Milton's Lycidas

Lycidas (A Pastoral Elegy by John Milton)

Summary

Lycidas is a pastoral elegy written by Milton to mourn the death of his friend Edward King who had died while travelling from Chester to Ireland in a ship which sank in the sea. The poem can be divided into six identifiable sections.

The first section serves as a prologue to the poem. It covers the first twenty four lines of the poem. 

These lines tell us why Milton wrote this poem at a time when his poetical powers had not yet fully 

developed although he had decided not to write anything before he was fully mature as a poet. It was the 

sad and untimely death of Edward King, (whom he calls Lycidas in the poem), that had compelled him to 

pen this elegy. He expresses in it the grief that he felt at the death of a friend. King had been his friend 

and classmate at Cambridge. Besides, he was a promising poet and Puritan priest. His death therefore 

was a cause of immense grief to him. 

In the second section of the poem, Milton describes the time they had spent together at Cambridge. He 

describes how they both would study together throughout the day beginning very early in the morning 

and continuing till late at night. He also mentions some innocent recreations they used to enjoy. 

However, Lycidas’ death had changed everything significantly. Addressing the Muses, he asks where 

they were when Lycidas’ ship sank and why they did not try to save him. But he soon realises that even 

they could not have saved his life. Even Palliope, the Muse who was the mother of Orpheus, could not 

save her son when the Maenads tore him to pieces and threw him into the river.

This section of the elegy also contains the philosophical discussion about life, labour and rewards.  He 

states that it is the desire for fame that inspires a man to labour hard and sacrifice a life of ease. 

However, the irony of human life is that he is deprived of the reward of his labour by the cruel hands of 

death just when he is about to reap it. But he also says that the true reward does not consist in worldly 

success. It is bestowed on him by God on the day of judgement.

The third section describes a procession of mourners led by Triton expressing grief on Lycidas’ death. 

Milton also uses this section to express his views about the Protestant Church and the corrupted clergy 

who are interested more in material rewards than in catering to the spiritual needs of their flock. He 

makes St. Peter, the last one in the procession denounce the clergy who are interested in their own 

welfare than in the spiritual needs of the people under their care.

The fourth section is devoted to his own feelings on Lycidas’ death. He invites all the trees, plants and 

creepers in the valleys to shower their flowers on Lycidas’ hearse. The flowers are a symbol of Lycidas’ 

escape from ‘intolerable reality’ to a lovely world. In a way, the section expresses Milton’s good wishes 

for Lycidas in his journey after life.

The fifth section presents Milton’s belief in immortality.  He consoles himself and the other mourners by 

referring to the belief in eternal life in heaven after death.  He states that there is no need to mourn 

because Lycidas has reached heaven where he will live for ever and is entertained by saints in sweet 

societies.

The last section forms the epilogue to the poem. Here, Milton refers to the Greek pastoral poets and 

expresses a determination to make greater poetic achievements in the days to come while facing life 

hopefully.

 Lycidas as a Pastoral Elegy

Lycidas is a pastodent of classical literature, Milton was fully familiar with the conventions of 

pastoral elegy laid down by the Greek poets. He has followed all these conventions in his 

elegy.

First of all, he presents himself and King as shepherds. He even gives King a name 

common in pastoral poetry.

Like the pastoral poets, he begins by invoking the muses and explaining the reason why he 

has been compelled to write this song.

Thereafter, he proceeds to describe the history of his relations with King at Cambridge 

University where they had studied and indulged innocent pleasures together.

Next, following the pastoral tradition, he questions the fate that let King drown and blames 

the muses of not doing anything to save him realising ultimately that even they could not 

have done anything.

This is followed by a description of the procession of mourners led by Triton. Everyone in 

the procession is wondering how King was allowed to meet his untimely death.

After that comes the offering of flowers. Trees, plants and vines shower flowers on King’s 

hearse. In the end, Milton expresses his belief that King has moved over to a better and 

eternal life. He will there be rewarded for his labours by God who is the true judge of all.

Milton now tells the mourners to stop doing so as there is no cause for it. Lycidas has not 

died but gone to heaven there to live for ever in the company of saints who entertain him 

with their sweet songs.

We see thus that Milton has employed all the conventions of the pastoral in his elegy. But 

he has adapted them to suit his own purpose. Milton was dealing with Christian subjects – 

the death of a man who was preparing for the ministry, his own future as a poet and the 

degeneration of the Christian church in England. So he uses the elegy to put forth his 

philosophy about the irony of life which makes a man toil hard for achieving fame but 

deprives him of the reward by causing his death.

He also makes Saint Peter denounce the degeneration of the contemporary Christian 

church. He makes a scathing attack on the clergymen who have surrendered to the lure of 

materialism and instead of catering to the spiritual needs of the masses are busy feathering 

their own nests.

Milton ends the elegy by showing a resolve to get over the sorrow, live life hopefully and 

make notable poetic achievements. 

All these things make Lycidas one of the greatest poems of its type. All the traditions of the 

pastoral elegy have been followed in it. At the same time, Milton has utilised the occasion to 

express his views about the issues closest to his heart and of immense contemporary 

interest.