London, 1802

John Milton is the sonnet’s most important and powerful symbol. The entire sonnet is built around an address to Milton, who remains the central figure in the poem from the first line to the last. Milton symbolizes both the literary and political virtues that the speaker feels the “selfish men” (Line 6) of his own generation lack. While his contemporaries carelessly “forfei[t] their ancient English dower / Of inward happiness” (Lines 5-6, italics mine), Milton embodies “cheerful godliness” (Line 13, italics mine), with contemporary Englishmen’s lack of true “happiness” due to their self-centered lives contrasting starkly with Milton’s “cheerful[ness]” and active engagement with the world. The speaker praises Milton as having a “Soul like a star” (Line 9) and a way of living that was “Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free” (Line 11), enabling Milton to embody all of the purity, vitality, liberty, and superior virtues that England needs to regain.

Nature is an important motif in the poem, helping to illustrate the poem’s key themes. The speaker uses natural imagery to create contrasts between the England of his own day and the way of living and being that Milton represents.