밀턴의 홉슨 시에 관한 연구

It is the object of this essay to briefly consider why Milton wrote 'two' poems, “On the University Carrier” and “Another on the Same,” on the death of a common businessman like Thomas Hobson(1544-1631), and made them all appear in his first 'two' collections of poems published in 1645 and 1673. The dominant figure of the first poem is the personification of Death, while the second poem is characterized by the use of metaphysical conceits. In the background of both poems Milton uses a striking paradox in which he supposes Hobson died not from activity, but from inactivity, ironically while he was on vacation and not during his hazardous journey as the university carrier. Also he employes an important comparison in order to back up the controlling paradox. He continues to compare the contraries of life and death through their metaphorical extensions as motion and motionlessness. Hobson thinks motion is his defining life principle, but Milton humorously counterbalances this analogy with an antithetical comparison between life and rest. Though Milton made up his mind in his school years to gain an immortal reputation by writing divine poetry, he seems to have been not able to stand completely aloof from the fashionable verse of his day which was manifested especially in the use of puns and wits. Moreover he appears to have been concerned about winning some popularity by means of showing relatively superior poetic talent in these kinds of poetry. It is quite obvious that Milton was capable of metaphysical conceits as well as witty comparisons and paradoxes, but, unlike the fashionable students, he restrained himself from using them in more serious contexts to become a great religious poet in the future. KCI Citation Count: 0