Poet · 1608 – 1674
John Milton
Little-Known Facts
- He had been completely blind for years when he composed Paradise Lost, dictating it line by line.
- He served as a secretary handling foreign correspondence for Cromwell's republican government.
Myths & Misconceptions
Did Milton make Satan the hero of Paradise Lost?
Satan is the poem's most vivid character, which has led some readers to romanticize him, but Milton's aim was to 'justify the ways of God to men', not to glorify rebellion.