Guided Notes

John Milton

Objective
In this lesson, you will investigate the works of John Milton and their place in the english civil war
and restoration of seventeenth-century england.

Civil War and Restoration

upheavel
In the mid-seventeenth century, England experienced great political and religious _______________. At the
forces
center of that turmoil was King Charles I and England’s Parliament. These opposing ____________ disagreed
goverened
over how the country should be ______________. By 1642, escalating tensions between the two sides
civil
erupted in ____________ war
______.
split
England was ________ charles
into armed camps. Royalists supported _______________ I and the
___
power
English monarchy. Parliamentarians supported shifting some of the monarch's ________to
parliament
________________. defeat
The war between the Royalists and Parliamentarians ended with the ___________ of
preston
Charles I and his Scottish allies at the Battle of ____________ in 1648.

Cromwell, Lord Protector

important
Oliver Cromwell was the most __________________ figure in the English Civil War and the era’s politics. He is
controversial
also one of the most __________________ figures in English history. Cromwell was the first non-royal to hold
complete power over England, Scotland, and _____________.
____________ ireland Some historians have regarded Cromwell
brutal
as a hero. Others have criticized him for ruthlessly silencing his opponents and for his __________conquest of
ireland
_____________.

In the decade leading up to civil war, Cromwell was one of the most outspoken members of
parliament
_______________. reform
He sought major ___________ for the Church of England. He and others also argued that
control
_____________of transferred
the English army should be _____________from the king to Parliament. In addition, he
year
believed that Parliament should meet every ____________, regardless of the king's wishes.

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 Guided Notes
successes
Cromwell’s military _____________left him in control of a
army
powerful __________. parliament
He dissolved (got rid of) _____________
created
without opposition in 1653. He then _____________his own
Parliament of handpicked Puritans.

disbanded
Cromwell’s new Parliament soon _____________itself and
monarch
suggested that he become a constitutional _____________.
refused
Cromwell _____________ the title of king. Instead, he took the
lord
title of _________ projector
_____________ of England on
December 16, 1653. His office maintained most of the
powers
_____________previously given to the monarchy.
rebuild England after years of war and strife.
As the head of the Commonwealth, Cromwell wanted to __________
tyrant
However, he chose to accomplish his goals by ruling as a _____________.
power
In 1657, Cromwell gained more ___________. renamed
At a ceremony much like a coronation, he was _____________
life
Lord Protector for ________.

Restoration and Revolution

control of England after the _____________
George Monck, the head of the army, took __________ collapse of the
restore
Commonwealth. Within a year, Parliament voted to ___________ the monarchy. Charles II, the son of Charles
exile
I, had spent the Cromwell years in ___________ king of England, Ireland, and
in Europe. He was crowned _______

restoration
Scotland in April 1661. This period is known as the _________________.

backlash
Charles II's reign was marked by a _______________ puritanism
against the strong _____________________ that had
ruled the land for more than a decade.

normalcy
The Restoration was meant to mark a return to ___________________. Yet the country faced many
challenges
_____________.

successor
Charles's brother and ____________________, catholic
James, was Roman _____________. His religious background
tension
became another source of ______________.

james
Charles II died in 1685, and his brother James became King __________ II. Already disliked, James

II won lost even more popularity with a series of pro-Catholic actions.

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 Guided Notes
william
When _________________ mary
and ___________arrived in England in 1688, support for James had nearly
vanish
__________________. exile
He eventually fled into _____________.
glorious
In what is known as the _______________ revolution
_________________, England welcomed the new royals.
rules
The Bill of Rights established basic __________ for royal succession, which brought lasting political
stability
___________________. throne
William and Mary jointly took the __________ in 1689.

John Milton
civil War, the Commonwealth of Oliver
The life of John Milton spanned the English _______
restoration
Cromwell, and the _______________. His life was defined by a sincere but ever-changing
Protestant faith.
scholar
Even at a young age, Milton was a ________________ of language and
literature
______________________.
spiritual
Milton believed that poetry should be written for ________________ enhancement. His interest in
classical works reflects the influence of the emerging ________________________
__________ neoclassical style in
literature.

Over the next two decades, as he wrote political defenses for the Commonwealth, Milton experienced a series
tragedies
of personal ________________.

cromwell
Tragedy struck again for Milton when _________________ died and the Commonwealth
collapsed
of England ____________________. radical
Milton had grown increasingly _____________ in
isolated
both politics and religion. He now became more and more _________.

distrust
Milton had come to _____________ corrupt
organized religion and considered it ________________.

1667
Milton published Paradise Lost in ________. It was immediately acknowledged as a great work of English and
religion
______________ changing
literature. His life and work show the ______________ renaissance
influence of the _________________
reformation
and ________________ on English literature.

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 Guided Notes
Reading Milton’s Poetry
influenced
Like other neoclassical writers, Milton was strongly ________________by ancient Greek and Roman literature.
This is clear from his decision to write an epic poem and from his numerous allusions to classical
mythology
________________. neoclassical
The table lists other important features of the ________________ movement.

Early Neoclassicism
common forms allegories, epigrams, early novels

prose style clear, consile, rational, skeptical, well-organized, plain

poetic style strongly, rythmic,balanced,witty,featuring classical allusions

influences classical Greek and Roman forms, new Protestant sects

response to changing social hierarchy, the renaissance

Although Milton’s work reflects certain aspects of the neoclassical movement, his writings do do not
complex
fit neatly into this category. Milton’s use of ____________ differed
syntax (sentence structure) ____________ from
the usual clear, concise, and plain language of neoclassical writers. In addition, his works tend to focus on
spiritually
matters of ______________________ rather than rational questions.

draws
Milton also ___________ on and alludes (refers) to characters, themes, and words from sources
beyond
______________ the classics.

Understanding Milton
For modern readers, Milton’s poetry can be challenging, especially because of his frequent use of
enjamblment
___________________ syntax
and his complex ______________.

Key Term The term enjambment comes from the French word meaning
straddling
“________________.” This term refers to clauses or sentences that do not end at
continue
the end of a line but _______________ to the next line. Enjambment can have
tone
many different effects on _________ rhythm
and _______________, depending on the
context.

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 Guided Notes
Milton uses this device often in Paradise Lost.
His fair large Front and Eye sublime declar’d
Absolute rule; and Hyacinthin Locks
Round from his parted forelock many hung
Clustring, but not beneath his shoulders broad
list
Here, enjambment emphasizes the ________-like quality of this description of Adam. Ending sentences or
pauses
phrases in the middle of a line rather than at the end adds more ______________ to the meter; this tactic
longer
makes the list seem _________________.

“On Shakespeare”
first
Milton's poem "On Shakespeare" was his _______ published work.

immortal
The poem expresses the idea that artists are made _______________ by their works. Milton states in line 10
gretness
that part of Shakespeare's _______________ spontaneously
was that he wrote naturally and _________________.

“L’Allegro” and “Il Penseroso”

togetherq
The two poems are best understood when read ___________________. different
They explore two ______________
opposite
lifestyles that are ___________________ balance
in nature yet still __________________ each other in a meaningful
way.

cheerful
The word l’allegro means “___________________ person” in Italian. The poem
happy
"L'Allegro" describes _____________ scenes, such as an idyllic day of work in the
country
____________ active
or a summer festival. Its imagery creates an __________, gleeful tone.
thoughtful
In contrast, the term il pensieroso means “__________________, pensive person.”
scholarity
The poem "Il Penseroso" describes a _____________________, pensive life. Its tone
darker
is much _________________ and more subdued than that of "L'Allegro."

balancing
By ____________________ the poems’ contrasting tones, Milton makes clear that the life of a cheerful person
meaningful
is just as ______________________ as that of a pensive person.

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 Guided Notes
Paradise Lost
greatest
Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost is considered one of the _______________
adam
works in the English language. It tells the story of _______________ eve and
and _____
their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

sense
In Paradise Lost , Milton tries to make _____________ of the world around him. Milton wanted to create a
epic
great ________ glory
that would bring __________ to England. He

parallel
Milton uses other epic conventions to draw _______________ early
between his work and ___________ epics. For
middle
example, he starts the poem in medias res, or "in the _____________ of things."

themes
Even the ____________ free _________,
of Paradise Lost are epic. His poem explores ideas such as _______ will
redemption
humanity's search for _________________, battle
and the ____________ between God and Satan.

techniques
Milton uses a variety of _______________ to enhance the epic feel of Paradise Lost . As was his style, Milton
enjambent
used _______________ and complex syntax throughout the work. He chose to write the poem in
blank
___________ pentameter
verse—metered lines that do not rhyme. Milton uses iambic _______________, a meter often
used in epics.

metaphors
Milton’s use of complex _______________ elevated style
and other literary devices adds to the poem’s __________
epic
and ___________ rely
tone. Many of these devices _____________ on allusions (cultural references), not just to
bible
epics but also to the _____________, sources
English literature, and other ______________.

This literary device and others contribute to making Paradise Lost a classic retelling of the story of Adam and
redemption
Eve and of humankind's search for ________________.

Summary
What are the key events of Milton’s time? What are the key traits of Milton’s most significant literary works?
Leaves Cambridge. Embarked on six years of private study. Commenced a year-long tour of
France and Italy. Wrote parliamentarian tracts, in anticipation of the civil war.

Built it a kind of verse previously unfamiliar, perfectly fitted to the grandness of his subjec

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