Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas, by John Milton
Song.
Sweet Echo, sweetest nymph, that liv'st unseen
Within thy airy shell
By slow Meander's margent green,
And in the violet-embroidered vale
Where the love-lorn nightingale
Nightly to thee her sad song mourneth well:
Canst thou not tell me of a gentle pair
That likest thy Narcissus are?
O, if thou have
Hid them in some flowery cave,
Tell me but where,
Sweet Queen of Parley, Daughter of the Sphere!
So may'st thou be translated to the skies,
And give resounding grace to all Heaven's harmonies!
COMUS. Can any mortal mixture of earth's mould<br />
Breathe such divine enchanting ravishment?
Sure something holy lodges in that breast,
And with these raptures moves the vocal air
To testify his hidden residence.
How sweetly did they float upon the wings
Of silence, through the empty-vaulted night,
At every fall smoothing the raven down
Of darkness till it smiled! I have oft heard
My mother Circe with the Sirens three,
Amidst the flowery-kirtled Naiades,
Culling their potent herbs and baleful drugs,
Who, as they sung, would take the prisoned soul,
And lap it in Elysium: Scylla wept,
And chid her barking waves into attention,
And fell Charybdis murmured soft applause.
Yet they in pleasing slumber lulled the sense,
And in sweet madness robbed it of itself;
But such a sacred and home-felt delight,
Such sober certainty of waking bliss,
I never heard till now. I'll speak to her,
And she shall be my queen.--Hail, foreign wonder!
Whom certain these rough shades did never breed,
Unless the goddess that in rural shrine
Dwell'st here with Pan or Sylvan, by blest song
Forbidding every bleak unkindly fog
To touch the prosperous growth of this tall wood.
LADY. Nay, gentle shepherd, ill is lost that praise
That is addressed to unattending ears.
Not any boast of skill, but extreme shift
How to regain my severed company,
Compelled me to awake the courteous Echo
To give me answer from her mossy couch.
COMUS: What chance, good lady, hath bereft you thus?
LADY. Dim darkness and this leafy labyrinth.
COMUS. Could that divide you from near-ushering guides?
LADY. They left me weary on a grassy turf.
COMUS. By falsehood, or discourtesy, or why?
LADY. To seek i' the valley some cool friendly spring.
COMUS. And left your fair side all unguarded, Lady?
LADY. They were but twain, and purposed quick return.
COMUS. Perhaps forestalling night prevented them.
LADY. How easy my misfortune is to hit!
COMUS. Imports their loss, beside the present need?
LADY. No less than if I should my brothers lose.
COMUS. Were they of manly prime, or youthful bloom?
LADY. As smooth as Hebe's their unrazored lips.
COMUS. Two such I saw, what time the laboured ox
In his loose traces from the furrow came,
And the swinked hedger at his supper sat.
I saw them under a green mantling vine,
That crawls along the side of yon small hill,
Plucking ripe clusters from the tender shoots;
Their port was more than human, as they stood.
I took it for a faery vision
Of some gay creatures of the element,
That in the colours of the rainbow live,
And play i' the plighted clouds. I was awe-strook,
And, as I passed, I worshiped. If those you seek,
It were a journey like the path to Heaven
To help you find them.
LADY. Gentle villager,
What readiest way would bring me to that place?
COMUS. Due west it rises from this shrubby point.
LADY. To find out that, good shepherd, I suppose,
In such a scant allowance of star-light,
Would overtask the best land-pilot's art,
Without the sure guess of well-practised feet.
COMUS. I know each lane, and every alley green,
Dingle, or bushy dell, of this wild wood,
And every bosky bourn from side to side,
My daily walks and ancient neighbourhood;
And, if your stray attendance be yet lodged,
Or shroud within these limits, I shall know
Ere morrow wake, or the low-roosted lark
From her thatched pallet rouse. If otherwise,
I can conduct you, Lady, to a low
But loyal cottage, where you may be safe
Till further quest.
LADY. Shepherd, I take thy word,
And trust thy honest-offered courtesy,
Which oft is sooner found in lowly sheds,
With smoky rafters, than in tapestry halls
And courts of princes, where it first was named,
And yet is most pretended. In a place
Less warranted than this, or less secure,
I cannot be, that I should fear to change it.
Eye me, blest Providence, and square my trial
To my proportioned strength! Shepherd, lead on.
Explanation
This excerpt from Comus (1634), a masque by John Milton, is a richly layered text that blends mythological allusion, pastoral beauty, moral conflict, and dramatic tension. Below is a detailed analysis of the passage, focusing on its themes, literary devices, character dynamics, and significance, while grounding the explanation in the text itself.
Context of Comus
Comus is a masque—a form of elite entertainment combining poetry, music, and dance—commissioned for the Earl of Bridgewater’s family. It tells the story of a virtuous Lady separated from her brothers in a dark, enchanted wood, where she encounters Comus, the god of revelry and debauchery (son of Circe and Bacchus). Disguised as a rustic shepherd, Comus attempts to lure her into his palace with flattery and enchantment, but she resists, embodying chastity and moral fortitude.
This excerpt captures the first encounter between the Lady and Comus, where he is mesmerized by her song and begins his seductive persuasion, while she remains cautious but vulnerable.
Themes in the Excerpt
Innocence vs. Corruption
- The Lady represents purity and virtue, lost in a "leafy labyrinth" (a symbol of moral confusion).
- Comus, though disguised as a "gentle shepherd," is a tempter, associated with Circe (a sorceress) and Sirens (mythological enchantresses) who "lap the prisoned soul / And lap it in Elysium" (l. 15-16). His praise is deceptive, masking his predatory intent.
- The Lady’s trust in "lowly sheds" over "courts of princes" (l. 100-102) reinforces Milton’s distrust of worldly power and preference for humble virtue.
The Power of Music and Enchantment
- The Lady’s song to Echo (a nymph who repeats sounds) is lyrical and innocent, invoking Narcissus (a symbol of unrequited love) and the nightingale (a bird of melancholy beauty).
- Comus is overwhelmed by her voice, comparing it to Circe’s magic and the Sirens’ songs (which lured sailors to their doom in The Odyssey).
- The contrast between divine harmony (the Lady’s song) and false enchantment (Comus’s flattery) underscores Milton’s Puritan distrust of sensuous art that distracts from moral truth.
Appearance vs. Reality
- Comus disguises himself as a shepherd, but his language betrays his true nature:
- He calls the Lady a "foreign wonder" (l. 35), hinting at her otherworldly virtue (she is allegorically Chastity).
- His excessive flattery ("goddess," "rural shrine") is hyperbolic, unlike the Lady’s modest, practical speech.
- The Lady, though polite, remains skeptical, asking for directions rather than accepting his help blindly.
- Comus disguises himself as a shepherd, but his language betrays his true nature:
Divine Providence vs. Human Frailty
- The Lady’s final lines ("Eye me, blest Providence, and square my trial / To my proportioned strength") invoke God’s protection, suggesting her faith will shield her from Comus’s temptations.
- The darkness and labyrinth symbolize spiritual peril, but her resolution foreshadows her eventual triumph.
Literary Devices & Stylistic Features
Mythological & Classical Allusions
- Echo & Narcissus (Ovid’s Metamorphoses): Echo, a nymph cursed to repeat words, represents unfulfilled longing; Narcissus, who fell in love with his reflection, symbolizes self-absorption. The Lady’s song suggests innocent yearning, while Comus twists it into seductive poetry.
- Circe & the Sirens (The Odyssey): Circe turned men into beasts; the Sirens lured sailors to shipwreck. Comus associates himself with these figures, revealing his manipulative nature.
- Elysium (a paradise in Greek myth): Comus claims the Sirens’ songs could transport souls to Elysium, but his version is a false paradise—a trap.
Pastoral Imagery & Contrast
- The violet-embroidered vale, Meander’s green margent (bank), and flowery cave create a lush, idyllic setting, but it is deceptive—Comus’s wood is dark and dangerous.
- The nightingale’s "sad song" contrasts with Comus’s false sweetness, reinforcing the duality of beauty and peril.
Dramatic Irony
- The audience knows Comus is a villain, but the Lady does not, making her polite responses tense with unseen danger.
- His offer of help ("I know each lane, and every alley green") is sinister—he is the master of this labyrinth, not a guide.
Sensory & Auditory Imagery
- The Lady’s song floats "upon the wings / Of silence" (l. 8-9), creating a ethereal, almost divine effect.
- Comus describes how her voice smooths "the raven down / Of darkness till it smiled" (l. 9-10)—a paradox (darkness cannot smile) that suggests enchantment warping reality.
Metaphor & Personification
- Echo as a "Queen of Parley" (conversation): She is both a natural phenomenon and a mythical being, bridging the human and divine.
- Darkness as a raven: A Gothic image of forboding, which the Lady’s song temporarily dispels.
Rhetorical Strategies
- Comus’s Flattery: He exalts the Lady ("goddess," "foreign wonder") to manipulate her, while she resists with humility.
- The Lady’s Pragmatism: She questions his motives ("What chance, good lady, hath bereft you thus?") and tests his knowledge ("What readiest way would bring me to that place?").
Significance of the Passage
Moral Allegory
- The Lady embodies Chastity, while Comus represents Lust and Deception. Their encounter is a battle between virtue and vice, a common Puritan theme in Milton’s work.
- Her resistance to flattery and trust in Providence reflect Milton’s Protestant belief in divine grace over worldly temptation.
Feminine Agency & Vulnerability
- Unlike many passive damsels in literature, the Lady is intelligent and cautious, but her isolation makes her vulnerable.
- Milton challenges gender norms by making her the moral center of the masque, yet her dependence on a male guide (even a deceptive one) reflects 17th-century limitations.
Milton’s Poetic Craft
- The lyrical beauty of the Lady’s song contrasts with the dark, twisted eloquence of Comus, showcasing Milton’s mastery of tone and mood.
- The blend of classical myth and Christian morality foreshadows Paradise Lost, where Satan’s rhetoric similarly masks evil in beauty.
Political & Social Commentary
- The distrust of "courts of princes" (l. 101) reflects Milton’s republican sympathies (he later supported the execution of Charles I).
- The corruption of nature (Comus’s wood) symbolizes moral decay in society, a theme Milton explores in his later works.
Line-by-Line Key Moments
The Lady’s Song (1-12)
- She calls to Echo, a symbol of unanswered longing, asking for her lost brothers (who represent Innocence and Virtue).
- The nightingale’s "sad song" mirrors her anxiety, while the flowery cave suggests hidden purity.
Comus’s Reaction (13-34)
- He is stunned by her voice, comparing it to Circe’s magic—but where Circe enslaved men, the Lady’s song uplifts.
- His description of Scylla and Charybdis (monsters from The Odyssey) weeping at her song is hyperbolic, revealing his obsession.
The Dialogue (35-105)
- Comus feigns concern, but his questions are probing ("Were they of manly prime, or youthful bloom?").
- The Lady’s answers are measured, but she unwittingly reveals her brothers’ beauty ("As smooth as Hebe’s their unrazored lips"), which further tempts Comus.
- His offer to guide her is a trap, but she accepts with caution, placing her faith in Providence.
Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters
This excerpt is a microcosm of Comus’ central conflict: the struggle between purity and corruption, divine grace and human frailty. Milton uses rich imagery, mythological depth, and dramatic tension to explore:
- The seductive power of language (Comus’s rhetoric vs. the Lady’s sincerity).
- The fragility of innocence in a deceptive world.
- The role of faith in overcoming temptation.
The Lady’s final prayer to Providence foreshadows her ultimate victory, but the looming threat of Comus keeps the audience in suspense. This passage is not just a beautiful poetic interlude—it is a moral and psychological battleground, making it one of Milton’s most thematically dense and dramatic works.
Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect (e.g., Milton’s use of myth, the masque form, or the Lady’s character)?