Samson Agonistes John Milton Books
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Samson Agonistes, by John Milton, is a ''Tragedy'' written in blank verse. It almost follows the theme of defection of a woman and humiliation suffered by the hero that was touched in Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. With biblical over-tones, the tragedy follows the Greek traditions of Chorus and agony of the hero. An enchanting work that reflects author's own agony of descent into darkness.
Samson Agonistes John Milton Books
First a note on the formatting of the Kindle Version. The publisher did a pretty good job of getting this poem/play formatted for e-readers, but it still took a bit of playing around with font size and style before I was able to read it comfortably. I did enjoy the illustrations located at the beginning and end of the text (although if I didn't have a color e-reader I'd think they were just a waste), but they are simply pictures of John Milton and first editions of Paradise Lost. It's not actually an "illustrated text" in case that's what you were thinking.As far as works by Milton go, this is much shorter than 'Paradise Lost' and much easier to get through. I was able to finish it all in one day including annotating the text. If you're not used to reading Milton-era literature keep a dictionary handy because it has not been translated for modern English. Personally I consider this a plus, but others may not agree with me. Overall Milton writes the story of Samson fairly well. It's interesting to read this as a semi-play. It's written with characters and lines, but as stated in the introduction 'not intended to be performed'. The basis of the Bible story is there, but Milton inserts his own theologies (as he does with everything he's written) and I still don't appreciate his sentiments toward women, even if the only female character was Delihla.
I can't say I really enjoyed this as a "fun" read, but it does spark topics for a very interesting debate and I'd much rather read 'Samson Agoniestes' than have to slog through all of 'Paradise Lost' again. I would recommend this to people who are just discovering Milton especially. It's short enough that you can get a taste of his work without devoting weeks and months of your time trying to get through something longer, and it gives you a good taste of what you can expected from his other works.
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Samson Agonistes John Milton Books Reviews
It's unfortunate that this book can be so hard to find in bookstores, because in some ways it's more worthwhile than 'Paradise Lost.'
The play is bitter and misogynistic, and lacking in dramatic qualities. But the poetry is first-rate. Samson's first speech ("Ask for this great Deliverer now, and find him / Eyeless in Caza at the Mill with slaves"; "O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon...") has been nicked by a number of great writers. It's denser and more vigorous than much of 'Paradise Lost.' And it's less than 1800 lines.
This is a long poem, some 45 pages, and the first thing I ever read by Milton. And it was actually pretty good! No wonder Milton is considered great. I felt as if I were reading one of the great Greek tragedies upon which this was surely modeled. It recreates in blank verse the story of Samson and Delilah and how Samson brought down the pillars of the public arena and destroyed all the Philistines. I had not thought of that Biblical story in a long time. Milton makes it seem very real, makes the people seem alive. Even Delilah comes across as a sympathic character who had rational reasons for betraying Samson. What the real story was about his strength being in his hair I've love to know. I'm sure these were real people and there is some basis in fact. I enjoyed it.
Samson Agonistes is a short poem/drama that is usually tacked on in books after Paradise Lost. Its basis is the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah, primarily the latter part of the story where Samson is already blind and destroys all the Philistines. There is consensus among scholars that Milton related to Samson, due to Milton's blindness, and that was why he chose to compose this drama. The style of this drama is based on a Greek tragedy, complete with chorus. The Naxos edition of this book is a BBC recording, which contains an entire cast. Samson is played by Iain Glen. You might know him as the man Mary almost married in Downton Abbey before Matthew told her to call it off. Some would argue that this is a drama that should only read by one and not performed, but the cast did a wonderful job in portraying this epic. This isn't a big surprise though, as the BBC always does quality work. The drama has a dark feel, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. If you are looking for a good introduction or first read of John Milton, this is the one I'd recommend before trying to take on the epic which is Paradise Lost.
edition feedback only
Even with the line spacing and font set as small as possible on the device, I can still only see 12 lines per page on the Fire 8 due to HUGE gaps between the lines, which is pretty annoying when you're reading a 45 page lyric drama. If I'd known, I would have tried to get another version.
First a note on the formatting of the Version. The publisher did a pretty good job of getting this poem/play formatted for e-readers, but it still took a bit of playing around with font size and style before I was able to read it comfortably. I did enjoy the illustrations located at the beginning and end of the text (although if I didn't have a color e-reader I'd think they were just a waste), but they are simply pictures of John Milton and first editions of Paradise Lost. It's not actually an "illustrated text" in case that's what you were thinking.
As far as works by Milton go, this is much shorter than 'Paradise Lost' and much easier to get through. I was able to finish it all in one day including annotating the text. If you're not used to reading Milton-era literature keep a dictionary handy because it has not been translated for modern English. Personally I consider this a plus, but others may not agree with me. Overall Milton writes the story of Samson fairly well. It's interesting to read this as a semi-play. It's written with characters and lines, but as stated in the introduction 'not intended to be performed'. The basis of the Bible story is there, but Milton inserts his own theologies (as he does with everything he's written) and I still don't appreciate his sentiments toward women, even if the only female character was Delihla.
I can't say I really enjoyed this as a "fun" read, but it does spark topics for a very interesting debate and I'd much rather read 'Samson Agoniestes' than have to slog through all of 'Paradise Lost' again. I would recommend this to people who are just discovering Milton especially. It's short enough that you can get a taste of his work without devoting weeks and months of your time trying to get through something longer, and it gives you a good taste of what you can expected from his other works.
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