Samson Agonistes

Famed 17th-century English poet and pamphleteer John Milton published Samson Agonistes (a Greek word that can mean “struggle”) in 1671. The work is a dramatic poem and a tragic drama—though Milton announces that it isn’t for the stage. Milton’s work is informed by one episode in a story from the Old Testament, in which the superhuman hero Samson is betrayed by his wife Dalila, loses his strength, and is imprisoned by his foes, the Philistines. Milton drew on his personal life and his Christian beliefs for aspects of the poem as well: He, too, felt beset by enemies when the monarchy he opposed returned to England; and the Jewish Samson reflects Milton’s beliefs about free will. This last is one of the major themes of the dramatic poem, as are juxtapositions between greatness and meekness, and the inherent deceptiveness of women.

The prolific Milton composed other verse plays (such as Comus [1634]), sonnets, tracts about issues including divorce and censorship, and epic poems. However, Milton is most famous for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), which retells the story of Adam and Eve’s departure from the Garden of Eden and illustrates the battle between God and Lucifer that led to the creation of Hell and the recasting of Lucifer as Satan. Milton has influenced many other poets, including Romantics like Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Blake, who thought of Milton’s Satan not as a symbol of absolute evil but as the emblem of dynamic individuality.

Poet Biography

John Milton was born on December 9, 1608, in London, England. His father was a successful clerk and moneylender, so the family lived a comfortable life. Milton attended St. Paul’s School when the metaphysical poet John Donne was the dean, and enrolled at Cambridge as a teen. Though he considered becoming a priest, Milton spent most of his twenties at his family’s country estate, studying religion, literature, science, history, politics, and various languages.

After four years in Italy, Milton returned to England in 1642 and married the 17-year-old Mary Powell; however, the marriage fell apart after a few months. Mary’s family supported King Charles I’s rule, while Milton was a revolutionary who sided with the increasing strident calls for the crown to share power with Parliament.

In 1642, England descended into civil war as the conflict between Parliament and Charles I came to a head: Charles I demanded the elected body fund war with Scotland and Ireland, but Parliament refused. When the king disbanded Parliament in response, Parliamentarians, led by Oliver Cromwell revolted. When their forces prevailed, they executed Charles I and Cromwell named himself Lord Protector.

Milton supported the new Commonwealth—a political allegiance that critics believe informed his conception of Lucifer’s rebellion against God’s tyrannical rule in Paradise Lost. After the revolution, Milton worked as secretary for foreign languages in Cromwell’s government, translating documents and writing pro-government propaganda. However, Cromwell’s dictatorship soon failed. After the Restoration, when Charles II, Charles I’s eldest son, regained the throne in 1660, Milton was arrested and fined.

In 1645, Mary and Milton reunited and had four children before she died in 1652. Milton married Katherine Woodcock in 1656. Katherine died in childbirth in 1658; Milton married Elizabeth Minshull in 1662.

Milton’s eyesight was never robust, and he developed complete blindness during the early 1650s. His assistants and children read to him and took dictation so that he could continue to write. In 1667, he published his epic poem Paradise Lost, in which he followed up with 1671’s Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes. Three years later, Milton died.

Poem Text

Milton, John. Samson Agonistes. 1671. The John Milton Reading Room.

Summary

The Philistines occupy Gaza, oppressing the Israelites living there. Samson, a member of the Tribe of Dan (one of 12 Hebrew tribes) is a Philistine prisoner. He hates the “close and damp” (Line 8) prison air, so he asks to be taken outside where the air is “pure and sweet” (Line 10). However, this is a mistake: On this spring day, the Philistines celebrate their sea-monster deity, Dagon; there is feasting and a holiday from work.

The Jewish Samson, who worships God, is miserable. Through an angel, God said that the superhuman Samson would perform “some great act” (Line 28) for the Israelites. Instead, he’s experiencing betrayal, captivity, and weakness. Moreover, he has been blinded by his captors, who have “[B]oth my eyes put out” (Line 33).

Samson blames himself for his torturous predicament. After he told his lover Dalila the secret that his superhuman strength comes from his hair, the Philistine Dalila betrayed him to the occupying forces. Now shorn of his magical hair, Samson curses his former strength. He imagines God put his strength in his hair to show him how “slight the gift” (Line 59) of physical strength is.

Worse than Samson’s loss of strength is his “loss of sight” (Line 67). Now, he can’t see light—“the prime work of God” (Line 70)—and his entire world is dark. The sun might as well be the moon. He feels “half dead” (Line 100) and like “a moving Grave” (Line 102).

Suddenly, he hears the footsteps of the Chorus—fellow Danites, or members of the Hebrew Tribe of Dan. The sight of Samson shocks the whispering Chorus. How could this blind prisoner in dirty clothes be Samson, a jaw-droppingly powerful warrior who could rip apart lions? They remember that with hardly any weapons, Samson could defeat well-equipped armies. The Chorus wonders what’s worse, Samson’s “Bondage or lost Sight” (Line 152), but decides that blindness must be a “Prison within Prison” (Line 153)—no light can liberate him.

Samson can hear some of what the Chorus is saying, so the Chorus comes closer, intending to ease his woes. Samson recaps his sorrows and compares himself to a ship captain who thoughtlessly crashed his ship that was “trusted to [him] from above” (Line 199). The Chorus tells Samson that many intelligent men make mistakes, since “bad Women” (Line 211) trick smart men. They suggest that he should have married a Danite instead of a Philistine; in answer, he recaps his romantic history. First, Samson married Timna, another Philistine woman. She betrayed him (Samson doesn’t go into details), so he married Dalila.

Samson claims he had to marry a woman from the Philistines because God “divinely call’d” (Line 226) for him to do so for political reasons. The Chorus admits that marrying a Philistine to defend Israel is “just” (237). Samson blames himself again for telling Dalila his secret, but he blames Israel’s leaders for not giving him the support he needed to evade capture. The Israeli tribes have become “corrupt” (Line 268), and they prefer slavery to freedom—the former is less work.

The Chorus compares Samson’s situation to those of other men from the Old Testament, like Gideon, who didn’t get any help chasing after Madian kings, and Jephthah, who didn’t get assistance with defending Israel from the Ammonites. The Chorus also reminds Samson not to question “the ways of God” (Line 293). God can do what he wants, and people can’t “bind” (Line 309) Him to a specific narrative.

Samson’s father Manoa enters, and the sight of Samson horrifies him. His son was once the “dread of Israel’s foes” (Line 342)—he was a one-man army. Manoa and his wife prayed for a child; when Samson was born, everyone congratulated Manoa—but no one would want to be father to this version of Samson. Manoa wonders why God cut down his glorious son. He thinks God shouldn’t expose great men like Samson to “so foul indignities” (Line 371).

Samson scolds his father for questioning God’s ways. God is punishing Samson “justly” (Line 375): Samson should have learned from his experiences with Timna not to share secrets. He resisted Dalila’s seductive interrogation three times, but she upped the “blandisht parlies” and “feminine assaults” (Line 403) until Samson gave in and told her that his hair held his strength.

Manoa reproaches Samson for his “[m]arriage choises” (Line 420). Maybe they were part of a Godly plan, but Samson didn’t win—instead, his foes captured him. Now, the Philistines will attribute Samson’s imprisonment to the idol Dagon. Samson admits his capture inflates the importance of Dagon; again, he blames himself. The worship of the idol upsets his soul and thoughts—he can’t sleep. Yet Samson is confident God will triumph over Dagon.

Samson’s father agrees, but also offers to free his son from jail by paying the Philistines a “ransom” (Line 483). Samson refuses: He belongs in prison. Manoa warns his son to stop wallowing in self-pity. Samson needs to save himself. God wants him to live—perhaps God has brought Manoa to Samson to free him.

Samson wants God to forgive his hubris. Samson thought his power meant he was “[f]ull of divine instinct” (Line 526), but he sees that he was acting “like a petty God” (Line 529). Now, his pride has brought him down. Though he avoided alcohol, he fell for the seductive Dalila—a different kind of intoxicant, who turned him into “a tame Weather” (Line 538), or a castrated sheep. Without his strength, he is useless, so it’s best to die.

Manoa argues that since God can do anything, maybe he’ll give Samson his sight back. Also, as soon as Samson’s hair grows back, his strength will return. However, Samson’s hopelessness is all-consuming—it’s a disease with no cure.

The Chorus advises patience. Samson demurs: People often praise those who can endure suffering, but Samson wants support from God or “consolation from above” (664). The Chorus wonders why God regularly degrades chosen people like Samson, treating extraordinary individuals with extra cruelty.

The Chorus then announces the arrival of Dalila, who’s “bedeckt, ornate, and gay” (Line 713). Samson calls Dalila a traitor and sends her away. Dalila counters that she’s been crying a lot—it took courage for her to come here. Samson calls her a hyena and a snake, and accuses her of emotional manipulation. Dalila defends herself by resorting to a sexist trope: She says she’s a woman, so she’s bad at keeping secrets. She worried Samson might leave her like Timna, so she decided if she knew his secret, he’d stay. She only told the Philistines about Samson’s hair because they claimed they wouldn’t hurt him, promising he’d be Dalila’s prisoner, not theirs. Samson boils down Dalila’s defense to one word: “weakness” (Line 829); he condemns this, since “[a]ll wickedness is weakness” (Line 834).

However, when he accuses Dalila of selling him out, calling her too weak “to resist / Philistian gold” (Lines 830-31), Dalila says she didn’t do it for money: The Philistines pressured her to side with her own people and not dishonor Dagon. Her love for Samson helped her withstand them for a long time, but they eventually wore her down. Samson doesn’t believe Dalila loves him as much as she claims. He loves her more: He went against his tribe and married her, as he “could deny [her] nothing” (Line 881). In contrast, for her false idol, she turned her husband into an enemy.

Dalila doesn’t want to argue with Samson, believing that as a woman she won’t win the argument. Instead, she wants forgiveness. She thinks she can get the Philistines to free him, and then he can live with her, and she can care for him. Samson refuses the offer: He calls them “twain” (Line 929), or separated, and he doesn’t want to depend on her. He’ll have more freedom in chains. When Dalila asks to touch his hand, Samson threatens to tear her to pieces. If she keeps her distance, he’ll forgive her. He then mocks her so-called conscience or “pious works” (Line 955). Dalila calls Samson stubborn and meditates on the duality of fame: The Israeli tribes will hate her, but the Philistines will all but worship her for her actions.

The Chorus returns and announces Dalila’s departure; their thoughts on women perpetuate more sexist tropes. They believe women are beautiful but have little inner life: They have “such outward ornament” (Line 1025) due to an absence of “inward gifts” (Line 1026) like judgment. When a woman uses her beauty to capture a man, she can turn into “a thorn” (Line 1037) and make the man misbehave. The many perceived faults of women are why God gave “man despotic power / Over his female” (Lines 1054-55).

The Chorus detects a storm. Samson says wind and rain often interrupt lovely days, but the Chorus clarifies: By storm, they mean Harapha, the Philistine giant of Gath. Harapha comes from a prestigious family of giants, and he’s heard quite a bit about Samson’s prowess. He wishes he could have fought Samson—he probably would have won. Samson says they can fight now, but Harapha doesn’t want to battle a blind man. In response, Samson mocks Harapha’s honor and the honor of Harapha’s leaders, who acted dishonorably when they bribed Dalila to betray Samson. Samson demands Harapha fight him in a “narrow place” (Line 1117) that neutralizes the advantages of sightedness. Harapha can wear all the armor he wants—Samson only needs an “Oak’n staff” (Line 1123). Harapha isn’t ashamed of wearing armor, and he calls Samson’s strength “some Magicians Art” (Line 1133), but Samson corrects him: His power comes from God, not magic.

Samson has an idea: Harapha should pray to Dagon to make him stronger than Samson. That way, when Harapha loses, he’ll know “Israel’s God” (Line 1150) is the true power. Harapha wonders whether Samson’s God has abandoned him, but Samson says that just as God is behind his suffering, so too might God in his graciousness embrace Samson once again. Harapha calls Samson “[a] Murtherer, a Revolter, and a Robber” (Line 1180) because he disobeyed Philistine law; among other crimes, Samson killed 30 men. Samson believes he acted the “part from Heav’n assign’d” (Line 1217). Besides, the Philistines aren’t legitimate rulers. They took Jewish lands through force. Samson calls Harapha a coward for not fighting him, but Harapha leaves.

The Chorus returns. They fear Harapha has gone to the Philistines to make life harder for Samson. Samson isn’t scared. They can’t afflict him further. They can kill him, but Samson wouldn’t mind that. Harapha probably won’t go to the Philistines—he would look cowardly for declining battle. The Chorus praises men who fight oppression, but they also again bring up patience—a saintly attribute that Samson has been developing. All day, he’s been thinking tirelessly, and that’s a type of patience.

A public officer arrives; he wants Samson to demonstrate his strength at the feast for Dagon, but Samson declines. As a Hebrew, or “Ebrew” (Line 1319), he doesn’t want to serve the mocking Philistines. They should get another kind of entertainment—wrestlers, dancers, or jugglers. The officer warns Samson that the Philistines won’t like his refusal. The Chorus returns and pushes Samson to accept the invitation, but Samson won’t “abuse this Consecrated gift” (Line 1354) and serve Dagon. The Chorus counters: Samson already serves the Philistines doing prison labor. To Samson, however, this work is “honest and lawful” (Line 1366)—he has to work for food, and it’s part of his punishment. However, after feeling “rouzing motions” (Line 1382), Samson changes his mind. He senses something life-defining might happen at the feast. He says goodbye to the Chorus; the Chorus cheers him on and asks God to guide him.

Samson’s father returns and tells the Chorus he’s been feverishly meeting with Philistine authorities to try to free his son with a ransom. Many Philistines are against letting Samson go, others would let him go if they figure out how it could benefit them, and others have had enough of vengeance and would give Samson freedom for a reasonable pile of cash.

A sudden noise interrupts Manoa. It’s coming from the feast.

Manoa continues: Even if it makes him the poorest person in his tribe, he’ll pay Samson’s ransom. The Chorus comments on the sacrifices fathers make for sons. They also note the irony of Manoa’s situation: Instead of the son caring for his older parent, here, the elderly father will care for the son. Manoa says it’ll be an honor to look after Samson. Maybe God will let his strength grow back with his hair and, once again, use him for “some great service” (Line 1499). The Chorus thinks Manoa has reason to be optimistic.

The “[h]orribly loud” (Line 1510) noise from the feast continues. The Chorus hears “Blood, death, and deathful deed are in that noise (Line 1513). Manoa thinks the Philistines are killing Samson, but the Chorus says Samson is killing the Philistines.

A distraught messenger arrives. He has good news and bad news. The good news: All the Philistines are dead. The bad news: Samson is dead too. The messenger saw it happen: Samson destroyed the theater that held the feast, killing everyone inside. While the crowd was bawdy and inebriated, Samson performed with “incredible, stupendious force” (Line 1627). During a break, Samson leaned against two pillars. He told the Philistines he’d show them something extraordinary, and he broke the pillars, causing the theater to collapse.

The Chorus applauds Samson’s actions and divides into two Semichoruses. The first Semichorus labels the destruction of the Philistines as “wrath divine” (Line 1683), saying the “idolatrous,” “gluttonous” people had it coming. The second Semichorus focuses on Samson. Though blind, he must have found an inward light to perform his heroic deed. They compare Samson to a phoenix—a mythological bird that burns and, out of the ashes, rises back to life.

Manoa interrupts the Semichoruses. They must find Samson’s body, purify it, and bury it. Then, Manoa can build a monument for his heroic son.

The Semichoruses reunite into the Chorus, and announce that the story has a happy conclusion. At times, God may have seemed absent, but God has always been with the children of Israel. In the end, Samson triumphed. At the end of the dramatic poem, the audience can learn a lesson and find release: They can expel their harmful passions and gain a sense of calm.