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Milton often makes poetic use of place names which have added to the beauty of the verse. Place names are generally high sounding and therefore they have increased the gorgeousness of Miltonic verse. For example we can mention the names of some places such as, Tenate, Tidore, Calabria, Burca, Trinacrion, Mount Casias, Syrene, and Noon. We can quote the following lines from Book I in this context
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In some of his epic similes Milton has tried to give an allegorical interpretation. The first epic simile in Book I, pertaining to the big stature of Satan, gives us the idea about Milton’s knowledge of Pagan literature and ancient myths. The big figure of Satan and the mighty power of Satan had been conveyed to us through the reference of the war between Jove and the Titans. The comparison of Satan with Leviathan makes us aware to form an idea of Satan who is the adversary of God and man. Here Milton also introduces an allegory. The allegory is that those people, who will depend on Satan and accept Satan as their guide, will meet fatal consequences and will be engrossed in hellish punishment like those mariners who quite wrongly anchored on the Leviathan, thinking it to be an island and ultimately sank down, when the Leviathan dived deep into the ocean. Milton, as a habit, uses similes after similes until his knowledge on the particular subject is exhausted. Thus he makes a parade of his learning, experience, and erudition. In this context we can mention the epic similes he has used to determine the numbers of the fallen angels. Here he has shown his geographical knowledge and biblical knowledge. His reference to the autumnal leaves that straw the brooks in Vallombrosa; shows his geographical experience. Again, the references of the events related to the ‘Israelites and their Prophet Moses,’ highlight Milton’s knowledge about the ‘Old Testament,’ and the ‘New Testament’ stories.
The abstract has been concretized through the biblical allusions. The first reference is just the making of the path through the Nile by Prophet Moses to save his followers. When the Israelites reached the opposite shore of the Nile, they look behind and saw innumerable dead bodies of Pharaoh’s army floating on the water. Again we get another biblical reference used for the same purpose of determining the
In some of his epic similes Milton has tried to give an allegorical interpretation. The first epic simile in Book I, pertaining to the big stature of Satan, gives us the idea about Milton’s knowledge of Pagan literature and ancient myths. The big figure of Satan and the mighty power of Satan had been conveyed to us through the reference of the war between Jove and the Titans. The comparison of Satan with Leviathan makes us aware to form an idea of Satan who is the adversary of God and man. Here Milton also introduces an allegory. The allegory is that those people, who will depend on Satan and accept Satan as their guide, will meet fatal consequences and will be engrossed in hellish punishment like those mariners who quite wrongly anchored on the Leviathan, thinking it to be an island and ultimately sank down, when the Leviathan dived deep into the ocean. Milton, as a habit, uses similes after similes until his knowledge on the particular subject is exhausted. Thus he makes a parade of his learning, experience, and erudition. In this context we can mention the epic similes he has used to determine the numbers of the fallen angels. Here he has shown his geographical knowledge and biblical knowledge. His reference to the autumnal leaves that straw the brooks in Vallombrosa; shows his geographical experience. Again, the references of the events related to the ‘Israelites and their Prophet Moses,’ highlight Milton’s knowledge about the ‘Old Testament,’ and the ‘New Testament’ stories.
The abstract has been concretized through the biblical allusions. The first reference is just the making of the path through the Nile by Prophet Moses to save his followers. When the Israelites reached the opposite shore of the Nile, they look behind and saw innumerable dead bodies of Pharaoh’s army floating on the water. Again we get another biblical reference used for the same purpose of determining the