Structure in Milton's Poetry: from the Foundation to the Pinnacles

Milton's skill in constructing poems whose structure is determined, not by rule or precedent, but by the thought to be expressed, is one of his chief accomplishments as a creative artist. Professor Condee analyzes seventeen of Milton's poems, both early and late, well and badly organized, in order to trace the poet's developing ability to create increasingly complex poetic structures.

Three aspects of Milton's use of poetic structure are stressed: the relation of the parts to the whole and parts to parts, his ability to unite actual events with the poetic situation, and his use and variation of literary tradition to establish the desired structural unity.