悼亡诗之万事无不尽.PPTVIP

Lecture Six John Milton (1608-1671) JOHN MILTON John Milton (1608-1674) 17th-century writer John Milton ranks as one of the greatest poets in the history of English literature Historical Background The Puritan revolution Puritanism The Puritan revolution: it refers to the conflict between the king of England and a large body of his subjects in the reign of James I (1603-1625) and Charles I (1625-1649). In fact, it is the profound conflict between the Old Feudalism and New Capitalism. So the Puritan revolution is indeed the English Bourgeois Revolution. It culminated in the civil war which began in 1642. In the year of 1649, Charles I was beheaded, and monarchy was abolished. And the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1653-1658) was established with Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, as the leader of the government. This period is named the Protectorate (摄政时期)。 Cromwell died in 1658, and Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660. It is called the Restoration period in English history. Milton was appointed secretary for foreign tongues in 1649 by Cromwell’s government and he had heavy official work. He supported the Commonwealth to the very end. During the twenty years, Milton wrote some prose works in support of Cromwell and the Commonwealth government. At the time of the Restoration, Milton was arrested and fined, though not poisoned. He lived a solitary life thereafter. Puritanism was the religious doctrine of the revolutionary bourgeoisie during the English Revolution. It preached thrift, sobriety, hard work and unceasing labor, but with no extravagant enjoyment of the fruits of labor. Worldly pleasures were condemned as harmful. This was precisely the outlook needed by the bourgeoisie for the accumulation of capital. The puritans opposed the old church that squandered a lot of money upon robes, candles and magnificent processions. They closed down the London theaters in 1642, not only for their extra