Explanation of L'Allegro

The poems “L’Allegro” and “Il Penseroso” are greatly related because of the night-day qualities that Milton presents. “L’Allegro” represents more of a care-free life, whereas “Il Penseroso” represents more of a quiet, reserved life, such as the one Milton lived. At the beginning of each poem, each of them reflect on each other’s premise, then going on to their own qualities. Both of the poems seem like they could come from different people, staying very central and positive on their own thoughts. In this essay, an explanation will be done on the main points of Milton’s joyous poem, “L’Allegro”.

Firstly, the introduction of “L’Allegro” talks about the underworld, which suggests that depression will send you to the underworld prematurely. To counteract this fate, Milton gives examples of Greek Gods who represent joy and fertility, which would suggest these same characteristics in life. In the beginning of the second section, Milton refers to Euphrosyne, the other two Graces, Venus, and Bacchus, who are all offspring of Zeus, representing an erotic lifestyle. The Gods and Goddesses mentioned represent indulgences in life, which would include the ability to free oneself through wine and concentrating on beauty rather than mental stimulation. Milton references to Hebe, the Goddess of Youth, who is another child of Zeus and would suggest the prime of life and utilizing this opportunity. Focusing mainly on Euphrosyne, she is supposed to be the incarnation of grace and beauty, and known as the Goddess of Joy and Mirth. Milton mentions Zephir and Aurora to represent the warm West wind and the dawn, which opposes the thoughts of night and the East side of Eden. The East side is the way in to Eden, as well as the bad way out, and night would be the time when you be alone, sleeping, and also represents death. Milton writes about Maying, which is usually the act of women dancing around a Maypole and looking for men. This would promote the notion of youthfulness,