I. The Sonnet
I did but prompt the age to quit their clogs
By the known rules of ancient liberty,
When straight a barbarous noise environs me
Of owls and cuckoos, asses, apes and dogs.
As when those hinds that were transformed to frogs
Railed at Latona’s twin-born progeny
Which after held the sun and moon in fee.
But this is got by casting pearl to hogs;
That bawl for freedom in their senseless mood,
And still revolt when truth would set them free.
License they mean when they cry liberty;
For who loves that, must first be wise and good;
But from that mark how far they rove we see
For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood.
(Milton 149)
II. Paraphrase
I only suggested that the age give up their weights and chains
by ancient liberty’s known rules,
when suddenly I’m surrounded by a barbarous noise
of owls and cuckoos, asses, apes and dogs.
It was like those deer that were transformed to frogs
that yelled and ranted at Latona’s twin-born children
Who, afterwards, held the sun and moon in their possession.
But this is what you get from casting pearl to hogs;
That cry for freedom in their senseless state of mind,
And they still revolt against the truth when the truth would set them free.
Being free from all restrictions is what they mean when they cry liberty;
For people who love liberty must first be wise and good;
But from that target, we see how far their arrows miss the mark
For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood.
III. Background
In 1643, Milton published what is considered one of his most controversial works, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce (Kerrigan et al. 857). At the time, divorce was nearly impossible in England, and if one did have a special case that could constitute a divorce, such as adultery or abuse, it was illegal to remarry. Milton argued that incompatibility and unhappiness were viable reasons for divorce, and that people should have a second chance at happiness with an opportunity to remarry. His ideas were radical, and with “Sonnet 12,” Milton makes it clear that his arguments for divorce were not well-received. This piece was his second sonnet on his divorce tracts and was probably written in 1646 (148). The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce seems to have initially sparked heated conversation, but printed responses did not appear until a year after its publication (148). These responses were mostly “by Presbyterians, overwhelmingly negative, and virtually without exception exercises in ridicule rather than reasoned argument" (148). Therefore, this sonnet is Milton’s response to all of the negative response towards his previous work.
IV. Allusions
Line 2- The “known rules of ancient liberty” are the Mosaic divorce laws.
Lines 5-7: Here, Milton is alluding to Roman poet Ovid’s The Metamorphoses. In book six, the goddess Latona gives birth to twins Apollo and Diana on the Greek island Delos. Apollo is considered the deity of the sun, and Diana the deity of the moon. To escape Juno’s jealous wrath, Latona flees with her children to Lycia. The goddess, exhausted and parched, sees a small lake and a deep valley that is surrounded by lowly farm laborers. As she kneels to drink from the lake, these peasants deny the water to her. The goddess pleas with them, explaining that she and her children are exhausted and need to drink, and that everyone has the right to the water as nature’s gifts are public, not private. Her children stretch out their arms towards the peasants, but these peasants are unmoved. They use their hands and feet to upset the mud on the bottom of the lake so that the water will be too muddy for Latona and her children to drink. Outraged, Latona turns these rustics into frogs, cursing them to live in the swamp forever (Metamorphoses, Kline).
For more on the Latona myth, see: http://ovid.lib.virginia.edu/trans/Metamorph6.htm
Line 8: Milton alludes to The New Testament, Matthew 7:6: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Jesus ascends a mountain and teaches the word of God to his disciples. In the seventh chapter of the book of Matthew, he warns that judging others leads to hypocrisy.
Line 10: Here, Milton presents another Biblical reference. A group of Jews do not believe Jesus is the son of God. He says to them, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
V. Milton’s Use of Allusion
Milton is a master of allusion. It is not uncommon to find both Biblical and classical references intricately entwined in his work, just as he has done in “Sonnet 12.” He opens the sonnet with a Biblical allusion to Mosaic divorce law: “I did but prompt the age to quit their clogs / By the known rules of ancient liberty” (149). These lines are ambiguous- he could mean that the clogs are caused by these laws; however, he could also be suggesting that he used these laws to prompt others to rid themselves of their clogs. He uses “clogs” as a metaphor for these laws because the laws are like weights or chains. Like a chain would hold a person in one place, these laws are preventing people from progressing. However, notice Milton refers to them as “rules of ancient liberty,” not “old, outdated nonsense.” Though he is being critical, he is not dismissing or disrespecting Mosaic law. In The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, Milton uses the Bible to support his argument by claiming that people have misinterpreted the words of Moses. With this allusion, Milton is suggesting that the misinterpretation of the law, not the laws itself, has become a stumbling block, and he has only used to law to encourage others to see pass their folly.
In lines five through seven, Milton references the Latona myth as described in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. However, he adds an interesting twist to the myth- he suggests that Latona turns “hinds,” or deer, into frogs instead of peasants. Immediately before this allusion, he lists animals that make up a barbarous chorus: “owls and cuckoos, asses, apes and dogs” (Milton 149). This chorus of animals serves as a metaphor for the hostility, ridicule, and aimless uproar that followed when he “prompt[ed] the age to quit their clogs” by arguing for a change in divorce law. This serves as a kind of degeneration of the people; they are acting impulsively and thoughtlessly (animal-like) instead of rationally (human-like).Through listing different types of animals, he adds an even deeper meaning to the metaphor, as we instinctively associate certain animals with certain characteristics. Owls are often associated with knowledge and wisdom, cuckoos with nonsense and madness, asses with foolishness, and dogs and apes are usually associated with barbarity. Therefore, Milton is using these animals to symbolize different kinds of people- some (like the owls) may be wiser and more knowledgeable than others, but when they angrily prosecute and ridicule, they become another noise in the barbarous animal chorus. In other words, some of these people are intellectuals that have stooped to a lower level, as they are getting caught up in the momentum of a fiery public opinion.
This metaphor is crucial to understanding Milton’s reason for rewriting the Latona myth. With changing the farmers to deer, he has added another creature to the animal chorus. Deer are considered to be timid, kind, and noble creatures. Again, Milton is using an animal to symbolize a certain type of person. Here, we have deer (or kind, noble people) deciding to rail at Latona and her children. The speaker adds that Latona’s children afterwards “held the sun and moon in fee” (Milton 149), emphasizing that they were able to overcome this cruel treatment in a spectacular way. Therefore, the speaker seems to be suggesting good people can be condemned for their hateful actions, as deer can be turned into frogs.
Latona’s speech about the public use of water also adds an interesting parallel. Latona attempts to reason with peasants, saying: “Why do you forbid me your waters? The use of water is everyone’s right. Nature has not made the sun, or the air, or the clear waves, private things. I come for a public gift” (Metamorphoses, Kline). Due to the history and context of the poem, one can conclude that with this allusion, Milton is asserting that he too has been railed at for taking part in a public gift- the right to publicly express his opinion, beliefs, and ideas.
Directly after this classical allusion, Milton makes another Biblical allusion in line eight: “But this is got by casting pearl to hogs” (Milton 149). With this allusion, the pearls represent the speaker’s ideas, as he clearly values and prizes both his ideas and the right to express them. The swine serve as another degeneration and representation of people. Therefore, the speaker is using this allusion to suggest when one casts their pearls (valuable ideas) to swine (crude people,) it can be expected that one’s ideas will be trampled and torn to pieces. This quote takes place in the book of Matthew, where Jesus warns others that judgment and cruel treatment of others leads to hypocrisy. It seems our speaker makes this reference as a reminder to others, as he is promoting the same concept.
This allusion leads into another, perhaps more subtle, Biblical allusion: “That bawl for freedom in their senseless mood, / And still revolt when the truth would set them free” (Milton 149). These swine, or hateful people that trample ideas, cry for freedom, but they cannot achieve freedom because they maintain an aimless and senseless state of mind. The speaker suggests that these people cannot achieve freedom, because instead of seeking truth or reason, they bawl senselessly in hopes of freedom, a concept they don’t truly understand.
VI. Poetics
Milton chose to write this poem in the form of an Italian sonnet- a poem that requires tight iambic pentameter but allows flexibility in the rhyme scheme of the sestet (last six lines of the poem.) The octave, (the first eight lines,) follows an "abba, abba" rhyme. The sestet follows "cbbcbc."
Near rhyme- Milton employs occasional near rhyme in the poem. For example, "liberty," "progeny," and "fee," as well as "mood," "good," and "blood." Of course, this was a deliberate choice, as Milton was certainly skilled enough to compose perfect rhyme. The use of near rhyme reflects the dissonance that is referenced in the poem between the speaker and the animal-like others.
Interesting pairings- Some of the pairings of rhyming words also strengthens the poem's key themes. Milton's "a" rhyme consists of words with negative associations: "clogs, dogs, frogs, hogs." The "b" rhyme mostly consists of words with positive associations, such as "liberty, me, progeny, free, see." Notice that with "me" and "see," he equates himself with enlightenment and positivity. Therefore, Milton uses rhyme to emphasize the key tension in the poem.
VII. Theme
Milton addresses several important topics that give us insight to his personal experiences, as well as an insight into the representative culture. Through his allusions, and the degeneration of his opposition through the animal chorus metaphor, Milton was clearly disappointed, frustrated, and angered with the public’s consensual rejection of his divorce arguments. He was not merely upset by negative criticism, but because he “felt that he had become infamous without being given a fair hearing” (Kerrigan et al. 148-149).
Milton introduces another metaphor that reveals his attitude towards the politics of the time; he gives us hogs that “bawl for freedom” that “still revolt when truth would set them free” (Milton 149). Milton’s ideas should appeal to the Parliamentarian rebels; however, in line eleven, he suggests that these rebels are senselessly crying for licentiousness (freedom from all restrictions) instead of democratic freedom, and they are not willing to consider the changes that should be made to obtain this freedom. In the final three lines of the poem, Milton directly references his opposition and the English Civil War: “For who loves that, [liberty] must first be wise and good; / But from that mark how far they rove we see / For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood” (Milton 149). Milton closes with his attitude about the war- he feels that he war has been a complete waste because people who are fighting for progress are maintaining the same ideas, policies, and traditions. Kerrigan elaborates these lines further: “Milton rails against the Presbyterians for rendering the sacrifice of the Civil War pointless because they have not, as promised, produced liberty but instead renewed ancient habits of spiritual bondage” (Kerrigan et al. 149).
With having knowledge of Milton’s The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce and the historical context of the poem, it is nearly impossible to read the poem without establishing Milton as the speaker. However, without having knowledge of the author or any historical information, one could still decipher the poem’s themes. Through Milton’s strong use of metaphor, simile, and allusion, he presents themes that were not only relevant to his culture, but universal themes that will always remain relevant. With “Sonnet 12,” Milton suggests:
·Everyone should be able to publically express their views
·When one presents their prized ideas to the public, they must beware of the danger of being met with hostility
·People of all kinds-even the wise and noble- may get caught up in the momentum of public opinion
·People often oppose suggestions for change with cruel ridicule and without fair consideration, which is a dangerous misapplication of the liberty for which people fight and die
Works Cited
"Metamorphoses (Kline) 6, the Ovid Collection, Univ. of Virginia E-Text Center."Metamorphoses (Kline) 6, the Ovid Collection, Univ. of Virginia E-Text Center. 2002. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.
Milton, John. The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton. Ed. William Kerrigan, John Rumrich, and Stephen M. Fallon. Modern Library Ed., 1st ed. New York: Modern Library, 2007. 148-149, 857-880. Print.
The New Testament. Nashville: Gideons International. 11,185. Print.
Cite this Blog
Gray, Katie S.“John Milton- Sonnet 12.” Blog Post Type.* LitTalk. Weebly, Feb. 2015. Web. Date. Month. Year Accessed.
I did but prompt the age to quit their clogs
By the known rules of ancient liberty,
When straight a barbarous noise environs me
Of owls and cuckoos, asses, apes and dogs.
As when those hinds that were transformed to frogs
Railed at Latona’s twin-born progeny
Which after held the sun and moon in fee.
But this is got by casting pearl to hogs;
That bawl for freedom in their senseless mood,
And still revolt when truth would set them free.
License they mean when they cry liberty;
For who loves that, must first be wise and good;
But from that mark how far they rove we see
For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood.
(Milton 149)
II. Paraphrase
I only suggested that the age give up their weights and chains
by ancient liberty’s known rules,
when suddenly I’m surrounded by a barbarous noise
of owls and cuckoos, asses, apes and dogs.
It was like those deer that were transformed to frogs
that yelled and ranted at Latona’s twin-born children
Who, afterwards, held the sun and moon in their possession.
But this is what you get from casting pearl to hogs;
That cry for freedom in their senseless state of mind,
And they still revolt against the truth when the truth would set them free.
Being free from all restrictions is what they mean when they cry liberty;
For people who love liberty must first be wise and good;
But from that target, we see how far their arrows miss the mark
For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood.
III. Background
In 1643, Milton published what is considered one of his most controversial works, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce (Kerrigan et al. 857). At the time, divorce was nearly impossible in England, and if one did have a special case that could constitute a divorce, such as adultery or abuse, it was illegal to remarry. Milton argued that incompatibility and unhappiness were viable reasons for divorce, and that people should have a second chance at happiness with an opportunity to remarry. His ideas were radical, and with “Sonnet 12,” Milton makes it clear that his arguments for divorce were not well-received. This piece was his second sonnet on his divorce tracts and was probably written in 1646 (148). The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce seems to have initially sparked heated conversation, but printed responses did not appear until a year after its publication (148). These responses were mostly “by Presbyterians, overwhelmingly negative, and virtually without exception exercises in ridicule rather than reasoned argument" (148). Therefore, this sonnet is Milton’s response to all of the negative response towards his previous work.
IV. Allusions
Line 2- The “known rules of ancient liberty” are the Mosaic divorce laws.
Lines 5-7: Here, Milton is alluding to Roman poet Ovid’s The Metamorphoses. In book six, the goddess Latona gives birth to twins Apollo and Diana on the Greek island Delos. Apollo is considered the deity of the sun, and Diana the deity of the moon. To escape Juno’s jealous wrath, Latona flees with her children to Lycia. The goddess, exhausted and parched, sees a small lake and a deep valley that is surrounded by lowly farm laborers. As she kneels to drink from the lake, these peasants deny the water to her. The goddess pleas with them, explaining that she and her children are exhausted and need to drink, and that everyone has the right to the water as nature’s gifts are public, not private. Her children stretch out their arms towards the peasants, but these peasants are unmoved. They use their hands and feet to upset the mud on the bottom of the lake so that the water will be too muddy for Latona and her children to drink. Outraged, Latona turns these rustics into frogs, cursing them to live in the swamp forever (Metamorphoses, Kline).
For more on the Latona myth, see: http://ovid.lib.virginia.edu/trans/Metamorph6.htm
Line 8: Milton alludes to The New Testament, Matthew 7:6: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Jesus ascends a mountain and teaches the word of God to his disciples. In the seventh chapter of the book of Matthew, he warns that judging others leads to hypocrisy.
Line 10: Here, Milton presents another Biblical reference. A group of Jews do not believe Jesus is the son of God. He says to them, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
V. Milton’s Use of Allusion
Milton is a master of allusion. It is not uncommon to find both Biblical and classical references intricately entwined in his work, just as he has done in “Sonnet 12.” He opens the sonnet with a Biblical allusion to Mosaic divorce law: “I did but prompt the age to quit their clogs / By the known rules of ancient liberty” (149). These lines are ambiguous- he could mean that the clogs are caused by these laws; however, he could also be suggesting that he used these laws to prompt others to rid themselves of their clogs. He uses “clogs” as a metaphor for these laws because the laws are like weights or chains. Like a chain would hold a person in one place, these laws are preventing people from progressing. However, notice Milton refers to them as “rules of ancient liberty,” not “old, outdated nonsense.” Though he is being critical, he is not dismissing or disrespecting Mosaic law. In The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, Milton uses the Bible to support his argument by claiming that people have misinterpreted the words of Moses. With this allusion, Milton is suggesting that the misinterpretation of the law, not the laws itself, has become a stumbling block, and he has only used to law to encourage others to see pass their folly.
In lines five through seven, Milton references the Latona myth as described in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. However, he adds an interesting twist to the myth- he suggests that Latona turns “hinds,” or deer, into frogs instead of peasants. Immediately before this allusion, he lists animals that make up a barbarous chorus: “owls and cuckoos, asses, apes and dogs” (Milton 149). This chorus of animals serves as a metaphor for the hostility, ridicule, and aimless uproar that followed when he “prompt[ed] the age to quit their clogs” by arguing for a change in divorce law. This serves as a kind of degeneration of the people; they are acting impulsively and thoughtlessly (animal-like) instead of rationally (human-like).Through listing different types of animals, he adds an even deeper meaning to the metaphor, as we instinctively associate certain animals with certain characteristics. Owls are often associated with knowledge and wisdom, cuckoos with nonsense and madness, asses with foolishness, and dogs and apes are usually associated with barbarity. Therefore, Milton is using these animals to symbolize different kinds of people- some (like the owls) may be wiser and more knowledgeable than others, but when they angrily prosecute and ridicule, they become another noise in the barbarous animal chorus. In other words, some of these people are intellectuals that have stooped to a lower level, as they are getting caught up in the momentum of a fiery public opinion.
This metaphor is crucial to understanding Milton’s reason for rewriting the Latona myth. With changing the farmers to deer, he has added another creature to the animal chorus. Deer are considered to be timid, kind, and noble creatures. Again, Milton is using an animal to symbolize a certain type of person. Here, we have deer (or kind, noble people) deciding to rail at Latona and her children. The speaker adds that Latona’s children afterwards “held the sun and moon in fee” (Milton 149), emphasizing that they were able to overcome this cruel treatment in a spectacular way. Therefore, the speaker seems to be suggesting good people can be condemned for their hateful actions, as deer can be turned into frogs.
Latona’s speech about the public use of water also adds an interesting parallel. Latona attempts to reason with peasants, saying: “Why do you forbid me your waters? The use of water is everyone’s right. Nature has not made the sun, or the air, or the clear waves, private things. I come for a public gift” (Metamorphoses, Kline). Due to the history and context of the poem, one can conclude that with this allusion, Milton is asserting that he too has been railed at for taking part in a public gift- the right to publicly express his opinion, beliefs, and ideas.
Directly after this classical allusion, Milton makes another Biblical allusion in line eight: “But this is got by casting pearl to hogs” (Milton 149). With this allusion, the pearls represent the speaker’s ideas, as he clearly values and prizes both his ideas and the right to express them. The swine serve as another degeneration and representation of people. Therefore, the speaker is using this allusion to suggest when one casts their pearls (valuable ideas) to swine (crude people,) it can be expected that one’s ideas will be trampled and torn to pieces. This quote takes place in the book of Matthew, where Jesus warns others that judgment and cruel treatment of others leads to hypocrisy. It seems our speaker makes this reference as a reminder to others, as he is promoting the same concept.
This allusion leads into another, perhaps more subtle, Biblical allusion: “That bawl for freedom in their senseless mood, / And still revolt when the truth would set them free” (Milton 149). These swine, or hateful people that trample ideas, cry for freedom, but they cannot achieve freedom because they maintain an aimless and senseless state of mind. The speaker suggests that these people cannot achieve freedom, because instead of seeking truth or reason, they bawl senselessly in hopes of freedom, a concept they don’t truly understand.
VI. Poetics
Milton chose to write this poem in the form of an Italian sonnet- a poem that requires tight iambic pentameter but allows flexibility in the rhyme scheme of the sestet (last six lines of the poem.) The octave, (the first eight lines,) follows an "abba, abba" rhyme. The sestet follows "cbbcbc."
Near rhyme- Milton employs occasional near rhyme in the poem. For example, "liberty," "progeny," and "fee," as well as "mood," "good," and "blood." Of course, this was a deliberate choice, as Milton was certainly skilled enough to compose perfect rhyme. The use of near rhyme reflects the dissonance that is referenced in the poem between the speaker and the animal-like others.
Interesting pairings- Some of the pairings of rhyming words also strengthens the poem's key themes. Milton's "a" rhyme consists of words with negative associations: "clogs, dogs, frogs, hogs." The "b" rhyme mostly consists of words with positive associations, such as "liberty, me, progeny, free, see." Notice that with "me" and "see," he equates himself with enlightenment and positivity. Therefore, Milton uses rhyme to emphasize the key tension in the poem.
VII. Theme
Milton addresses several important topics that give us insight to his personal experiences, as well as an insight into the representative culture. Through his allusions, and the degeneration of his opposition through the animal chorus metaphor, Milton was clearly disappointed, frustrated, and angered with the public’s consensual rejection of his divorce arguments. He was not merely upset by negative criticism, but because he “felt that he had become infamous without being given a fair hearing” (Kerrigan et al. 148-149).
Milton introduces another metaphor that reveals his attitude towards the politics of the time; he gives us hogs that “bawl for freedom” that “still revolt when truth would set them free” (Milton 149). Milton’s ideas should appeal to the Parliamentarian rebels; however, in line eleven, he suggests that these rebels are senselessly crying for licentiousness (freedom from all restrictions) instead of democratic freedom, and they are not willing to consider the changes that should be made to obtain this freedom. In the final three lines of the poem, Milton directly references his opposition and the English Civil War: “For who loves that, [liberty] must first be wise and good; / But from that mark how far they rove we see / For all this waste of wealth, and loss of blood” (Milton 149). Milton closes with his attitude about the war- he feels that he war has been a complete waste because people who are fighting for progress are maintaining the same ideas, policies, and traditions. Kerrigan elaborates these lines further: “Milton rails against the Presbyterians for rendering the sacrifice of the Civil War pointless because they have not, as promised, produced liberty but instead renewed ancient habits of spiritual bondage” (Kerrigan et al. 149).
With having knowledge of Milton’s The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce and the historical context of the poem, it is nearly impossible to read the poem without establishing Milton as the speaker. However, without having knowledge of the author or any historical information, one could still decipher the poem’s themes. Through Milton’s strong use of metaphor, simile, and allusion, he presents themes that were not only relevant to his culture, but universal themes that will always remain relevant. With “Sonnet 12,” Milton suggests:
·Everyone should be able to publically express their views
·When one presents their prized ideas to the public, they must beware of the danger of being met with hostility
·People of all kinds-even the wise and noble- may get caught up in the momentum of public opinion
·People often oppose suggestions for change with cruel ridicule and without fair consideration, which is a dangerous misapplication of the liberty for which people fight and die
Works Cited
"Metamorphoses (Kline) 6, the Ovid Collection, Univ. of Virginia E-Text Center."Metamorphoses (Kline) 6, the Ovid Collection, Univ. of Virginia E-Text Center. 2002. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.
Milton, John. The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton. Ed. William Kerrigan, John Rumrich, and Stephen M. Fallon. Modern Library Ed., 1st ed. New York: Modern Library, 2007. 148-149, 857-880. Print.
The New Testament. Nashville: Gideons International. 11,185. Print.
Cite this Blog
Gray, Katie S.“John Milton- Sonnet 12.” Blog Post Type.* LitTalk. Weebly, Feb. 2015. Web. Date. Month. Year Accessed.