When he was 34 years old, he married his first wife, Mary, when she was only 16 years old, and she bore him four children. John Milton was born in 1608 and went blind in 1654. A warrant for Milton's arrest was issued because of his previous support of the regicide. The future poet's father, John Milton, Sr., was a scrivener (a person who draws up deeds and wills). 1997;33(3-4):45-69. doi: 10.1300/J082v33n03_03. John Milton (1608–1674) often has been regarded as the greatest poet of his time, yet he did not compose his most famous work,Paradise Lost, until after he had become blind in both eyes. After the death of … Am J Ophthalmol. Among the latter, perhaps the most egregious is the proposition by Mutschmann, Chronic glaucoma has been proposed by several prominent scholars, including Stern. In the 1630s, Milton collaborated with Henry Lawes to produce two musical plays. Address reprint requests to Dr. G.B. What is known about the signs and symptoms that accompanied Milton's blindness? At a time before Braille, recorded books or any of the technologies that assist visually impaired people today, blindness was like an intellectual death sentence. John Milton’s career as a writer of prose and poetry spans three distinct eras: Stuart England; the Civil War (1642-1648) and Interregnum, including the Commonwealth (1649-1653) and Protectorate (1654-1660); and the Restoration. Accessibility His service to the govt required that he extensively read and write. The Blindness of John Milton John Milton (1608–1674) has often been regarded as the greatest poet of his time, yet he did not compose his most famous work, Paradise Lost, until after he had become blind in both eyes. Sorsby. 1651) died under mysterious circumstances. It is thought either glaucoma or bilateral retinal detachment was the cause for his blindness. Apparently, however, the thought of a rebarbative Milton in the dock was sufficiently frightening to the new government, and shortly thereafter Milton was included in a sweeping pardon granted by the politically savvy Charles II. Perhaps no canonical author is more famous for circumventing the obstacles and appropriating the virtues of blindness than John Milton. I believe that the craniopharyngioma theory is apocryphal, and I favor the diagnosis of bilateral retinal detachments as the most likely cause of Milton's blindness. During this time, John Milton’s eyesight steadily deteriorated until he went completely blind … John miltons paradise lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the english language. First, his eyesight, which had been growing weaker, gave out completely, probably because of glaucoma. Second, his young son, John, (b. © 1993 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. National civil strife intensified, and in 1649, King Charles I was executed. His sight disappeared completely by 1652 and this meant that he could not carry out a lot of his work without any assistance. Would you like email updates of new search results? Locke's Treatise on Civil Government. Though it is common knowledge, not everyone who reads Paradise Lost for the first time is aware that John Milton was blind when he "wrote" it, and that writing for Milton essentially boiled down to dictating the poem to various amanuenses, a group that apparently included his own daughters. Milton probably wrote "On his Blindness" in 1655. During this window we have temporarily removed the Registration feature. John Milton (1608–1674) has often been regarded as the greatest poet of his time, yet he did not compose his most famous work. As was common in debates of the day, mudslinging abounded.