Introduction ........................................................................ 9
Chapter 1. Women in Milton s times .................................. 19
1.1. Women in the 16th and 17th century England .............. 19
1.2. Male writers on women ............................................. 22
1.3. Female writers on women .......................................... 26
1.4. Milton inside and outside home ................................. 32
Chapter 2. Milton s Other Women: A Cross-Section of his
Work ................................................................................... 48
2.1. Poetical Works ........................................................... 48
2.1.1. «Ad Patrem», or Milton s reasons to dedicate
his life to poetry ............................................ 48
2.1.2. «L Allegro» and «Il Penseroso», or Milton s
Graces and Muses in action .......................... 53
2.1.3. Comus, or a nameless virginal protagonist..... 60
2.1.4. Lycidas, or the use of feminine characters to
become an immortal poet ............................. 73
2.1.5. Samson Agonistes´ Dalilah, or the most imperfect
wife ever............................................ 84
2.1.6. «Methought I Saw my Late Espoused Saint»,
or female sanctity after death......................... 97
2.2. Prose Works ............................................................... 101
2.2.1. «The Second Defence…», «Considerations…»,
«A Free Commonwealth», or teaching through
writing ........................................................... 102
2.2.2. Religious pamphlets, or God s word «upon
every age and sexe» ...................................... 106
2.2.3. Areopagitica, or the issue of women and the
soul ............................................................... 109
2.2.4. The four Tractates of Divorce, or Milton s contradictory
views on women ............................ 113
Conclusions ......................................................................... 121
Works Cited ........................................................................ 125