Christian and pagan elements in "Lycidas"

Christian and pagan elements in "Lycidas"

'Lycidas" is certainly a pagan poem. Milton speaks of wood land deities like satyrs and fauns, marine deities like Neptune, Panope and Triton. Rivers like Alpheus and Arethusa are personified. Pagan superstitions like the ship not being sea worthy because it was built during the eclipse are also mentioned. But in the midst of all these we come across St Peter with his locks. Critics like Dr. Johnson considered this sacrilege. Milton was a child of the Reformation and was so seething with Puritanical ideas that he could not take his mind off Christianity and the corruption of the clergymen of his day. Beauty, irrespective of pagan or Christian element in it, appealed to Milton and he was never a fanatic hater of anything non-Christian. Towards the end of the poem there is an odd combination of paganism and Christianity when Milton speaks of Lycidas being raised to heaven by Christ, but at the next moment speaks of him becoming the genius of the shore. Evidently his love of Christianity never stood in the way of accepting anything that was lovely but non-Christian.

Technorati Tags: Education ENGLISH LITERATURE.

Vote Result

Score: 0.0, Votes: 0