Samson Agonistes Analysis

The well-known narrative of Samson has been told for centuries as tool to establish learning points and objectives for all of humanity. It is a story that illustrates the tumultuous life of Samson in his rise, fall, and redemption as a judge over Israel. According to the biblical account, Samson experiences victory and triumph in his rule as a judge and defender against the Philistines. He then enters into a transitional period in which he goes through a period of defeat and captivity after he is tricked by Delilah and take captive by the Philistines. And in his death, he experiences restorative triumph as he kills more Philistines than he had in his entire life with his dying breath. In Samson Agonistes, John Milton further elaborates on Samson’s experiences as he is a prisoner of the

Samson was then bound up by the Philistines and is being to their camp as a prisoner. His eyes have been gouged and he finds himself depressed and dejected because of the state of his life and the overwhelming feeling of failure associated with his actions. Here Samson Agonistes, records Samson’s feelings of failure in a first hand manner. He elaborates on his fall from glory and how his foolish actions have cause him to be in the state that he is in. This soliloquy leads into an adversarial dialogue between Samson and his father, Manoa, in which he confronts Samson and exposes the error of his ways. The next character that steps onto the scene of Samson Agonistes is Delilah, and that is the focus of this essay. Delilah comes to Samson in his lowest state and recounts her actions in a seemingly remorseful way as if to explain herself in an effort to fix his situation. This is an aspect of the story that is completely absent in the biblical account. The concept and portrayal of Delilah in Samson Agonistes presents a stark contrast to that of the biblical account due to Delilah’s continued interest in Samson, as well as the apologetic nature she exhibits to him in the