Summary
Summary of Milton's Comus
Who it’s for
For readers who love poetry, seventeenth century England, and stories where a moral question is argued on stage. It also suits anyone curious about Milton before Paradise Lost.
What this book is
Comus is a masque by John Milton, first performed in 1634 at Ludlow Castle on the Welsh border. It was written for the Earl of Bridgewater, who had just taken up his post as Lord President of Wales. The three young people who act the leading roles are his own children. Henry Lawes, the family's music teacher, wrote the music and played a part himself. Milton was twenty-five, and this was his most ambitious poem so far.
A masque was an evening of verse, song, costume and dance, made to flatter a noble house. Milton keeps the splendor but gives it a moral backbone. A young woman is lost in a dark wood at night. A charming magician, Comus, wants to trap her with pleasure and flattery. What does it take to stay good when no one is watching, and when temptation speaks so well? In this summary you will meet the people, follow the plot up to its last turn, and see how Milton builds his argument out of light, darkness and music. We begin with the spirit who opens the play.
In this summary
- 1A spirit descends to a dangerous woodFree
- 2The Lady loses her way and sings
- 3Two brothers argue about safety and virtue
- 4Comus offers a feast and a chair
- 5Temperance answers excess in a war of words
- 6How a masque makes its argument in light and song
Key point 1 of 6
A spirit descends to a dangerous wood
The masque opens with the Attendant Spirit, who steps down from the bright halls of heaven to the dark earth. He explains that he has a task. A wild wood lies on the road to the Earl's seat, and the Earl's children must pass through it. The Spirit has come to guard them, and he is dressed in the clothes of a shepherd so that he can move among humans unnoticed.
He also tells us who rules this wood. Comus is the son of the sorceress Circe and the wine god Bacchus. Like his mother, he carries a charmed cup. Travelers who drink from it forget their homes and their reason. Their faces change into the heads of beasts, though their bodies stay human, and they are glad of the change.
This opening does several jobs. It shows the audience at Ludlow that the story is a game with a serious purpose, because the Spirit speaks directly to them and links the wood with the real journey of the Earl's family. It also sets the rules of the contest. His chief weapon is a pleasant drink and a smooth tongue, and that is the danger.
The Spirit leaves as Comus enters with a noisy crowd of followers, all in beast masks. They dance by torchlight and praise the night as the time for pleasure. Comus calls on them to put aside rules and enjoy the hour, and the music turns wild. Then he stops, because he senses a stranger close by. Milton has set the stage: bright order above, glittering disorder below, and a traveler about to walk between them.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- The Lady
- The elder sister travels through the wood with her brothers, resisting Comus through clear judgment and moral conviction.
- Comus
- The son of Circe and Bacchus is an enchanter who tempts the Lady with pleasure, flattery, and magical hospitality.
- The Elder Brother
- The Lady's confident brother searches for her while arguing that a virtuous mind offers protection against danger.
- The Younger Brother
- The Lady's more anxious brother searches alongside his elder brother and fears the dangers surrounding their missing sister.
- The Attendant Spirit
- A heavenly guardian disguised as the shepherd Thyrsis watches over the children on their journey to their father.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 47,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 3 h 5 min
- Listening time5 h 10 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 13 other languages