Samson Agonistes

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1671

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

The poem uses the formal conventions of ancient Greek drama: There are characters who engage in dialogue, rising and falling action, a Chorus that comments on the events on stage, and the play is in the form of an agon, or declamatory philosophical debate. Stanza breaks occur when another character speaks.

However, because the poem was not intended to be performed, it lacks some of the logistical apparatus of plays. There are no separated scenes or acts. Their absence creates a compact, relentless drive, matching the intensity of Samson’s suffering. However, people have created productions for the stage—it is possible Milton’s warning against doing so is a way to protect himself from legal fallout.

The poem is in blank verse: It features meter, but no rhyme. The dominant meter is the iambic pentameter—five sets of unstressed, stressed syllables—a meter made most famous by Shakespeare. Occasionally, Milton clips the lines to six syllables, like when Samson announces, “The Sun to me is dark / And silent as the Moon” (Lines 86-87). The purposeful shifts in line length reinforce Samson’s jarring condition; however, the regular form implies an overarching design, supporting the poem’s discussion of Free Will Versus God’s Plan.

Alliteration

Alliteration is a poetic device that uses words starting with the same sound for effect. Milton uses alliteration frequently; it gives his dramatic poem a melody and rhythm, and it also creates sweeping, forceful movements. Samson’s agony and fate capture him, and the alliterative moments grab reader attention, capturing it on a wave of sound.

Harapha harnesses alliteration when he labels Samson “[a] Murtherer, a Revolter, and a Robber” (Line 1180). The repeated “r” sounds become almost a roar of disapproval, emphasizing the anger and power of Harapha’s accusation. The Chorus demonstrates the forcefulness of alliteration when they note, “Blood, death, and deathful deed are in that noise” (Line 1513). The “d” sounds collide just as Samson clashes with the Philistines, smashes their theater, and kills them.

Imagery

Imagery is a literary device that uses vivid language to help readers feel what’s taking place more viscerally or to explain the action via comparison.

Wretchedly, Samson compares himself to an inept navigator: “[I] like a foolish Pilot have shipwrack’t, / My Vessel trusted to me from above” (Lines 198-99). In the simile, Samson uses the word “like” to create a picture of a careless captain crashing his ship. The reader can imagine the shipwreck, and they can also view Samson’s condition in a different context. The image takes him out of the Gaza jail and puts him out at the sea. The image also illuminates Samson’s belief in his own responsibility for his misfortunes: A ship’s pilot should be familiar with the terrain he is sailing through, so any wreck is Samson’s own fault.

In another simile, Samson says he’s “like a tame Wether,” or a castrated sheep, and Dalila has cut off his “precious fleece” (Line 538). The image conveys a dual mutilation: Dalila has unmanned Samson by betraying him despite being his wife; she has also physically shaved his head to undo his superhuman strength. The comparison plays with the power dynamic of this couple: Here, although Samson should dominate Dalila, he is the docile sheep to her herdsman.

Imagery is also key for conveying to audiences events that happen off stage. We do not see Samson kill the Philistines or die; instead, a messenger creates a detailed picture, describing the crowd, the theater, the importance of the pillars, and how Samson used his strength to break them. This graphic portrayal allows audiences to imagine the carnage in ways no stage production could achieve.