By John T. Shawcross

Shawcross proposes that the numerous ambiguities surrounding Milton's dramatic poem Samson Agonistes are intentional: the particular phrases, the dates of composition, the style, and the characters - fairly Samson and Dalila yet together with Manoa, Harapha, and the refrain. Ambiguity additionally lies in Milton's presentation of political matters either philosophical and functional, his remedy of gender suggestions, the consistent wondering of the reader, and the poem's impression. Discussing some of these components, Shawcross follows with an in depth analyzing of the textual content which argues that it continues to be purposefully ambiguous, reflecting Milton's personal attractiveness of the uncertainty of the content material, and suggesting that Milton himself could query a few of the great 'solutions' that sleek scholarship has provided within the final twenty years. JOHN SHAWCROSS is Professor of English, Emeritus, collage of Kentucky.

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Extra info for The Uncertain World of 'Samson Agonistes' (Studies in Renaissance Literature)

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But it suggests a change of poetic genre for the ®nal composition ± a poem which ``never was intended'' ``to the Stage'' rather than a ``tragedy'' intended to the stage. The other item needing separate consideration is the discussion of a dramatic poem which gives a mixture of spellings found in Milton's practice and of spellings not employed by him. Among those that might have been written by him ``sowr'' (twice), ``Epod'' (perhaps), and ``®ft'' seem to be a bit less usual; those that would not have re¯ected his practices are commonplace (like ``authority'' and ``antient'').

The ambiguous sentence is ``It suces if the whole Drama be found not produc't beyond the ®ft Act,'' and it illogically was originally printed as a new paragraph. The scribal text presented for publication clearly had problems, as I previously remarked. '' Milton seems to be saying of his dramatic poem that it has anities with such ``dramatic'' revised texts and that in its ®ve episodes it is complete. That is, no successive drama was necessary to complete the full story (as in a play like Agamemnon); there is no need for a drama saying something about the signi®cance of Samson's life and action or the further history of the Danites and Philistines.

He ®rst sets down ``Samson in Ramath Lechi Jud. 15,'' adds to the left ``Samson pursophorus or Hybristes, or,'' and alters the ®rst item above the line by ``marriing or'' [that is, ``Samson marriing or Ramath-Lechi Jud. 15'']; and second, ``Dagonalia. Jud. '' The reference to Samson's marriage thus is to the Woman of Timnah since that account occurs in Judges xv, followed by his slaying of Philistines with the jawbone of an ass at Ramath-Lehi. The woman of the valley of Sorek (Delilah) is not mentioned until Judges xvi:4€.

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