John Milton, Samson Agonistes

Nicholas Moschovakis (Independent Scholar - North America)

Ed. by Neil Forsyth, Université de Lausanne
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1671

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

Samson Agonistes is a closet play, i.e. a play not meant for performance. It was first printed in 1671, together with Milton's Paradise Regained. The play is a tragedy. Its protagonist is Samson, a figure well-known to Christians from Old Testament history (and from later commentaries, sermons, and imaginative literature, including political texts from England's revolutionary period). The second word in the title is an epithet in Greek, agonistês, meaning a man who is a contender in athletic events such as wrestling competitions, or who—in one seventeenth-century definition—“plays the champion”.

The text of Samson Agonistes is preceded by Milton's prefatory prose “ epistle” (…

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6605 words

Citation: Moschovakis, Nicholas. "Samson Agonistes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 September 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2301, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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