L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas by John Milton

Read now or download (free!)

Choose how to read this book Url Size
Read online (web) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/397.html.images 111 kB
EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/397.epub3.images 112 kB
EPUB (older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/397.epub.images 112 kB
EPUB (no images, older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/397.epub.noimages 104 kB
Kindle https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/397.kf8.images 271 kB
older Kindles https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/397.kindle.images 258 kB
Plain Text UTF-8 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/397.txt.utf-8 88 kB
Download HTML (zip) https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/397/pg397-h.zip 109 kB
There may be more files related to this item.

About this eBook

Author Milton, John, 1608-1674
Title L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas
Credits Produced by Edward A. Malone
Summary "L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas" by John Milton is a collection of poetic works composed during the early 17th century. This book features four distinct pieces: "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso," which present contrasting moods of joy and melancholy; "Comus," a masque that explores themes of temptation and virtue; and "Lycidas," a pastoral elegy mourning the loss of a friend. The overarching topic addresses human experiences, emotions, and the divine interplay of fate, virtue, and mortality. In "L'Allegro," Milton celebrates the joys and pleasures of life, invoking a spirit of merriment and youthful vitality, while "Il Penseroso" explores the depths of contemplation, encouraging a reverence for wisdom and solemn reflection amid life's varied experiences. "Comus" unfolds in a dramatic narrative where a virtuous lady, lost in a dark wood, confronts the seductive enchantments of Comus, a symbol of vice, ultimately highlighting the power of chastity and virtue. Finally, "Lycidas" serves as a poignant tribute to Milton's deceased friend, contemplating the responsibilities and failings of the clergy, while expressing a hope for spiritual immortality. Together, these works offer a profound exploration of the dualities of life and human spirit, woven with rich imagery and rhetorical elegance characteristic of Milton's style. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Language English
LoC Class PR: Language and Literatures: English literature
Subject Cheerfulness -- Poetry
Subject Melancholy -- Poetry
Subject Didactic poetry
Category Text
EBook-No. 397
Release Date
Most Recently Updated Jan 1, 2021
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 114 downloads in the last 30 days.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!