Summary
In this sonnet, the speaker meditates on the fact that he has become blind (Milton himself
was blind when he wrote this). He expresses his frustration at being prevented by his disability from serving God as well as he desires to. He is answered by "Patience," who tells him that God has many who hurry to do his bidding, and does not really need man’s work. Rather, what is valued is the ability to bear God’s "mild yoke," to tolerate whatever God asks faithfully and without complaint. As the famous last line sums it up, "They also serve who only stand and wait."
Commentary
This poem presents a carefully reasoned argument, on the basis of Christian faith, for the acceptance of physical impairment. The speaker learns that, rather than being an obstacle to his fulfillment of God’s work for him, his blindness is a part of that work, and that his achievement lies in living patiently with it. (Milton himself went on to write his twelve-book epic poem, "Paradise Lost," after becoming blind.)
On His Blindness: John Milton - Summary and Critical Analysis
I am yet only in the middle of my life and I have been turned totally blind. It is barely a terrible suffering, and seriously handicaps me in the accomplishment of my life’s mission. God graciously bestowed on me a rare gift, poetic talent. If I now make no use of it because of my blindness God would certainly scold me. This would mean courting physical, mental and spiritual death.
I would be nowhere. But I wonder why should have God made me blind when he expects me to render as much work and of as good quality as I could be expected to do had my eyes to serve Him. But I err, I am mistaken. It is my foolishness to doubt and suspect God, the lord of lords. Whatever he does is right and good. Does God still expect me to carry out his orders and obey his commands though I have been deprived of my eyesight? God had endowed me with poetic talent- a rare gift, but how I can serve him now when I have been rendered blind? Will not therefore God keeping in view my blindness expect any service from me? Of course, if he does look for work and service from me even now, it would certainly be an act of injustice and unkindness.
But I forget. It is my sheer foolishness to think so. God does not require the service of man nor does He take back the gift, one bestowed by Him on man. He is almighty and supreme. It is therefore a folly on my part to think that he requires my services. Indeed they serve him most who patiently and without a grumble resigns themselves to His will endure all spiritual, mental and physical sufferings which God may inflict on them. A little calm and careful thinking leads me to believe that the question of disservice to God does not arise at all. Of course he is Omnipotent, all powerful and Lord of lords and King of kings. He has countless divine servants, angels etc, to carry out His commands on land, water and air in the twinkling of an eye.
Therefore if I am blind and unable to do any service to Him, I should only remain loyal to Him. It must be remembered that even silent attendance is also a kind of service to Him. By unanimous consent 'On His Blindness' is Milton’s best sonnet in which English poetic art attains a sublime height. ‘Actually it is not a mere poem. It is the inner voice of a man who has resigned himself entirely to the will of God and depends only on His mercy and justice. This sonnet bears Italian structure. It proves clearly that Milton’s faith in God is unshakeable. It is a sonnet which touches the poet’s personally. The sonnet tells us that Milton became blind when he had run only half the race of his life. He was only 44 when he became totally blind. He was broken down with grief, disappointment and despair. His only hope was his faith in the mercy, kindness and justice of God. The poem gives us a glimpse of Milton’s philosophy of life.
The sonnet is replete with abundant pathos. It reflects the personal grief and despair of a poet of Milton’s eminence. The poet was known to possess a noble and lofty character and his conduct was akin to his nature and temperament. He therefore does not lose heart or weep like an ordinary man. He endures suffering with fortitude and bears the loss of his eyesight in a courageous and manly way. Incidentally, this sonnet solves an age-old question. The problem is, does God require the service of man? Milton employs patience to solve this riddle. The answer is that those who resign themselves unquestioningly to the will and wishes of God are his best servants. This idea is repeated with ample emphasis twice in this sonnet. Like the outstanding characteristic of all great and good poetry, this sonnet has a universal appeal, far from being a mere poem.
It is barely a divine message of the afflicted people of the world, to mankind as whole, that has unbounded faith in God’s mercy and generosity. The poem is rich in noble ideas, sublime thoughts and unbounded bliss. It raises Milton very high in public estimation and makes him immortal. Milton has used two very effective poetic devices in this poem: allegory and personification. An allegory is a story in which events and characters stand for some other situation and people. In this poem the poet persona “I” may represent all the human beings having eyes spiritually in darkness. Personification on the other hand is a technique in which abstract concepts and qualities such as love, hatred, and jealousy are represented as person. In this sonnet Milton has personified ‘patience’ which speaks to him and rescues him from his dilemma. If we look at the form of this sonnet, we shall find it different from the Shakespearian or Italian sonnet. The rhyme scheme is abba abba cde cde but the division between sestet and the octave is not neat as in an Italian sonnet. The sentence of the sestet begins in the line of the octave itself.