ABSTRACT
The incorporation of Samson Agonistes, along with Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, in this section is more a reflection of its generic status than an implied dating of it between the political verse and Paradise Lost . The question of when exactly it was written remains unresolved
Samson Agoni s te s
The myth, the story, o f Samson i s located principally in the Old Testa ment, specifically Judges XII-XVI. Milton's dramatic poem generally follows the biblical account, with a number of changes. In the Bible Delilah is Samson's mistress. Milton makes her his wife, presumably to emphasise the intensity of their relationship. Also, the biblical Samson is presented as a folklorish giant with no special claim to intellect while Milton's figure continually reflects upon and scrutinises his past, his condition and his future. Along with the biblical legend, Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound and Sophocles's Oedipus at Co/onus both have tragic-heroic figures respectively imprisoned and blinded.
