Comus, Lines 1-494 Summary

The long poem, "Comus," also carries Milton's title, "The Mask," although it has commonly been called Comus for about three centuries. At the start, a spirit appears in a forest and explains that it has come to Earth from the court of Jove, who is the father of Roman gods. The spirit's mission is to help those who would gain eternity by living virtuously. In particular, young people of good reputation who pass through this wood are threatened by corruption at the hands of Comus, who is the son of the wine god, Bacchus, and of Circe, the daughter of the sun. Circe enchanted men with a magical potion, and Comus has an even more potent drink that turns human faces into those of animals. The spirit dons the disguise of a country lad, and hides himself as Comus...