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1. ON HIS BLINDNESS
Sonnet 16 by John Milton (1655)

2. JOHN MILTON
1608-1674 (66)
Birthday: Dec 9, 1608 at Spread Eagle in
Bread Street, London
 an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man
of letters, and a civil servant for the
Commonwealth (republic) of England under
Oliver Cromwell.
 Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep
personal convictions, a passion for freedom
and self determination, and the urgent
issues and political turbulence of his day.

3.  his best works, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained
were written after he became blind.
 he is remembered as the greatest English writer of
the 17th century.
His eyesight began to fail in 1644
By 1651, he was totally blind (43)
He died of kidney failure on November 8,1674 (66)
without pain or emotion, according to testimony at the
time no one in the room noticed his passing.

4. JOHN MILTON’S WORKS (38)
Poetic and dramatic works (10)
1631: L'Allegro
Il Penseroso
1634: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle
1638: Lycidas
1645: Poems of Mr John Milton, Both English and Latin
1655: On the Late Massacre in Piedmont
1667: Paradise Lost
1671: Paradise Regained
Samson Agonistes
1673: Poems, &c, Upon Several Occasions

5. Political, philosophical and religious prose (27)
1641: Of Reformation
Of Prelatical Episcopacy
Animadversions
1642: The Reason of Church-Government Urged against Prelaty
Apology for Smectymnuus
1643: Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
1644: Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce
Of Education
Areopagitica
1645: Tetrachordon
Colasterion
1649: The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates
Eikonoklastes
1651: Defensio pro Populo Anglicano [First Defence]

6. 1654: Defensio Secunda [Second Defence]
1659: A treatise of Civil Power
The Likeliest Means to Remove Hirelings from the Church
1660: The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth
Brief Notes Upon a Late Sermon
1669: Accedence Commenced Grammar
1670: History of Britain
1672: Artis logicae plenior institutio [Art of Logic]
1673: Of True Religion
1674: Epistolae Familiaries
Prolusiones
1682: A brief History of Moscovia, and other less known Countries lying Eastward of Russia
as far as Cathay, gathered from the writings of several Eye-witnesses (1682)
1823: De Doctrina Christiana

7. PETRARCHAN SONNET
• A lyric poem with 14 lines
• Popularized by Italian priest Petrarch
• Rhyme schemes of ABBA, ABBA, CDE and CDE
• Originated in Sicily in 13th century with Giacomo da Lentino, a lawyer
• “sonnet” Italian word “sonetto” meaning little song
• The most common theme between the 13th and early 16th Centuries of
sonnets was LOVE
• In later time also focused on religion, politics and other concerns of the
reading public

8. METER
Iambic Pentameter
-a line has five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables, for a
total of ten syllables.
Example:
1…….2………..3…………..4…………5
When I | con SID | er HOW | my LIFE | is SPENT
1………….2…………..3……………4……………….5
Ere HALF | my DAYS | in THIS | dark WORLD | and WIDE

9. Eight-line Stanza (octave)
 Presents a theme
 Forms the proposition, which
describes a “problem” or
“question”
 Rhyme scheme is ABBA, ABBA
Six-line stanza (sestet)
 Develops the theme
 Proposes the “resolution”
 Rhyme scheme is CDE, CDE
or CDC, CDC
Typically, the ninth line initiates what is called the TURN or
VOLTA, which signals the move from proposition to resolution.

10. ON HIS BLINDNESS
1 When I consider how my light is spent A
2 E're half my days, in this dark world and wide, B
3 And that one Talent which is death to hide, B
4 Lodg’d with me useless, though my Soul more bent A
5 To serve therewith my Maker, and present A
6 My true account, lest he returning chide; B
7 “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?” B
8 I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent A

11. 9 That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need C
10 Either man’s work or his own gifts. Who best D
11 Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His State E
12 Is Kingly; Thousands at his bidding speed, C
13 And post o’er land and ocean without rest; D
14 They also serve who only stand and wait. E

12. When I consider how my light is spent
“light”
–this word clearly alludes to the speaker’s loss of sight
-the poet thinks of how his “light” is used up or
wasted.

13. Ere half my days in this dark world and wide
–the speaker in this poem feels vulnerable. Rather than becoming
blind when elderly, he has become blind in middle age.
-He now inhabits a world that seems “dark” in at least 2 senses:
it is no longer physically visible, and it is a world full of sin and
spiritual darkness.
-The world, moreover, is not only dark but also “wide” Milton will
somehow have to navigate, both literally and figuratively, in a
world which will prose many dangers.

14. And that one talent which is death to hide/ Lodged
with me useless,
“talent” – the gift of writing
“lodged” - stuck
-alluding to the famous passage in the Bible (Mathew 25:14-30)
“Parable of Talents” to the punishment for one talent that is
buried and not utilized may lead to an analysis suggesting
Milton fears his own spiritual punishment, or spiritual “death,”
for the uselessness of his blindness.

15. though my soul more bent/ To serve therewith my
Maker, and present
“maker” –reference to God
-Milton is saying that now that he is blind, his desire to
serve God is increased.

16. My true account, lest he returning chide;
“true account”-his good work
“chide” – criticize
-he wishes to give a good account of himself and his
service to God.
-refers to the second coming of Jesus, he
is worried that God will criticize him for
not using his talent

17. “Doth God exact day labor, light denied?”
-can be paraphrased as “Does God demand that
which cannot be given?”
-Milton asked if God just wants lesser tasks since
his blindness denies him from using his talents.

18. I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
“Patience”
-is not a personal trait of the poet, rather God’s Holy Spirit
-personifies it and having it answer Milton’s question

19. That murmur, soon replies,
“murmur” -complaint
-Patience speaks and explains the nature of God
“God doth not need/ Either man’s work or his own
gifts
-God is sufficient unto Himself. He
requires nothing outside of Himself
to exist and be happy.

20. Who best/ Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best
“yoke”
-Biblical word for God’s will
-the people who are most respectful to God's will are the
ones who serve God best.
-those who endure their misfortune
without complaining.

21. His State/ Is Kingly; Thousands at his bidding speed,
And post o’er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait.
- These lines mean that the whole world are servants to God.
There is more than one way to serve God, and Patience is
telling the poet that even his waiting, caused by his
blindness, can be a kind of service to God.

22. Octave:
he shows revolt and is
frustrated with his
blindness
Sestet:
Acceptance and
resignation to God’s will

23. SUMMARY
In this sonnet, the speaker meditates on the fact that he has
become blind (Milton himself was blind when he wrote this). He
expresses his frustration at being prevented by his disability from
serving God as well as he desires to. He is answered by
"Patience," who tells him that God has many who hurry to do his
bidding, and does not really need man’s work. Rather, what is
valued is the ability to bear God’s "mild yoke," to tolerate whatever
God asks faithfully and without complaint. As the famous last line
sums it up, "They also serve who only stand and wait."

24. EXAMPLES OF FIGURES OF SPEECH
Alliteration: my days in this dark world and wide (line 2)
Metaphor: though my soul more bent/ To serve therewith my
Maker (lines 3-4)
The author compares his soul to his mind
Personification/Metaphor: But Patience, to prevent/ That
murmur, soon replies.. (lines 8-9)
Paradox: They also serve who only stand and wait.

25. SUBJECT MATTER
• Lamentation
• Concern over judgment
• Acceptance
• Trust and Faith

26. THEME:

29. Kamsahamnida!