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such famous works as Paradise Lost and Paradise Regain’d, set Mil-
history.
ing on the muses of three major tragic poets of history, Milton af-
firms that he stands in their ranks, however lowly, and his under-
“Of the style and uniformity, and that commonly called the
plot, whether intricate or explicit—which is nothing in-
deed but such economy, or disposition of the fable, as may
stand best with verisimilitude and decorum—they only will
best judge who are not un acquainted with Æschylus,
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scription of time, wherein the whole drama begins and ends, is,
nistes apart. The Miltonic tragedy differs from the classic Greek, in
tionally, Milton did not mean for the poem to be performed, ra-
the work, in that the author wished the reader to wrestle with the
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nets arm'd, no sooner found alone” (Milton 17-20). This puts the
reader directly into the centre of the mental conflict: in media res.
Radzinowicz elaborates,
From the outset of the story, the narrative finds its ground-
tion, cries, “Why was the sight/To such a tender ball as the eye con-
fined?/So obvious and so easy to be quenched,/And not as feeling
through all parts diffused /That she might look at will through every
pore.” (Milton 93-7) He details the minute, specific conditions that
allow sight, thereby ‘opening our eyes’ to the miracle that is often
importance of his inner state, and the role it plays throughout the
narrative.
youth. The events that occur are dictated by the passions within,
are the driving force of the action of the narrative. The tragic
when he tells himself, “But peace, I must not quarrel with the will
the situation calls God’s love and mercy into question for Samson,
ments his captivity and his loss of sight, he refuses the temptation
ly oriented context for the “tragic hero” to arise and take centre
ined.
ever, the dramatic forces of both the Chorus and Samson’s father,
ing Samson’s lack of guilt, “Tax not divine disposal, wisest Men/Have
err’d, and by bad Women been deceived;/And shall again, pretend they
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and later on Manoa’s claim “Samson hath quit himself/ Like Sam-
mentally guilty.
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level of good in helping him recall the heroic purposes for which
of the chaos of his mind, and begins to recover glimpses of the di-
tate his inner state, he gains the upper hand in his inward strug-
and finding his sole purpose in carrying out God’s will, which
ton 1335), a stark contrast from the Samson described in the pro-
(102). Where there was originally distress and turmoil, His inner-
pha and Samson's exit with the Philistine Officer. Thus far, the
speech and actions of the hero have been confined to his chosen
resting place, the ‘bank'. At the end of this interval he will leave
the mental stage.” (Brown 98) However, as the narrative enters its
(Milton 1542)
Debate has surfaced among literary critics, as to whether the final
action of Samson, ending in both his death, and the death of his enemies,
should be interpreted in a positive or negative light. This is due to the
ambiguity of the “intimate impulse” (Milton 223) which Samson de-
scribes as the reason for his actions. It is questioned whether these were
were divinely inspired, or if mere faulty conjecture of emotions. (Brown
94)
The division portrayed between Samson’s personal convictions, as
solidified by the “intimate rousings”, and the Israelite tribe — voiced by
Manoa and the Chorus, further establishes the inner workings of Samson
as the driving force of events. Beginning with his marriage to a Philis-
tine woman, the tribe holds the opinion that Samson was ill-advised in
his choice, which led to his original downfall. However, Samson holds
fast to his decision and excuses his actions, based on what he identifies
as a divine prodding in his spirit. If the rousing was indeed divine, as
Samson claims, then God allowed for the dire circumstances of his hero
to take place. However, the blame is not exclusively God’s, for Samson
acted on his own accord in betraying his secret — and thereby betraying
God, in disclosing the source of his strength to Dalila. This faulty action
of Samson — not the former “rousing” of his spirit, is to blame for the
imprisonment in both body and mind. In the same way that Adam and
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Eve were given the choice to sin by the mere presence of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil, or else Job was given the choice to curse
God for the events of his life, Samson was able to choose his actions,
whether sinful or otherwise. Some critics of Samson Agonistes compare
the justification of the violent actions by the “inner rousings” to Muslim
extremists in their jihadist appointments. Such critics reprimand Mil-
ton’s account of Samson, asserting that he condones violence on the ba-
sis of religious conviction. (Brown 101) However, the actions of God
and man are clearly divided, in that allowing a circumstance where sin
can be chosen, is wholly different than God causing the sin of the indi-
vidual himself.
Through the story, Milton examines the question of God’s sover-
eignty in bringing about destruction, which in turn leads to an ultimate
good which was not previously imagined. When examined through the
lens of Christian theology, Milton seems to tend toward a Calvinistic
understanding of God’s will. In this framework, even the presence of
evil is purposefully reworked for the glorification of God, seeing as the
complexities of His character are made known to creation in an over-
arching manner, through the Biblical metanarrative of justification, sanc-
tification, and finally glorification.
The representation draws parallels to the existence of humanity as
a whole — that God is brought ultimate glory through the the free
choice of humans, even in their denial of Christ. Despite the apparent
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Works Cited