Whose feelings are expressed in this courageous speech - the character created by the imagination of the poet, or, perhaps, the creator of this image himself, a revolutionary and exponent of the ideas of the revolution? both. This speech is quite appropriate in the mouth of Satan, cast out from heaven and defeated in the fight against the angelic armies of God. But Milton himself could say this about himself, who even after the restoration of the monarchy remained a republican, a supporter of democracy.

There are many lines in Paradise Lost that violate the clear logic of biblical tradition. Two sets of ideas coexist in Milton’s mind. God is the embodiment of the highest good, Satan and his associates are the fiends of evil; but the same god for Milton is a heavenly king, and as such he is associated with earthly kings, hated by the poet, and then the poet cannot help but sympathize with those who rebel against the autocratic power.

There is another contradiction in the poem. Milton admires the heroic defiance of Satan to the extent that it expresses intransigence towards any tyranny, earthly or heavenly. But it is no coincidence that the rebellion ends in defeat. Not from the Bible, but in his own imagination, which processed the impressions of modern times, the poet drew all the colors to describe the struggle between heaven and hell. Milton had the opportunity to make sure that the English revolution, which revealed the limited goals and self-interest of the bourgeoisie, did not bring the triumph of good on earth. Echoes of this conviction are heard in the poem, where many words are said about the meaninglessness and harmfulness of wars and violence for humanity. Therefore, in the subsequent books of Paradise Lost, the rebellious fighter Satan is contrasted with the Son of God, ready to suffer for all humanity. This contrast between Satan and Christ symbolically expresses the negation of individualism and egoism, in contrast to which the idea of ​​altruism and philanthropy is put forward. This is how its creator argues with himself throughout the poem.

We repeat, there is an undeniable inconsistency in this. Here it is appropriate to recall one statement of Goethe. Talking with Eckerman, the author of Faust admitted that in one of the scenes of this great creation there is a clear violation of logical sequence. “Let’s see,” Goethe said, laughing, “what the German critics will say about this. Will they have the freedom and courage to neglect such a deviation from the rules. The French will be in the way of rationality here; it will not even occur to them that fantasy has its own laws.” ", which reason cannot and should not be guided by. If fantasy did not create what is incomprehensible to reason, it would be worthless. Fantasy distinguishes poetry from prose, where reason can and should rule." This reasoning of the great German poet is very useful to the reader of Paradise Lost. Milton's poem is a creation of artistic fantasy, and should not be approached with the demands of reason and strict logic. Fiction has its own laws.

The beginning of Paradise Lost is particularly fraught with inconsistencies, but further on the reader encounters unexpected turns of action and fluctuations in the author's assessments. In the third book, God says that man, all people, succumb to sin. It turns out that it is possible to atone for the guilt of humanity only through a sacred sacrifice - to accept death. One of the immortal inhabitants of heaven must decide on this.

He asked, but The empyrean was silent. The heavenly choir was silent. Nobody I didn’t dare speak out for Man, Moreover, accept his guilt Lethal, inflict retribution On your own head.

The English revolutionary romantic poet Walter Savage Lapdore, in his Imaginary Conversations, said this: “I do not understand what prompted Milton to make Satan so majestic a being, so inclined to share all the dangers and sufferings of the angels whom he seduced. I do not understand, on the other hand, What could have prompted him to make the angels so vilely cowardly that even at the call of the Creator, not one of them expressed the desire to save the weakest and most insignificant of thinking beings from eternal destruction.”

If Paradise Lost cannot be called a faithful Christian work, then it would be equally erroneous to deny that the poet has faith. Milton's thought revolved around the concepts and ideas of Puritanism, constantly coming into conflict with its dogmas when they came into conflict with the principles of humanism.

The humanism of the Renaissance broke the church teaching of the Middle Ages about the frailty of earthly life. An enthusiastic hymn to man was created by the Italian Pico della Mirandola in his “Speech on the Dignity of Man,” declaring man the most beautiful of all created by God. But he also pointed out the duality of his nature: “Only man was given by the Father seeds and embryos that can develop in any way... He will give free rein to the instincts of sensuality, will go wild and become like animals. He will follow reason, a heavenly being will grow out of him "He will begin to develop his spiritual powers, become an angel and a son of God." Humanists believed and hoped that it was the best aspects of human nature that would triumph.

Pico della Mirandola wrote at the end of the 15th century. A century and a half later, Milton saw that the hopes of the humanists were far from being realized. Milton joined the Puritans in his youth because he believed that the moral strictness they preached could resist both aristocratic licentiousness and bourgeois individualism. He became convinced, however, that behind the ostentatious morality of the Puritans, the same vices were often hidden. In this regard, the following place in Milton’s poem deserves attention, where a seemingly unexpected feature of Satan is noted, whom the poet contrasts with the bigoted Puritans; the spirits of hell praise Satan and

...thank you for That he is ready to sacrifice himself For the common good. Not until the end The virtues of the Spirits have died out Outcasts, to the shame of bad people, boasting of being beautiful to look at Actions inspired by pride, And under the guise of zeal for good, Vain vanity.

A careful reading of the text reveals that behind the seemingly fantastic plot are hidden thoughts about life, indicating the great insight of the poet, who is well versed in people and life circumstances. Milton accumulated many such sober and sometimes bitter observations. But he was not interested in particulars and individual cases, but in man as a whole, and he expressed his view of him, turning the philosophical poem into a religious plot.

If in the first books the contrast between the forces of heaven and hell symbolizes the struggle between good and evil in life, then the central theme of Paradise Lost is the reflection of this struggle in the human heart. This theme is clearly defined in the conversations of the overthrown angels, discussing how they can continue the fight against God after defeat. Satan heard that God was preparing to create a new world and a new creature - man. To seduce him from the path of good is the goal that Satan now sets for himself, so that evil will triumph.

Satan in religious mythology has always been the embodiment of the forces that destroy man. Milton raised naive medieval ideas about human nature to new philosophical heights. Drawing on the entire centuries-old history of mankind, which he has yet to tell in the poem, Milton gives him a harsh description.

The forces of evil have united Consent reigns Among the damned demons, but a man, A creature possessing consciousness, He creates discord with his own kind; Although at the mercy of Heaven He has the right and covenant to hope The Lord knows: to keep eternal peace, He lives in hatred and enmity, Tribes devastate the land Ruthless wars, carrying Destruction of each other...

Milton's contemporary, the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who belonged to the opposite political camp, nevertheless agreed with the poet in his assessment of modernity and modern man and expressed this in a brief aphoristic form; "Man is a wolf to man." Hobbes, however, believed that without violence and coercion it is impossible to curb the bad selfish instincts of people. In contrast, Milton maintained faith in human reason and the power of persuasion.

The story of Adam and Eve, which is narrated further, has a symbolic meaning. It contrasts two states of humanity - the original paradise existence in ideal conditions, when people were innocent and knew no vices, and life “after the Fall.” Following the biblical legend, Milton argues that the “corruption” of humanity began from the moment they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The germ of the philosophical idea of ​​this parable is already contained in the Bible. Milton developed it into a whole doctrine, connecting it with the problem that was the central point of Calvinism and Puritanism. According to the latter, man is initially sinful. His original sin must be atoned for by a strict life of repentance and restraint.

Milton solves the problem in the spirit of humanism. The books depicting the blameless life of Adam and Eve in paradise speak of man as a good and good being by nature. But the archangel Raphael sent by God warns that human nature is complex:

You were created perfect, but flawed, You were created righteous, but keep There is good in yourself - you have power only yourself, Gifted with free will, Fate is not subordinate or strict Necessities.

There is no need to repeat the myth of the Fall of man, eloquently set forth by Milton. The duality of the poet’s worldview was reflected here too. According to the biblical legend, Eve, and after her Adam, committed a sin. But could Milton, a man of great culture, recognize such a good as knowledge as a sin? The bliss of paradise is, according to Milton, an illusion that does not correspond to human nature, for in a person the physical and spiritual must be in harmony. The heavenly life of Adam and Eve was incorporeal, and this is most clearly seen in their love. With the knowledge of good and evil, they were for the first time imbued with a sense of their bodily nature. But sensuality did not kill spirituality in them. This is best demonstrated by the fact that, upon learning of Eve's misdeed, Adam decides to share the blame with her. He does this out of love for her, and his love and compassion strengthens Eve's love for him. True, then a quarrel occurs between them, but it ends in reconciliation, for they realize the inseparability of their destinies.

The Puritan Milton should have treated the hero and heroine more harshly. But once you read the lines dedicated to Eve’s physical beauty, it becomes obvious that nothing human was alien to the poet.

However, one cannot help but notice that in Paradise Lost there is still no idea of ​​equality between men and women. Milton's man in the highest sense is Adam. This tribute to the prejudices of his time cannot drown out the compassion with which the author treats his heroine. Even the “sin” she committed is justified by the author, since its source is a truly human desire for knowledge.

The essence of Milton's philosophy of life was expressed in the speech of Adam after he and Eve were expelled from paradise. Eva, in despair, contemplates suicide. Adam calms her down with a speech about the great value of life. He admits that they are doomed to torment and trials, and is not at all inclined to downplay the hardships and dangers of earthly existence, which is so different from heavenly bliss. But for all its difficulties, life in the eyes of Adam is not joyless. He says to Eve:

He predicted the torment of hardships for you And childbirth, but this pain Rewarded in a happy moment, When, rejoicing, your womb You will see the fruit; and I'm just on the side Touched by a curse, the Earth is cursed; I must earn my bread through labor. What a disaster! Idleness would be worse. Work will support and strengthen me.

Active life and work - this is the destiny of man and this is by no means a curse. Milton - and he does this more than once - corrects the Bible from the standpoint of humanism in the name of affirming the life and dignity of man.

"Paradise Lost" is a kind of poetic encyclopedia. Archangel Raphael expounds to Adam the philosophy of nature - the origin of the Earth, the structure of the sky and the movement of the luminaries, talks about living and dead nature, about the physical and spiritual principles of life. Of course, all this appears in the guise of biblical mythology, but an attentive reader will notice that Milton’s narrative contains concepts and views that are not ancient, but modern to the poet. Milton is comfortable with anachronisms. The biblical characters know that the telescope exists; They also heard about the discovery of Columbus and mentioned the Indians he saw on the newly discovered continent. And when the forces of hell are looking for a means to cope with the heavenly army, they come up with gunpowder and fire from cannons!

All historical eras are mixed in the poem. Next to the legendary history of Israel, the events of the Trojan War, Roman history are outlined and the fate of Julius Caesar is discussed, the ancient British king Uther, the medieval king Charlemagne, the Italian scientist Galileo ("the sage of Tuscany") are named. The poetry of Paradise Lost has a worldwide reach. Having climbed a high mountain, Adam, accompanied by the Archangel Michael, sees

The expanse where cities rose In ancient and new centuries, Capitals of notorious states, From Kambalu, where the Khan of Katai ruled, From Samarkand, where the Oke flows, Where is Tamerlane's proud throne, And to Beijing - a magnificent palace Chinese emperors; Then The Forefather extended his gaze freely To Agra and Lagore - cities Great Mogul; further, down, To the golden Chersonesus; and there, Where in Ecbatana lived the Persian King, And later the Shah ruled in Isfahan; To Moscow - the power of the Russian Tsar, And to Byzantium, where the Sultan sat...

We have to cut off this list in the middle - it is so long. This is only a prologue to what can be called Milton's philosophy of history, which the poet put into the mouth of the Archangel Michael. The Archangel shows Adam the future of the human race. At first, the peaceful work of a farmer and a shepherd, but suddenly the idyllic picture is replaced by the terrible sight of the first death: brother killed brother. Death reigns in the life of humanity: some are killed by cruel violence, others

Fire, water and hunger; very many Gluttony, carousing; give rise to They are serious illnesses...

Vices are increasingly taking hold of humanity. Some indulge in pleasure, others are obsessed with belligerence. The times will come, says the archangel, when

Only brute force will be given honor, Her heroic valor will be considered And courage. Win in battles Conquer peoples and tribes, Return with the spoils, piling up As many corpses as possible - that’s the crown Future glory. Everyone who could Achieve triumph, they will dignify Victorious hero, father Human race, offspring of the gods And even God, but they are more faithful Deserves the title of bloodsuckers And the plagues of humanity; but so Fame will be found on Earth And laurels, and bearers of merit Those who are authentic will be swallowed up by oblivion.

The Archangel foresees the punishment that God will send to the sinful human race - a global flood; he prophesies about the appearance of the son of God - Christ, who with his torment will atone for the sins of people. But the great example of martyrdom for the salvation of mankind will be used by the churchmen - they will come as

fierce wolves, having accepted The disguise of shepherds, and they will convert Holy Sacraments of Heaven for Benefit Self-interest and pride, darkening By traditions and false doctrines And superstition - Truth...

However, the time will come when lies, violence, false teachings - everything that prevents people from living will be thrown into dust.

After all, the whole Earth will become Paradise then, Edenic is far superior The vastness of happy days.

Having learned the greatness and wisdom of the deity, Adam decides to live obedient to his will. The Archangel teaches him:

Life... no love, There is no need to despise. Live Godly...

Adam agrees with this. The final part of the poem is imbued with a spirit of humility and submission, but even in it a note characteristic of Milton breaks through:

I have now realized That to suffer for the truth is a feat To achieve the highest of victories Achieve.

We are far from exhausting the entire wealth of ideas in the poem. Our goal was to help get closer to the true meaning of the work, which at first glance seems far from the issues that concern humanity in our time. The thoughtful reader will discover the deep significance of Milton's poetry, the independence of the author's judgment, who used the biblical plot to express his understanding of life, which in many ways does not coincide with the meaning of the Bible.

In creating the poem, Milton relied on the centuries-old tradition of epic poetry. If the most ancient epic poems were the product of folk art, then in later times it was no longer a folk epic, but a literary epic, which began with the ancient Roman poet Virgil. Milton knew ancient and modern poetry, and he set himself the goal of reviving the classical form of epic. But the times of developed civilization were unfavorable for this. From an artistic point of view, Milton's poem also contained a contradiction. The ancient epic was an expression of the collective consciousness of the people. A book or literary epic bore the indelible stamp of the individual consciousness of the author. It was necessary to have such a powerful individuality as was inherent in Milton in order to create a work of such great poetic power, so fully expressing the era and its contradictions, as Paradise Lost.

The style of the poem is distinguished by sublimity. The characters' speeches sound majestic and solemn. Each of them is a lengthy monologue, imbued with pathos, for each speaking person is full of awareness of the significance of the events taking place. Milton's lush eloquence, however, has different tones. This can be easily seen by comparing the furious appeals of Satan, the slow speeches of God, the instructive tone of the stories of the archangels, the dignified monologues of Adam, the gentle speech of Eve. Let us note at the same time that Satan, as the leader of the fallen angels, is distinguished by genuine fiery speech, but, acting as the serpent who seduced Eve, he reveals the peculiar logic and cunning of the tempter.

Milton's landscapes make a great impression; they are majestic and enormous, and there is a sense of cosmic scope in them, so consistent with the content of the poem. The poet has an extraordinary imagination, a powerful imagination, which allows him to color the meager lines of the biblical story with colorful descriptions.

Much, very much in Paradise Lost bears the stamp of the time when the poem was created. But true poetry overcomes everything alien to new generations. And Milton’s majestic verse in the new translation by Arkady Steinberg, which first saw the light of day in 1976, resonates loudly for us too. Entering the world of Milton’s poetry, through everything unusual and strange for the modern reader, one can comprehend the significance of the ideas of the work and feel the greatness of the personality of the courageous poet-fighter .

MILTON, JOHN(Milton, John) (1608–1674), great English poet. Born on December 9, 1608 in London, in the family of a successful notary, an amateur musician, and a well-educated man.

In 1625, sixteen-year-old Milton entered Christ's College, Cambridge University, which was to culminate after some time with a bachelor's degree and then a master of arts. In both cases it was necessary to take holy orders. After painful reflection, Milton decided to abandon his church career. At twenty-four he left Cambridge and went to his father's estate Horton (Buckinghamshire), where he spent six years.

Of the poems he wrote in six years, at least four of them secured Milton's place in the annals of English poetry. L"Allegro(Italian "joyful") and Il Penseroso(Italian: “thoughtful”; probably written around 1632) – small idylls exploring polar temperaments; Comus (Comus, 1634) – “mask”, i.e. half dramatic work; in 1637 Milton wrote a pastoral elegy in memory of a university friend Lucidas (Lycidas).

Comus And Lucidas- the most striking examples of Milton's early work. In the first work, thanks to magical powers, chastity resists temptation. The second is devoted not so much to the death of E. King, but to discussions about the pastoral calling. IN Lucidase Milton's ability to maintain the general mood from line to line in verses with powerful syntax and rich melody is striking.

Seven years of college followed by six years of independent study at Horton did not quench the thirst for knowledge in Milton's soul, and, with the blessing of his father, in early 1638 he set out on a two-year trip to Europe. Rumors of an imminent civil war prompted him to hastily return to England in 1639. At the end of the elegy written in Latin Epitaphium Damonis(lat. Epitaph for Damon) in memory of a friend with whom he studied at St. Paul's School and Cambridge University, Milton opened a private educational institution at St. Brides Churchyard for his nephews, John and Edward Phillips. However, very soon he was carried away by more pressing problems. In 1641 he published his first prose pamphlet - a treatise About the Reformation in England (Of Reformation in England). In the same year, treatises were published On the Episcopal Dignity of the High Priesthood (Of Prelatical Episcopacy) And Reproaches regarding the defense of the persuader (Animadversions upon the Remonstrant's Defense), then followed Discourse on Church Governance (The Reason of Church Government, 1641–1642) and Vindication of Smectimnuus (An Apology for Smectymnuus, 1642).

In the summer of 1642, Milton rested for a month near Oxford (his family originated from these places) and returned home with his bride, née Mary Powell. All of her relatives were staunch royalists, while Milton was a Puritan and, therefore, an opponent of the existing monarchy. He was 33 years old, she was 16. A month later, the newly minted Mrs. Milton asked to visit her parents and received her husband’s consent to a two-month absence. She returned to her husband only in the summer of 1645.

In 1645–1649 Milton retired from public affairs. Biographers believe that he was busy thinking and collecting materials for Stories of Britain (History of Britain) or worked on a general treatise About Christian teaching (Of Christian Doctrine). But in 1649 a case appeared that disrupted Milton’s hermitage. On the last day of January 1649, Charles I was publicly executed; less than two weeks had passed before Milton published a pamphlet Duties of Sovereigns and Governments (The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates). In the current situation, the speech sounded unusually harsh and was absolutely in the hands of the radical party. In March 1649, Milton was appointed secretary for correspondence in foreign languages ​​at the Council of State.

By the end of 1649, indignant responses to the execution of Charles were becoming louder in Europe, and new clear and convincing justifications for the regicide were required. Milton wrote three apologies for the king's execution in Latin: Defense of the English people (Defensio pro populo Anglicano, 1651), Re-protection (Defensio secunda, 1654) and Justification for yourself (Defensio pro se, 1655). Undoubtedly, the 1650s became a bleak decade for him, with disasters occurring in an almost continuous sequence. In February 1652 he went blind, and in May his wife died giving birth to his third daughter Deborah. In June, before he was a year old, his only son, John, died. At the end of 1656, Milton married Katharine Woodcock; she died at the beginning of 1658. Meanwhile, both political and religious affairs in the country were going, from Milton’s point of view, as bad as they could be. The revolution, designed to bring about an enlightened and free republic, turned into a dictatorship. The church split into warring factions. Behind the squabbles of political and religious parties, a latent but steadily growing desire to return to the rule of a new monarch - Charles Stuart.

Despite his blindness, Milton until 1655 acted as secretary to the State Council thanks to readers, assistants, and copyists. The resignation was followed by another gap of four years. And when it became clear that the revolution had failed and the Restoration was on the verge, Milton published three daring and very frank pamphlets in support of the Just Cause. Treatise on the participation of civil authorities in church affairs (A Treatise of Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Causes) And Considerations regarding the most appropriate means of removing mercenaries from the Church (Considerations Touching the Likeliest Means to Remove Hirelings out of the Church) were printed in 1659, and The Quick and Easy Path to the Establishment of a Free Republic (The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth) in February 1660, on the eve of the Restoration.

The accession of Charles II was a disaster for Milton. For some time he was imprisoned, even his life was in danger, but through the efforts of friends, especially A. Marvell, who at one time served as Milton's assistant, and in the 1660s represented Hull in parliament, he was soon released to freedom.

Item Paradise Lost (Paradise Lost, 1667) is precisely defined in the first three lines of the poem. Milton tells us that he intends to sing

About the first disobedience, about the fruit

Forbidden, destructive, that brought death

And all our misfortunes into this world (ј)

(Translation by A. Steinberg)

True, Man appears in the poem only in the second half of Book IV. All this time, Satan reigns almost unchallenged on the stage. For this reason, in criticism of the early 19th century. There was an opinion about Satan as the hero of the poem. However, the heroism of this character, although undeniable but also limited, ultimately serves the triumph of the heroism of Christ and Adam. In the last part of the poem, Satan is humiliated, and it is precisely the fact that Adam responds to his fall differently than Satan that allows us to consider the Fall as a beneficial event.

Lost Paradise richly decorated with retellings of plots from classical antiquity, metaphors, echoes of Scripture, figures of speech, rhetorical patterns, metrical irregularities, allegorical images, puns and even implicit rhymes. The choice of words, grammar, word order are sometimes Latinized, the tone of the narration is sublime and solemn, as befits an epic, without psychological nuances, colloquial intonations and lively colloquial expressions, permissible in lyric and dramatic poetry.

Although Paradise Regained (Paradise Regained, 1671) is often considered a kind of continuation Paradise Lost, in fact, this is a completely independent work, and the poems are almost unrelated to each other. If Lost Paradise- an example of a lengthy epic, then Paradise Regained- an example of a compressed epic.

Samson the fighter (Samson Agonistes, 1671), similar Comus, another attempt by Milton in the dramatic genre, although it is more of a poem to be read than a drama to be staged. As it were, Samson the fighter worthily completes Milton's literary career on the daring note of heroic energy and inflexibility characteristic of his work and his entire life.