The Characters Of Samson And Dalila in Miltons Samson Agonistes Essay

The Char sufficeers Of Samson And Dalila in Miltons Samson Agonistes The character of Dalila is first described by Samson, in his opening dialogue with the Chorus, as that specious Monster, my accomplishd snare. He withal later describes her as fallacious, unclean, unchaste. Thus when she finally appears in person, the reader is perhaps surprised to hear the Chorus uses a simile of a beautiful ship to describe Dalila, so bedeckd, ornate and gay. It is the first mention of her physical beauty. Neither does the Chorus merely mention it in passing the utter takes a total of eleven lines to describe the full extent of Dalilas beauty. The Chorus continues this extended simile, admiring her tackle trim . . . and streamers waving. She even smells sweet, being followed by a damsel train and amber scent of odorous perfume. It seems as if the Chorus has fallen under Dalilas spell as Samson had. Samson, however, is under no such illusions. Perhaps his blindness prevents him f rom capitulating to her beauty, in the same way that in Greek mythology, sailors, having blocked up their ears, saw the Sirens for the evil creatures that they were, rather than be charm to their deaths by their beautiful singing. His blindness is perhaps the reason that he has made no reference to Dalilas beauty - her seemingly only asset he is no longer able to appreciate. Unlike the Chorus, Samson is not so welcoming. He calls her a Traitress and bids the Chorus not to let her go near him. The Chorus, however, seems powerless to act against Dalila, as yet on she moves. They appear to still be under the spell of Dalilas captivating beauty, this time assimilating her beauty with that of a fair superlative. ... ...le Milton. New York Penguin, 1977 1949. Erskine-Hill, Howard. Poetry and the Realm of Politics. Oxford Oxford University Press, 1996. Fish, Stanley. How Milton Works. Cambridge The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2001. Hale, John K. Miltons Prefa ce to Samson Agonistes. The Explicator. Vol. 52. No. 2. P. 73. (Winter 1994) 3 pp. Online. Internet. 20 April. 1997. Lewalski, Barbara. The Life of John Milton. Malden Blackwell Publishers Inc, 2000. Martindale, Charles. John Milton and the Transformation of Ancient Epic. Totowa Barnes and frightful Books, 1986. Milton, John. Samson Agonistes. In John Milton Complete Poems and Major Prose. Ed. Merritt Y. Hughes. New York Macmillan, 1957. 531-93. Radzinowicz, Mary Ann. Towards Samson Agonistes The Growth of Miltons Mind. Princeton Princeton University Press, 1978.