Episode Details

This biographical episode details the life and extensive literary contributions of John Milton, the renowned 17th-century author and civil servant. Best known for his monumental epic Paradise Lost, Milton’s work is characterized by its influential use of blank verse and profound theological themes. The source traces his development from a rigorous education at Cambridge through his travels in Europe and his subsequent role in the English Republic. Beyond poetry, the text highlights his passionate advocacy for freedom of speech and his controversial stances on religious toleration and divorce. His legacy is presented as foundational to the English canon, having deeply impacted Enlightenment thinkers and the Romantic movement. Ultimately, the biography portrays Milton as a brilliant but complex intellectual who remained politically defiant even after the Restoration and his eventual blindness.