On this day...

John Milton's 'Comus' was first performed for the Earl of Bridgewater in 1634. One of only two dramas that Milton wrote, the masque outlines the themes of good and evil, later explored in his masterpiece 'Paradise Lost'. Some see this as the Puritan Milton attempting to reclaim the genre for more virtuous purposes than it had otherwise been used during the Elizabethan and early Jacobean eras. The performance of 'Comus', based on the Greek god of festivity and revels, was given at Ludlow Castle in honour of the Earl's new position of Lord President of Wales, and many of the parts were acted by Bridgewater's own children.

Risque Milton?...

Though best know for his religious and political literary works, a new poem attributed to John Milton has been found, which may dramatically alter his reputation. Filled with innuendo, 'An Extempore Upon A Faggot', is 'out of tune' with Milton's usual style, prompting the suggestion that his name was used by a jealous contemporary to bring scandal upon the poet. The work, found by academics at Oxford in the 'Harding Collection', will soon be digitised to be available for the public to view.

On this day...

English poet John Milton was born in 1608. Born into a time of social unrest, Milton became active on a political and religious scale from a young age; combining both elements in his later writings. Although more widely reknown for his poetry, Milton's literary career was initiated by a speech written during the civil war. A ideological defence of freedom of expression, 'Areopagitica' condemned the censorship of the day, arguing to be given 'the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.' In 1654, Milton became totally blind, forcing him to dictate his works to amanuenses; only going to increase the admiration surrounding his most famous work, 'Paradise Lost', composed over 10 years later. Taking inspiration from other epic poets such as Homer, Virgil and Dante, Milton's work of blank verse includes similar themes and is of comparable proportions, the work totalling almost 11,000 lines. Known by Dryden as a 'Poet of the Sublime', Milton's influence was felt throughout the Romantic and Victorian periods and he remains one of Britain's most popular poets. He died in 1674 at the age of 65.