# On Milton's Sonnets explained — Table-Talk

> Chapter companion for Table-Talk by William Hazlitt.

## What happens

Hazlitt praises Milton's sonnets for their personal, sincere, and patriotic character, contrasting them with those of Shakespeare, Sydney, Warton, and Wordsworth. He analyzes several of Milton's sonnets, including those on his blindness, to Cromwell, and on the Piedmont massacre, emphasizing Milton's consistency, integrity, and refusal to bow to power.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fame, Reputation, and Public Opinion

Hazlitt contrasts Milton's steadfastness with modern writers who 'chant and chime in with triumphs over their own views,' emphasizing Milton's indifference to shifting public opinion.

### Criticism and Critical Practice

The chapter is a sustained critical comparison of Milton's sonnets with those of Shakespeare, Sydney, Warton, and Wordsworth, evaluating their sincerity and personal character.

### The Nature of Learning and Pedantry

Hazlitt distinguishes Milton's learned but sincere sonnets from the 'elaborately quaint and intricate' style of Sydney and the French-influenced artificial style.

## Character check-ins

### John Milton

Central subject of the chapter; Hazlitt analyzes his sonnets and praises his sincerity, patriotism, and moral consistency.

### William Shakespeare

Mentioned critically; Hazlitt finds his sonnets overcharged and monotonous, though admits some are sweet.

### William Wordsworth

Compared unfavorably to Milton; Hazlitt says his sonnets 'mouth it well' but lack Milton's sincerity and principle.

### Robert Southey

Criticized for presuming to describe Milton's afterlife views in his poem; Hazlitt mocks his 'infirmity of purpose.'

### Sir Philip Sidney

Mentioned as a writer of sonnets that are 'elaborately quaint and intricate, and more like riddles than sonnets.'

## Key lines

> The great object of the sonnet seems to be, to express in musical numbers, and as it were with undivided breath, some occasional thought or personal feeling, 'some fee-grief due to the poet's breast.'

The sonnet's purpose is to capture a fleeting, personal emotion in a single, unified poetic breath.

_Hazlitt defines the essence of the sonnet form as intimate and momentary._

> Compared with Paradise Lost, they are like tender flowers that adorn the base of some proud column or stately temple.

Milton's sonnets are delicate and human in contrast to the monumental grandeur of Paradise Lost.

_Hazlitt uses a metaphor to highlight the difference in scale and tone between Milton's epic and his sonnets._

> The beauty of Milton's sonnets is their sincerity, the spirit of poetical patriotism which they breathe.

What makes Milton's sonnets beautiful is their genuine feeling and patriotic spirit.

_Hazlitt identifies sincerity and patriotism as the key virtues of Milton's sonnets._

> Our first of poets was one of our first of men. He was an eminent instance to prove that a poet is not another name for the slave of power and fashion.

Milton, as both a great poet and a great man, shows that poets need not be subservient to power or trends.

_Hazlitt elevates Milton as a model of moral and artistic independence._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/table_talk_se/chapters/volume-ii-on-milton-s-sonnets
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/table_talk_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/table_talk_se/chapters