Annise Rogers on William Blake's Samson from Poetical Sketches - Milton, Orc and Albion

Connections between the works of John Milton and William Blake have been discussed in detail by many writers, and the latter sometimes being regarded as a contemporary version of the former. These connections usually focus on the poetical works of Milton, most especially Paradise Lost, whereas connections between Blake’s works and Milton’s poetical-prose tragedy Samson Agonistes are much more sparse. The same can be said of readings of Blake that deal with his earliest poetical work Poetical Sketches, for they are rare, or they easily gloss over these poems as works of juvenilia, being outside Blake’s mythical structure. This video focuses on the poetical-prose piece of ‘Samson’ from Poetical Sketches, examining how Blake amalgamated his views on the Bible, Samson Agonistes, and other Miltonic works, to present the start of an individual which he would continue to grapple with for the rest of his life. A fallen human hero that would help him in the creation of two of his most famous characters - Orc and Albion.

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Thanks for the lecture, Thanks Very timely!!