John Milton was a passionate writer who advocated for freedom of speech. He was admired not just for his command of the English language, but also for his fierce independence. Many of his poems, including Paradise Lost, have served as a basis for many muses. John Milton had inspired many and continues to do so centuries after his death.

John Milton was born in London on December 9th, 1608. He was tutored by Thomas Young, a man who was believed to have inspired Milton. He then attended St. Paul’s School, where he studied Latin and Greek. When he was older, he studied at Christ’s College in Cambridge, where he graduated with a BA. He later attained his masters, all the while becoming an Anglican priest. When he started self-teaching, he often came across subjects such as philosophy, theology, and history, which helped develop his career as a poet. During this time, he’d write poems for the nobility, such as Arcades and Comus. He then traveled to France and Italy, where he began studying other religious and artistic concepts, primarily Roman Catholicism.

When he returned to England, he found the country embroiled in what would become known as the Bishops’ Wars. Milton wrote against the episcopacy and advocated for the Puritans and Parliament. Meanwhile, he took a job as a schoolmaster and educated well-off children. He continued publishing works inspired by politics and war, though this would lead him to later flee for his own life when the Revolution failed and warrants went out for his arrest. Milton eventually died on November 8th, 1674, and was buried at St. Giles-without-Cripplegate in London, where his funeral was attended by many of his friends.

Unfortunately, much of Milton’s poetry was published slowly. In fact, his only collection of poetry, which was published in 1645, was the only one that went into print until Paradise Lost, his masterpiece. Paradise Lost cemented his status as a poet and has even elevated him to a literary status equal to that of Shakespeare. The poem was called sublime by John Dryden and admired by the likes of William Blake and Edmund Spenser. Eventually, he managed to write and publish two more works, Paradise Regained, a sequel to the aforementioned poem, and Samson Agonistes, a tragedy.

Milton was labeled a Christian humanist, and while he identified as a Puritan, he didn’t blindly follow the Puritan movement. Even more telling were his later years in life, which were marked with strife and struggles against the church and the episcopacy. He was also known for attempting to merge Christianity with other classical thoughts. He called for religious tolerance in the Protestant denominations, and was revolutionary in his thoughts on divorce, advocating for it when two people aren’t compatible. During the Bishops’ Wars, he called for individuals to read the scripture for themselves, without the interference from an authority or church. Because of his works, he did have to flee, though his commitment to the individualist soul is admirable.

Milton played a role in shaping both English society and language. Despite losing his political battles in his life, he still managed to build a legacy that has kept him in the hearts of many. He was a remarkable man and has achieved immortality in literature.