A Formalistic Reading of John Milton's Lycidas
John Milton is one of the greatest stars in the sky of English literature. He is mostly known because of his well-known masterpiece “Paradise Lost”. Though some critics state that Shakespeare was more powerful than him, but making comparison between a playwright whom by the use of his powerful pen became famous and rich, with a literary man who wrote the greatest English epic, is not true and justifiable. My purpose of writing this research paper is to criticize his world-famous elegy – Lycidas. Milton after two years living in Horton, in the November 1637 when his poetic exercises and studies were finished, took a trip to Italia and wrote Lycidas to elegize the death of his friend “Edward King” _ four years younger than Milton, was full of genius, and was chosen by the order of the king as an assistant professor in Cambridge.
1. The formalistic approach
Edward King, who is the occasion of the poem if not its subject, was a junior contemporary of Milton’s at Cambridge. He had written a few short Latin poems, and intended to enter the ministry. On his way to visit family in his native Ireland, he was drowned, in 1637; and Milton joined with his school colleagues the following year to produce a little “memorial volume: Justa Edouardo King (For Edward King) includes thirty-six poems, twenty in Latin, three in Greek, the rest in English; only Lycidas is of literary consequence” (Abrams 1987: 658). In this elegy, the poet is bemoaning, for Lycidas is dead before being able to show his power in poetry. Some critics believe that this poem is more about Milton himself, than Edward King. In fact, he is lamenting for the power of poesy (Abjadian 1998: 227).
1.1. The first stanza
In the opening verses of the poem, the poet says that though he has not become masterful in the art of poetics, but because of the loss of his dearest friend, it is necessary to compose an elegy for him. The opening line of the poem begins with the repetition of
1. The formalistic approach
Edward King, who is the occasion of the poem if not its subject, was a junior contemporary of Milton’s at Cambridge. He had written a few short Latin poems, and intended to enter the ministry. On his way to visit family in his native Ireland, he was drowned, in 1637; and Milton joined with his school colleagues the following year to produce a little “memorial volume: Justa Edouardo King (For Edward King) includes thirty-six poems, twenty in Latin, three in Greek, the rest in English; only Lycidas is of literary consequence” (Abrams 1987: 658). In this elegy, the poet is bemoaning, for Lycidas is dead before being able to show his power in poetry. Some critics believe that this poem is more about Milton himself, than Edward King. In fact, he is lamenting for the power of poesy (Abjadian 1998: 227).
1.1. The first stanza
In the opening verses of the poem, the poet says that though he has not become masterful in the art of poetics, but because of the loss of his dearest friend, it is necessary to compose an elegy for him. The opening line of the poem begins with the repetition of
Cited: Abjadian, Amrollah. A LITERARY HISTORY OF ENGLAND 2nd. ed. 4th vol. Iran: Shiraz UP, 1998. Abrams, M. H. et al., THE NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE 6th. ed. New York: Norton, 1987.