[.rousium]

In “Lycidas”, a poem written for an acquaintance’s death, Milton reaches deep inside himself to feel the anguish of death. One could view this as some sort of sadistic plot twist in the course of Milton’s life. I feel Milton was surrounded by death and in a way found a sort of calm divinity in being able to deal more concisely with this part of life. Death is a part of life and if one is to consider them self a sort of right hand of God then one surely has to be understanding and willing to face such facts.
With this same work, it is understood that Milton used the notoriety and ability to take part in such a collection as a means of gaining recognition. Isn’t this just God’s will at work? Isn’t it just divine fate? Is there really any room for anyone else? And if there is, who is a man to judge or decide the better outcome when it’s God the almighty telling you, subtly or not so, that you are chosen; that you are doing his will.
I believe that Milton was in the right place at the wrong time. He seemed almost always to be preaching to a choir that belonged to a completely different set of beliefs. To many other’s it would have been a daunting task. A task maybe not worth their time but a task Milton took to heart. I feel if you look at his perseverance and just his sheer strength of willpower you have to recognize him for what he was or better yet, what he was doing. Milton was on his own epic journey and it was wrought with vast settings, quests, Godly interventions and an incredible amount of unsavory characters for him to struggle and battle against. Who rose above as the victor is a matter of opinion but one that even a blind man could clearly see.

200 or so more words............

❤