5 h 11 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 11 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if temptation speaks sweetly, offers a feast, and asks you to surrender your judgment?
In John Milton's Comus, the Lady loses her way in a dark wood while travelling with her two brothers. She wants to reach her father's house. Comus, a charming enchanter, has other plans: he uses pleasure and flattery to draw travellers into his power.
As her brothers search, they debate whether a pure mind can keep someone safe. The Attendant Spirit seeks to guide the children home. This masque brings verse, song and dramatic argument together, setting the Lady's clear judgment against Comus's persuasive words. The danger tests not only her safety, but her freedom to choose.
What you’ll discover
- A song in darkness Meet the Lady as she sings in the wood, lost but clear in mind.
- Pleasure with a hidden purpose Enter Comus's world of music and delicacies, where charm serves a dangerous purpose.
- Two brothers, different fears Follow their search as confidence in virtue meets urgent concern about the night.
- A fierce exchange of ideas Hear the Lady defend restraint, shared plenty and the wise use of nature's gifts.
- Light, darkness and song Discover how blank verse, rhymed magic and lyrics give this moral struggle its shape.
Who will love it
Readers who love old tales of enchanted woods and lively arguments between sharp speakers will enjoy this short play. It also appeals to lovers of poetry, music and drama about living a good life.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A spirit descends to guard three young travellers
- Comus sets his trap with a harmless face
- The Lady trusts a stranger in the dark
- The brothers argue about danger and chastity
- Thyrsis brings warning and a humble herb
- The Lady and Comus fight with words
- The play weighs moderation against excess
- A masque built from song, disguise and ceremony
Who’s who
- The LadyA young woman lost in the wood at night, who trusts a stranger's courtesy and must defend her mind against clever temptation.
- ComusA sorcerer, son of Bacchus and Circe, who offers a transforming drink to travellers and wins them with smooth, reasonable words.
- The Attendant SpiritA guardian sent from heaven, who takes the shape of the shepherd Thyrsis to protect the young travellers.
- The Elder BrotherA confident young man who believes that purity is a strong shield and sets out with his brother to find his sister.
- The Second BrotherThe more anxious brother, who fears the dangers of the night and presses the elder to explain why their sister is safe.
- SabrinaA gentle nymph of the river Severn, once a princess, who is said to help virgins in need when called by song.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Comus
by John Milton · 1637
A lady lost in a dark wood trusts a friendly shepherd whose sweet drink turns those who taste it into beasts.
Medium level5–10 hours to readDeutsch
Excellent
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
What happens to a young woman alone in a dark wood at night, when a friendly stranger offers to guide her to safety? In Comus, the answer is a trap and then a debate.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A spirit descends to guard three young travellers
The play opens in a wild wood, and the first voice is the Attendant Spirit. He lives above the sky, in the court of Jove, and looks down on earth as a smoky, cramped place where people forget the reward that waits for the virtuous.
He explains why he has come. A noble lord governs this land, and his children are on their way to join him through a dark and threatening forest. Jove has sent the Spirit to guard them.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 9 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1637
- Language
- Deutsch
- Reading time
- 3 h 20 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Milton, John. Milton's Comus. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/miltons-comus.
Milton, J. (2026). Milton's Comus. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/miltons-comus (Original work published 1637)
Milton, John. Milton's Comus. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/miltons-comus.
@book{milton2026miltons,
author = {Milton, John},
title = {Milton's Comus},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/miltons-comus},
note = {First published 1637}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Comus
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Comus by John Milton about?
It tells of a young woman lost in a wood who meets the sorcerer Comus. He offers her a drink that changes people into beasts. She answers his tempting speeches with arguments for self-control, while her brothers and a guardian spirit try to save her.
Who is Comus in the play?
Comus is a sorcerer, the son of the wine god Bacchus and the enchantress Circe. He lives in a dark wood and lures travellers with a sweet drink and a friendly manner, then turns them into creatures with animal heads.
What is a masque, and when was Comus first performed?
A masque is a courtly show mixing verse, songs, costume and dance. Comus was first performed in 1634 at Ludlow Castle, with the children of a noble family playing the Lady and her brothers.
The author
John Milton
1608–1674 · English poet
John Milton (1608–1674) was an English poet and civil servant who lived mainly in London. He wrote poetry and prose, including Comus (1634), Areopagitica (1644), Paradise Lost (1667), and Paradise Regained (1671). He served as secretary for foreign tongues under England’s Commonwealth government. He became blind in 1652.
More by John Milton
All 6 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
