John Milton

English poet, essayist and civil servant (1608–1674)

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About

John Milton was a major English poet and intellectual of the 17th century. Born in London, he studied at Cambridge and traveled in Europe, where he met Galileo. Committed to the republican cause, he became Latin Secretary to Cromwell's Commonwealth and defended press freedom in Areopagitica. Having gone blind around 1651, he dictated his masterpiece, Paradise Lost, an epic in blank verse on the Fall of Man. His poetic and political writings have profoundly influenced modern thought.

* 1608-12-09 — † 1674-11-08

Major works

  • Paradise Lost (1667)epic poem
  • Paradise Regained (1671)epic poem
  • Samson Agonistes (1671)dramatic poem
  • Areopagitica (1644)pamphlet
  • Comus (1634)masque

Key milestones

  • 1638Met Galileo in Florence during his tour of Italy.
  • 1649Appointed Secretary for Foreign Tongues for the Commonwealth.
  • 1667Publication of Paradise Lost in ten books.

Themes

The Fall of ManLibertyReligionPoliticsBlindness

Sources: oxforddnb.com · britannica.com