John Milton Biography, career, Early Life, Age 2025, Net worth

John Milton Biography – John Milton was a famous English poet and writer. He lived from 1608 to 1674. Many people think he is the most important English author after William Shakespeare. His most well known work is the epic poem Paradise Lost. This poem tells the story from the Bible about Adam and Eve and the fall from Eden. Milton wrote it in blank verse, which means it does not rhyme but has a special rhythm.

Milton was not just a poet. He was also a thinker about politics and religion. He worked for the government during a time of big changes in England. He believed in freedom of speech and wrote about it. He was a Puritan, which was a type of Protestant who wanted simpler church practices.

This biography will look at his life step by step. We will cover his early years, schooling, job, main writings, family life, his trip to Europe, how he affected others, and end with some common questions. Why is John Milton famous? He is famous for his poems that mix religion, politics, and beautiful language. What was his religion? He was a Puritan with some unique ideas about God.

Milton’s life shows how one person can fight for ideas through words. Even when he became blind, he kept creating great works. His story teaches us about strength and creativity.

Early Life

John Milton came into the world on December 9, 1608, in London, England. His birthplace was Bread Street, a busy area near Cheapside. His father, also named John Milton, worked as a scrivener. A scrivener made copies of legal papers and lent money. The father was good at music too. He wrote songs for church and played instruments. This love for music helped shape young Milton’s interest in poetry and sounds in words.

Milton’s mother was Sarah Jeffrey. She came from a family of tailors. The family was Protestant, which was important because England had religious conflicts then. Milton’s grandfather, Richard Milton, was Catholic and did not like his son’s switch to Protestantism. He even cut off the father from inheritance.

Milton had an older sister named Anne and a younger brother named Christopher. Christopher later became a lawyer and supported the king, unlike Milton who opposed monarchy. Three other siblings died as babies. The family lived in a house with a sign of a spread eagle, which might have inspired some of Milton’s images in poems.

As a child, Milton showed great talent. He learned to read early and loved books. His father hired a tutor named Thomas Young, who was a Scottish Presbyterian. Young taught Milton languages and religion. This early teaching built Milton’s strong faith and skill in words.

Living in London during the early 1600s meant seeing plays, markets, and political talks. King James I ruled then, and Puritans wanted church reforms. These surroundings influenced Milton’s views on freedom and government.

Where was John Milton born? He was born in central London, in a time when the city was growing fast. His family background mixed music, business, and faith, setting the stage for his future as a writer and thinker. This foundation helped him become a key figure in English literature.

Education

Milton’s schooling started at home with tutors. Then, around 1615, he went to St. Paul’s School in London. This school was near his home and known for good teaching. There, he studied Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. These languages were key for reading old texts like the Bible and works by ancient writers.

At age 15, Milton translated Psalm 114 from Hebrew to English. This showed his skill early on. His teachers noted his gentle nature. Friends called him “The Lady of Christ’s” later, but that was at college.

In 1625, at age 16, Milton entered Christ’s College, Cambridge. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1629 and Master of Arts in 1632. College life was strict with debates and writing in Latin. Milton did not like some old teaching methods. He argued with a tutor once and got suspended briefly.

While at Cambridge, Milton wrote his first poems. One was “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity” in 1629. It celebrates Jesus’s birth with rich images. He also wrote fun poems in Latin.

After college, Milton did not take a job right away. From 1632 to 1638, he studied on his own at his family’s homes in Hammersmith and Horton. He read widely in history, science, theology, and languages like Italian and Spanish. This time was like a long break to learn more.

Where was John Milton educated? He went to St. Paul’s School and Christ’s College, Cambridge. This education made him a polymath, someone who knows many subjects. He learned from great thinkers like Aristotle and Plato. His self study included Old English and Aramaic too.

Milton’s teachers included people like Roger Williams, who taught Hebrew and later founded Rhode Island. These connections broadened his mind. His education focused on logic, rhetoric, and ethics, skills he used in writings about politics and religion.

This period built his confidence as a writer. He wrote “L’Allegro” and “Il Penseroso” around then. These poems contrast happy and thoughtful moods. They show his love for nature and quiet thinking.

Milton’s learning never stopped. Even later, he kept reading and debating ideas. His education helped him write complex poems and argue for big changes in society.

Career

Milton’s work life mixed writing, politics, and government service. He started as a writer of poems and plays. In 1634, he wrote “Comus,” a masque for a noble family. A masque is a short play with music and dance. “Comus” talks about virtue and temptation.

By the 1640s, England faced civil war between king and parliament. Milton supported parliament and Puritans. He wrote pamphlets against the church’s bishops. These were like opinion pieces. In 1641, he published “Of Reformation,” calling for church changes.

Milton became known for his strong views. In 1644, he wrote “Areopagitica.” This argued against censoring books. He said people should read freely to find truth. It is a key text for free speech today.

After the war, in 1649, King Charles I was executed. Milton defended this in “The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates.” He said rulers who abuse power can be removed. The new government hired him as Secretary for Foreign Tongues. He translated letters and wrote defenses of the republic.

From 1649 to 1660, Milton worked for Oliver Cromwell’s government. He wrote “Eikonoklastes” in 1649 to counter a book praising the king. In 1651, he wrote “Defensio pro Populo Anglicano” in Latin. It answered critics from Europe.

Milton went blind around 1652, likely from glaucoma. He kept working by dictating to helpers. One helper was poet Andrew Marvell.

When the monarchy returned in 1660, Milton was in danger. He hid and got arrested briefly. Friends helped him get pardoned. After that, he focused on poetry.

What was John Milton’s role in the English Civil War? He was a writer for the anti king side, using words to support the revolution. His career showed his commitment to republican ideas and religious reform. He influenced thoughts on government and liberty.

Major Literary Works

Milton created many important writings in poetry and prose. His early poems include “Lycidas” from 1637. It mourns a drowned friend, Edward King, and criticizes bad church leaders.

His biggest work is “Paradise Lost,” published in 1667. It has 10 books, later 12. Written in blank verse, it retells the Bible story of Satan’s fall, Adam and Eve’s temptation, and expulsion from Eden. Milton aimed to explain God’s ways to people.

Why did John Milton write Paradise Lost? He wanted to explore good, evil, and free will after his own life’s troubles, like blindness and political loss.

In 1671, he published “Paradise Regained.” This shorter poem shows Jesus resisting Satan’s temptations in the desert. It focuses on inner strength.

Also in 1671 came “Samson Agonistes,” a tragedy like Greek plays. It tells of Samson, blind and captive, who destroys his enemies. Many see it as Milton reflecting on his own blindness and defeats.

Milton’s prose includes divorce tracts from 1643 to 1645. After a bad marriage, he argued for divorce on incompatibility grounds. This was bold then.

His “De Doctrina Christiana,” found after his death and published in 1825, shares his religious beliefs. He questioned the Trinity and supported personal Bible reading.

Milton’s style used grand language, allusions to classics, and biblical themes. He influenced how English epics are written. His works mix beauty with deep ideas about faith, politics, and human nature.

Personal Life

Milton’s home life had joys and sorrows. In 1642, at age 33, he married Mary Powell, who was 17. Her family supported the king, unlike Milton. Soon after, Mary left him and went home. This led Milton to write about divorce rights.

They made up in 1645. They had four children: Anne in 1646, Mary in 1648, John in 1651 (who died young), and Deborah in 1652. Mary died in 1652, soon after Deborah’s birth.

In 1656, blind Milton married Katherine Woodcock. She died in 1658 after giving birth to a daughter who also died. Milton wrote a sad sonnet about her.

His third marriage was in 1663 to Elizabeth Minshull, aged 24. She cared for him until his death. They had no children.

Milton’s blindness started around 1651 and was full by 1652. Doctors think it was glaucoma or detached retinas from too much reading. He dictated works to family and friends.

His daughters helped with reading and writing, but relations were tense. Anne could not write due to a disability. Mary and Deborah learned languages to read to him.

Milton taught his nephews, Edward and John Phillips, who wrote about his life later.

Why did John Milton go blind? It was likely from eye strain over years of study without good treatment. His personal life showed challenges, but he found support in family and faith.

The Grand Tour and European Influences (1638 to 1639)

In 1638, Milton began a trip across Europe. This was called a Grand Tour, common for young educated men. It lasted about 15 months.

He first went to France. There, he met Hugo Grotius, a thinker on law and peace.

Then to Italy. In Florence, he visited academies and talked with scholars. He met Galileo Galilei, who was under house arrest for saying Earth orbits the Sun. This meeting inspired parts of Paradise Lost about space and science.

In Rome and Naples, Milton enjoyed operas and made friends with poets like Giovanni Battista Manso. Manso knew Torquato Tasso, whose epic poems influenced Milton.

He planned to go to Greece but heard news of civil war in England. Also, his friend Charles Diodati died. So he went to Geneva instead.

In Geneva, he met Protestant leaders. This strengthened his religious views.

Did John Milton travel to Italy? Yes, and it shaped his writing with new ideas from art, science, and classics.

The tour broadened his mind. He learned Italian well and wrote poems in it. Encounters with thinkers like Galileo added science to his religious poems. Back home, he used these experiences in his political writings too.

Legacy and Influence on Literature and Thought

Milton’s impact is huge. In the 1700s, critics like Samuel Johnson praised his work but noted his hard style. Romantics in the 1800s, like William Blake and Percy Shelley, loved his rebellious spirit. Blake illustrated Paradise Lost.

His ideas on free speech from Areopagitica helped shape modern laws. It influenced the US First Amendment and UN rights.

Milton affected revolutions. American founders read his defenses of republic. French revolutionaries too.

In literature, his blank verse changed poetry. Writers like William Wordsworth copied his style. Modern authors like Philip Pullman in His Dark Materials retell Paradise Lost ideas.

Satan from Paradise Lost became a model for complex villains, like in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Critics debate his views on women and religion. Some see him as forward thinking on divorce, others note patriarchal ideas.

How did John Milton influence others? He shaped thoughts on liberty, religion, and epic storytelling. His legacy lives in education, where his works are studied for language and themes.

Today, Milton is in the English canon. His life story inspires those facing hardship, showing creativity endures.

Conclusion

John Milton’s life was full of learning, writing, and fighting for beliefs. From a smart child in London to a blind poet dictating epics, he showed great will. His works like Paradise Lost teach about human choices and divine plans.

Milton stood for freedom in speech, religion, and government. Even in tough times, he created lasting art. His story reminds us words can change the world.

To learn more, read his poems or visit places like his London home site. Milton’s vision, though lost in eyes, shines in his words.

FAQs

Why is John Milton famous?

John Milton is famous for his epic poem Paradise Lost and his writings on freedom and politics. He is seen as a top English poet.

What was John Milton’s religion?

He was a Puritan Protestant with some non standard views, like questioning the Trinity.

Where was John Milton born?

He was born in Bread Street, London, on December 9, 1608.

Why did John Milton go blind?

He likely went blind from glaucoma or eye strain around 1652.

What was John Milton’s role in the English Civil War?

He wrote pamphlets supporting parliament and worked for the republican government.

Did John Milton travel to Italy?

Yes, during his Grand Tour from 1638 to 1639, where he met Galileo.

Why did John Milton write Paradise Lost?

To explain God’s ways and explore themes of fall and redemption after personal and political setbacks.

How did John Milton influence others?

His ideas on liberty influenced revolutions and writers; his poetry shaped English literature.