Lycidas

Living in a period of religious and cultural fluctuation, John Milton's poetry reflects the many influences he found both in history and in the contemporary world. The pastoral elegy, Lycidas, written after the death of a friend, Edward King, exemplifies Milton's ability to fuse classical references with the occurrences of the 17th century. Milton portrays this ability in the four psychological phases the narrator experiences after the death of his friend, Lycidas. The first stage, …

…seems though, that by the end of the poem the author has achieved more than he had planned. Milton not only makes sense of what seemed clear to him before the passing of Edward King, but develops a clearer picture of life and gets glimpse of its purpose. In addition to all of this soul searching, Milton is successful in writing a pastoral elegy that is ideal blend of the classical and the 17th century.