History of Milton Age - Puritan Age

Puritanism was the dominant religious reformation movement from 1600 to 1660 and was called the Puritan Age. The essential purpose of the puritans was to remove Catholicism from the Churches of England. In the history of English literature, Milton was one of the noblest poets of the seventeenth century. Therefore this age is also known as the Milton Age. Furthermore, this age is divided into the Jacobean and Caroline periods after the names of ruled James I(1603 to 1625) and Charles I(1625 to 1649).
 

Who was the John Milton?

John Milton English poet, historian and pamphleteer were born in London on December 9, 1608. A middle-class boy was educated at St. Paul’s School, then at Christ's college in 1625. He was rusticated for a period due to misbehaving with his tutor William Chappell. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in 1629 and Master of Arts degree in 1632. He started writing poetry in Latin, Italian, English and touch of the clergy at Cambridge.

After University, for the next six years, he spends in his father’s country home, studying for his poetical career. He wrote a poem “On Shakespeare” in the same year when his mother Jokinen died in 1637. Milton started writing poems at the age of twenty-one, he composed several poems, including On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity, One Shakespeare, L'Allegro, ll Penseroso, and Lucida the pastoral elegy. He was sent for a 13-month tour of France and Italy in May 1638, in this tour with great intellectual and influential people. After the trip soon he got married to Mary Powell in 1642, with whom he was four children three daughters and a son. Powell died in 1652, and he married Katherine Woodcock, there was only one child, after her death, Elizabeth Minshull was his wife in 1662. 

During the Civil War, he wrote pamphlets which were advocating political topics such as the freedom of the press, populism, the morality of divorce and sanctioned regicide. 

He completely become blind in 1651. In 1660, after the Restoration of Charles II, he was arrested for defending the Commonwealth. In his seclusion life, he completed the blank-verse epic poem “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Regained.” He died on November 8, 1674, in Buckinghamshire England.

The Works of John Milton

John Milton was a great poet of the 17th century. Milton produced remarkable literary work between 1632 to 1674, and his larger work was influenced by epic poetry. Milton’s major works include Paradise Lost Paradise Regained, ll Penseroso and L’Allegro. 

Paradise Lost is known as one of the great works in English literature. Publication of the first edition of Paradise Lost contains 10 books which were published in 1667, later edition in 1774 contained 12 books. Paradise Lost is 10000 verses of lines epic poem of Adam and Eve. This is the story of their creation's insufficiency against the temptation of Satan.

His most recognized work is Paradise Regained published in 1671. Paradise Regained was published by William Young a bookseller who had a printing business. Milton used philosophical dialogue with the Son of God. These dialogues seek to internal quality of consciousness, and Satan believes that it is important to save power, wealth, external value and recognition.

Another great work by Milton is L’Allegro and ll Penseroso. David Bogue published this edition in 1855 in London. In L’Allegro and ll Penseroso, he used the theme of interaction between day and night. These two books reflect the internal and external life of John Milton's allegory poem. 

He was at the age of 20 when he wrote L’Allegro and ll Penseroso, the young poet put the questions for Epic poet. His later work was highly influenced by early-age production, and as he got older produced more Complex and meaningful. By the time he lost his sight and utilized to compose “most divine melancholy" known as his power works.