Samson Agonistes, Lines 1-520 Summary

Samson Agonistes, or the agony of Samson, begins with a prose introduction in which the author explains that it is a dramatic poem in the tragic style, whose effect is to purge the audience of such emotions as pity and fear, according to the ancient Greek thinker, Aristotle. Milton names many writers who have composed tragedies through the centuries, explaining that his intent in so doing is to vindicate tragedy from current charges of insignificance, which he thinks arose from a habit of mixing comedy and tragedy in drama. Discussing the poem's meter and structure, he points out that it is inspired by ancient Greek plays, even to the inclusion of a Chorus, but it is not intended for stage performance. A section titled "The Argument" summarizes the storyline of the poem, which begins with the blinded...