On The Late Massacre in Piedmont by John Milton..summary|analysis
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| On The Late Massacre in Piedmont by John Milton. |
Summary
The sonnet"On The Late Massacre in Piedmont" was composed by John Milton. He was a great English poet. It was written after the massacre of the Vaudois by their ruler, Duke of Savoy.(Savoy is in the south-east of France on the Italian border). Milton wrote this poem to express his anger
and sorrow on the killing of innocent people. This incident occurred in April 1655 during the reign of Charles Emmanuel 2, Duke of Savoy. Duke of Savoy forced the Vaudois to accept Roman Catholic religion.
He forced them to leave the country within three days. After three days he ordered to kill them and capture their property. The situation was very bad at that time. Innocent people were murdered and hurled down the hills. Women were killed with their children. After knowing the news of the massacre, Milton planned a very strong protest against it and gave his angry expressions in the sonnet " On The Late Massacre in Piedmont".
In this poem, the poet prays God to punish the cruel people and their ruler who murdered three hundred innocent people mercilessly. The poet says that those people were true martyrs who sacrificed their lives for their religion. In the end, the poet prays God that thousands of people may grow out of the ashes of these brave martyrs to spread true religion.
On The Late Massacre in Piedmont---Analysis
Stanza--1
Avenge,---------------forget not.
In this stanza, the poet expresses his anger on the cruel killing of innocent people on the name of religion. According to the poet, the people who were murdered were true saints because they preferred to die in place of giving up their religion. Their bones are spread here and there on a snow-covered Alps mountain. They believed in their religion even when their forefathers were worshipers of idols. The poet again prays God that he should give attention to these people because they were tortured and murdered mercilessly. He should punish those people who took part in killing them.
Stanza--2
In Thy book----------------------they to heaven.
In this stanza, the poet prays God that he should listen to the cries of children who were killed with their mothers mercilessly. Just because they did not give up their religion. Here Milton appeals to God that he should note down the cries of those people in his book of judgement. The poet further says that the heart touching cries of those murdered people re-echoed in the valleys. The sound also reached to the sky. The poet says that God should hear the sad sound of those people who were thrown from the hills with their children mercilessly. He should never forgive them for their cruel act.
Stanza--3
Their martyr'd----------------Babylonian woe.
In this stanza, the poet says that the sacrifices of those people who were killed for their religion would not go in vain. The poet says that the blood of these martyrs sow the seeds of Protestantism. and out of which the Protestant faith will grow and spread everywhere in Italy. The triple tyrant symbolizes her three sides crown wore by the Pope.
According to Milton thousands of Protestants will born and spread their religion. Milton also believed in Protestant religion. According to Milton, they will save Babylon from sorrow and sufferings.Thus it is a Italian sonnet. The rhyme scheme is abba, abba, cdc, cdc. The poem expresses the anger of Milton against the killer of innocent people.
