LITERATURE ANALYSIS ON LYCIDAS AND COOPERS HILL

Literature Analysis on Lycidas and Coopers Hill



Literature Analysis on Lycidas and Coopers Hill

Lycidas

Living in the period of religious and cultural fluctuation, John Milton's poetry reflects many influences he found both in history and in contemporary world. The pastoral elegy, Lycidas, written after death of the friend, Edward King, exemplifies Milton's ability to fuse classical references with occurrences of 17th century. Milton portrays this ability in four psychological phases' narrator experiences after death of his friend, Lycidas. The first stage is one of grieving over death of his dear friend. After this first stage of mourning, narrator seeks to blame someone for Lycidas' death even after exonerating himself. However, since there is no one to blame, this causes narrator to undergo phase of mourning for the second time. The narrator re-emerges from this stage with realization that there is no need to mourn death of Lycidas. Through these four psychological phases, Milton effectively combines classical references with 17th century.

Upon reading first part of this poem reader realizes that narrator is mourning death of Lycidas, just as Milton, in writing this poem, was mourning death of King. In lines that read, "Who would not sing for Lycidas...He must not float upon his watery bear unwept, and welter to parching wind, without meet of some melodious tear," reader understands that speaker wants to pay tribute, through song, to Lycidas, who he believes was the victim of ocean's wrath (9-13). In accordance with pastoral tradition, narrator summons Muses for inspiration, when he says, "Begin then, Sisters of sacred well, that from beneath seat of Jove doth spring...so may some gentle Muse with lucky words favor my destined Urn" (14-19). Through narrator's summoning Muses, Milton is successful in fusing classical reference toward Muses with death of Lycidas, who is the representation of King.

The narrator, after emerging from first phase of his lament for Lycidas, enters second stage, in which he searches to find someone to blame for death of his friend; he even goes so far as to, at first, blame himself for not being able to prevent death of his friend . The narrator again, in this stage, makes the reference toward Muses, but this time, rather than calling upon for them for inspiration, he is using them as proof that he was powerless to prevent death of Lycidas. The speaker's reasoning is that if Muses were unable to stop Lycidas' death, then what could he have been expected to do? The reader witnesses this reasoning, when narrator says, "Where were ye Nymphs when remorseless deep closed ogre head of your loved Lycidas" (49-50). The narrator, in another instance, uses the specific Muse, named Calliope, to prove he was powerless in preventing death of his friend. When Calliope's son, Orpheus, was wandering through Thrace, mourning his wife's death, he was attacked by wild female worshippers of Bacchus and ultimately killed. The speaker believes that if Muse could not protect her son, then he would surely be ...