Summary of the Poem "Sonnet 8" (Opt. English: Class 12)

Sonnet 8

- John Milton

“Sonnet 8” a 14 lines lyrical poem written by the poet John Milton is a war poem. In the poem, the speaker is the poet himself. The setting of the poem is Britain, where there was civil war between the King Charles and parliament in 1642 AD. Through the poem, the speaker is requesting the king’s army to protect him from the war.

Through this poem, the poet is trying to show the power and magic of his poetry. So, he tells the king’s army that as a poet he can give something them in return if they protect his life and property. He even says that if they protect him, he can immortalize, praise and glorify them all over the world through his powerful lines. He also says that poets are the Bowre (a pleasant place or garden) of the Muses (goddesses of art and knowledge). He means to say that poets are like gods and goddesses, so they must be protected. While requesting them to protect him, the poet brings some references where poets like Pindarus (an ancient Greek lyric poet) and Euripides (one of the greatest authors of Greek tragedy) were given special protection for their literary power. Through the context, the poet even wants to show that poetry is powerful than a sword or a gun, and poets are more powerful due to their powerful expressions.

In sum, through the poem John Milton is trying to prove that a pen is mightier than any weapons. He also claims that any forms of art are so powerful that they can touch the brutal hearts of any warriors, and they can immortalize everyone and everything.