Look homeward Angel now, and melt with ruth;
And, O ye dolphins, waft the hapless youth.
In Lycidas, Milton eulogizes a friend of Milton’s from Cambridge who drowned. It has real pathos to it; Milton uses the beauty of his language to communicate both his grief and his ultimate hope that his friend lives on in Heaven. This element of the poem is really beautiful, but Milton, as usual, has more than just one thing going on. Milton’s friend, Edward King, had trained to be a minister and Milton uses King’s higher calling as a way to discuss the role of a pastor and minister. Milton felt that the Church of the time had drifted away from its true calling in terms of representing Christ and his criticisms here are levelled at the leadership of the Church. Milton saw them as, to reference the words of Christ himself, “hirelings,” not true shepherds, ministers using their positions to accrue power and wealth. Milton contrasts King’s true calling with the hypocrisy of these leaders and, as you might guess, the criticisms still sting and ring true. This is a fairly short poem, but its easy to see why its considered one of Milton’s most significant. 3 ½ stars.
tl;dr – emotional poem is packed with grief, hope and beauty, but Milton’s also making social commentary; a compelling poem that demonstrates Milton’s ability to work in layers. 3 ½ stars.