Widely considered among the five greatest poets in the English language, John Milton was born and educated in London, the son of a musical composer. His early schooling took place at the St. Paul's School. From this prestigious beginning, Milton made his way to Cambridge, where he studied at Christ's College from which he took a BA in 1629 and an MA in 1632. While his studies were those of a future clergyman, Milton began early to read and write poetry in Latin, Italian, and English.
             Upon his graduation, Milton returned to the home of his father where for several years he studied widely focusing on languages (Greek, Latin, and Italian) and theology, especially the early church fathers. From 1637 until 1639 he traveled in Europe, mostly in Italy. Upon his return, his attentions were consumed first by his employment as a tutor and later by the political turmoil of the English Civil War. In 1641 he began publishing pamphlets against the Episcopal Church and what he perceived as the unfinished English Reformation. Areopagitica, his famous defense of a free press, appeared in 1644. During this period in which Milton's influence was growing, another force worked against him. During the mid-1640s, he began to notice the deterioration of his eyesight. This decay continued until he was completely blind in 1651.
             After the execution of Charles I, Milton became involved in the Commonwealth government of Oliver Cromwell, serving as Latin secretary to the Council of State. He served faithfully in these duties through the period, publishing a number of political works as circumstances demanded. Upon the restoration of the monarchy, Milton was arrested, fined, and released. It was during the period after his fall from public power that John Milton made his most celebrated contribution to English literature and Western culture. Although he had reputedly penned parts of his greatest work, Paradise Lost, as early as 1642, the epic's completio...