A Look at John Milton Trivia Quiz

Answer: London

Milton was born in Bread Street, London, to a composer and his wife. His father, also John Milton, was a scrivener who wrote and copied documents. When Milton was young, he had a private tutor, studied languages, and was exposed to music through his father. His exposure to languages influenced his poetry, and he wrote his first compositions (that were dated) at the age of fifteen.

Answer: Lady of Christ's Coll

Despite being well learned and having been taught by a private tutor, institutionalized education wasn't the thing for Milton. While at St. Paul's School he was nicknamed the 'Lady of Christ's Coll', allegedly because of his fair complexion. He was also apparently suspended from school for arguing with his tutor.

He went on to university and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Cambridge University, but didn't have great things to say about the curriculum. He received a masters degree and, following that, engaged in six years of private study.

While doing so, he kept a scrapbook of his studies and learnings.

Answer: Urdu

Milton began studying Greek and Latin while at St Paul's School and the study of these classical languages influenced his poetry. He also learned Italian, Hebrew, Spanish and French, as well as Old English. He was particularly proficient in Italian, speaking it as well as if he were born in Italy. With his language capabilities, he was a talented translator and, at the age of fifteen, translated psalms from Hebrew to English.

He wrote in Latin, writing elegies and poetry, including "In Quintum Novembris", which he wrote at the age of eighteen.

Answer: Europe

Milton embarked on a tour of France and Italy, and was well received as an intellectual, spending time with the likes of Hugo Grotius (Dutch lawyer and poet), Giovanni Manso (Italian nobleman), Galileo Galilei (Italian astronomer persecuted for his work), and Claudio Monteverdi (Italian composer).

His main reason for traveling was to further his cultural and intellectual development. He had also planned to travel to Greece, however, there was growing unrest in England, so he returned to do what he could to fight against the tyranny he saw brewing there.

Answer: False

Milton was a religious man, but did not agree with the bishops' control over religion. He felt they only acted in their own self-interest and that it was not necessary to have a middle man in order to have a relationship with God. He wrote a number of pamphlets about this topic, including "Of Reformation touching Church Discipline in England", written in 1641.

He vigorously attacked the bishops, the Church of England, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Answer: 3

Milton had a bit of a reputation for having a bad temper, and, as a result, was probably not the most patient or loving husband or father. In 1642 he married his first wife, Mary Powell. He was thirty-five at the time, and after living with Milton for a short while, Mary returned to her family, not returning to live with him until 1645.

This was in part due to the civil war, but also allegedly in part because he was difficult to live with. While she was gone, Milton wrote a series of pamphlets arguing for the legality of divorce.

He got into some trouble for these writings, prompting him to further write about the problem with censorship. Mary and Milton ended up staying together until her death; during their time together they had four children. Milton married twice more after her death, to Katherine Woodcock in 1656, who died shortly after childbirth.

His third wife was Elizabeth Mynshull, who he wed in 1663. They were together until his death in 1674.

Answer: Secretary for Foreign Tongues

In 1649 Milton was appointed Secretary of Foreign Tongues. He was appointed this position because of his writing skills and his political reputation. In this position, his main role was to translate England's foreign correspondence. He also, though, wrote propaganda for the regime and acted as a censor.

He was a supporter of Oliver Cromwell and wrote a number of articles supporting him. After Cromwell's death in 1660, Milton went into hiding as he feared for his life. He was arrested and served a brief amount of time in prison however he had friends in high places and was able to get out.

Answer: 1652

In 1652, his wife died three days after giving birth to their fourth child. He wrote a sonnet for her called "To my late departed Saint." His third child and only son, John, who was just over a year old, died. Milton had been losing his sight for a while and writing about the changes he was experiencing with his vision. By 1952 he was completely blind in both eyes. Doctors have studied his notes and drawn some conclusions about what caused his blindness.

There are two main theories based on the descriptions in his writing.

The first is glaucoma and the second is retinal detachment of both eyes. One of Milton's best known sonnets called "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent" touches on the theme of blindness.

Answer: Paradise Lost

"Paradise Lost" is an epic, twelve book poem that is the size of a novel, written in blank verse. It deals with the subject of the Fall of Man - the temptation of Adam and Eve, and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. It is considered Milton's greatest work, and is arguably one of the best poems ever written.

It took several years to write and there are so many extraordinary facets to this. Blank verse wasn't used very much at the time to write poetry and Milton used it brilliantly, having a major influence on its use in poetry going forward. Milton was ill while writing it, suffering from gout.

He lost his wife and daughter while it was being written and he was completely blind while writing this epic piece of work. He dictated while friends, family, and others acted as scribes.

It is amazing to me that this man was able to pick himself up after so much loss in his personal life and losing the ability to see and wrote such a masterpiece.

Answer: St Giles-without-Cripplegate Church

Milton died on November 8, 1674, of consumption, although it was originally noted that he died of gout. There is a statue and a bust of him on the church property, along with busts of Oliver Cromwell, John Bunyan, and Daniel Defoe. The church has withstood the Great Fire of London in 1666, fire damage in 1897, and World War Two air raids.

Milton has been called one of the greatest ever English poets, equal to if not greater than Shakespeare. He's influenced Wordsworth, George Eliot and Thomas Hardy, as well as many other giants of literature and poetry.