Samson Agonistes
by John Milton
Assigned by 4 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1671
- Form
- Tragedy
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 80 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendComplete Poems and Major ProseHackett, 2003Merritt Y. Hughes's edition, still the standard one-volume Milton, with full annotation.
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A closet drama modelled on Greek tragedy, published with Paradise Regained. Samson, blinded and enslaved by the Philistines after Dalila betrayed him, is visited in turn by his father Manoa, by Dalila herself, and by the giant Harapha, and works through despair, self-reproach and anger to a renewed sense of divine calling. Summoned to perform at a Philistine festival, he pulls down the temple on his captors and himself, an act reported by a messenger to the chorus and to Manoa.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Samson Agonistes are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
