The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell, is because he was a true poet and of the Devil's party without knowing it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Milton wrote of Angels with constraints but of Devils with freedom, showing he sided with the rebel spirit.
- In plain terms
- Milton was freer writing about rebels than gods, showing his true side.
- What can you take from it?
- A writer's true allegiance may show in their freedom of expression.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When do you feel free to write?
- What limits your expression?
Another view
The interpretation of Milton is a specific critical view that others may debate.
More from William Blake
Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence.
Permalink to quote #52 Those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained; and the restrainer or reason usurps its place & governs the unwilling.
Permalink to quote #54 Rintrah roars and shakes his fires in the burdened air; Hungry clouds swag on the deep.
Permalink to quote #51
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