John Milton

Renaissance period and John Milton. John Milton was an outstanding poet who wrote sonnets such as "On Shakespeare" and "On His Blindness." He also wrote poems such as "Comus" and "Lycidas." Milton is most known however, for the epics that he wrote. Some of his major epics included "Samson Agonistes" and "Paradise Regained." His most famous work is the epic "Paradise Lost." Milton was inspired in much of his work by the Bible. He felt that the Bible alone contained everything people needed to know for the practice of true religion.

Milton's epic, "Paradise Lost," takes the story of Adam and Eve from Genesis and turns it into a 10,565 line poem. "Paradise Lost" is set in the Garden of Eden during the time of Adam and Eve. Milton tries to convey in this epic that God did not create the evils of the world but Adam and Eve did when they disobeyed God's word. Milton argues that God gave people free will and that it is their decision to choose good or evil. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God they chose evil and must accept their punishment and make the best of the life that is left to them. Milton believes that while Adam and Eve have lost paradise for all of mankind, it can still be attained through Jesus Christ.

John Milton is sometimes called the Great Puritan poet because much of the prose works that he wrote supported the Parliamentary Party which insulted many non-Puritans. These people labeled him a Puritan as well because he shared some of the same beliefs as the Puritans. John Milton was not in fact a Puritan and he rejected all religions. Milton believed that while the Christian religion was the most important matter in life, it should only involve God, God's word and the individual human being.