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Milton's L'allegro and Il penseroso: Understanding conditions under different
circumstances.
Published anonymously, Milton placed these two poems together to be read as
complimentary publications. The titles L'allegro and Il pensersoso are translated "the cheerful
man" and "the pensive man" (Broadbent 66). Milton placed Italian names on these poems
because he studied and knew the Italian culture and language. During the seventeenth century,
England was fascinated by the Italian culture and with baroque art, architecture and music. There
was a romantic view of other cultures so to name these two poems with Italian titles provokes an
exotic thought. It also signifies a scholarly audience who will know what the titles translate into.
Therefore the title reveals something about each poem individually and the titles tell the reader
that these are two poems with opposite characters expressing different moods and feelings.
The moods and feelings of each poem are expressed in the scenes of opposing views of
the country life. Even though Milton was living in London when he wrote these poems, the
woods and farms were within walking distance of his residence. The first poem, L'allegro,
depicts a fantastic view of life in the country. During the seventeenth century the people are busy
with daily survival. The country folk are busy with tending the land, working and enjoying their
work by making beer. These people can enjoy good music and have a happy time with each other
in community. However there is a condition. Only if the speaker can have these pleasures of
music and laughter at the end of the day, then will he live with the speaker of Il penseroso. In the
last line the speaker of L'allegro is addressing the speaker of Il penseroso because the poems are
placed together. While these to characters expose their conditions, the reader is left to decide
which personality he chooses to accept as his own (Broadbent 72). The speaker of Il penseroso is staying up all night studying and trying to figure out all of
the mysteries of the world. This is a suitable thing to do for scholars like Milton since the world
as he knew it was undergoing a great upheaval from the roots of knowledge to the heights of
spiritual attainment. What people knew about the Earth and how they thought of themselves in
the universe was challenged with Kepler's and Galileo's discoveries and statements about the
infinitude of the universe (Roston 178). This new way of thinking is in opposition of the life in
L'allegro, which depicts the simple way of life and how that way of life is challenged with new
views of the universe and everything in it. Even the gods for Milton are replaced with
Melancholy, a wondrous way to feel when the world suddenly becomes round instead of flat and
the universe continues to expand.
The idea of an expanding universe was displayed in the architecture of the baroque
churches with huge arches and glass ceilings (Roston 3). New ideas of the baroque era were
shown in the art painted on every ceiling and wall trying to depict the elaborate imagination of
what the new world must have seemed like. The discovery of a new world and eminent
colonization of strange and exotic places gave the scholar a Melancholy feeling. Being faced
with an insurmountable amount of knowledge has made the speaker of Il penseroso sad since he
knows he will never know everything. The scholar becomes melancholy when there are to many
things to know, like walking into a university library today and knowing that it is impossible to
read all of the books in the library. To the scholar, it is a melancholy feeling because they want
to know everything; they want to solve the world's problems and all of the mysteries
surrounding the world. The fact is that it is impossible for one single person to know everything.
This comes as a relief to most people because it is not reasonable to know everything, especially
2when someone is confused about their personal life. In other words people are too engaged in the
daily activities to consider the universal issues facing the world.
The world was drastically changing During Milton's time. There were new worlds
discovered here on Earth and there were new planets discovered beyond the boundaries of
human imagination. At a time when the debate over the circumference of the Earth was dividing
the Church and the people, the Church decided to integrate the new scientific discoveries into
their doctrine and state that the new discoveries proved of the existence of God and that the proof
of God's eternal power and magnitude is represented in the expanding Universe (Roston 8, 16).
During this era, a person would have to either cling to a theological belief system or enter the
community of continuous discoveries and ever changing views of the world.
As Milton matures, he gains experience through his depleting eyesight. With the loss of
his vision he gains insight into the meaning of life. He lives a long and productive life. Whatever
his stage in life he picks a point of view and expresses it, or if he is in a transitory period of his
life his confusion is shown in his work but expressed wonderfully, as in the elegy to Diodati,
when he hardly knows what to do now that he is left to tend the sheep alone and finally chooses
to become a poet.
What else can I help you with?
What was the name of John Milton's poem?
"Paradise Lost"
What is the summary of the poem the enchanted shirt by john hay?
I myself is in search of answer to poem the enchanting shirt . Please provide the summary of the poem
What is the summary of the poem the flea by john donne?
Its on sparknotes.com
Why did John Milton wrote the poem On his Blindness?
John Milton wrote the poem on his blindness because it is a short synop of what this sonnet tries to infer. This sonnet is written as a result of Milton's grief, as he lost his eye sight at his middle age.
What do you call the largest poem?
An Epic Poem e.g. The Iliad by Homer or Paradise Lost by John Milton .
Who paradise lost?
John Milton is the author of the epic poem Paradise Lost.
John Milton disability?
John Milton was not known to have a actual disability. Though he wrote a poem about being blind it was based on religion not him actually being blind.
Who wrote as thick as leaves in Vallambrosa?
John Milton wrote the line "as thick as leaves in Vallambrosa" in his poem "Paradise Lost."
Name one poem writtenby British writer John Milton?
Paradise Lost
What is John Milton's famous pastoral elegy?
John Milton's famous pastoral elegy is "Lycidas." It is a mourning poem written in memory of his college friend Edward King. The poem reflects themes of loss, nature, and the passage of time.
Can you tell about the title of the poem on His blindness?
The title of the poem "On His Blindness" by John Milton refers to the poet's own blindness. It explores Milton's reflections on how he can still serve God and fulfill his purpose despite his loss of sight. The poem delves into themes of acceptance, patience, and the inner spiritual journey of coming to terms with one's limitations.
Who wrote a poem containing the words ''If I were blind ...''?
The poem containing the words "If I were blind ..." was written by John Milton in his poem "On His Blindness." In the poem, Milton reflects on his own blindness and questions how he can serve God despite his physical limitation.
