Lycidas is considered to be the
archetypal pastoral elegy in English; as a result, it embodies many of the
characteristics of the pastoral. One of the major pastoral elements of the poem is that
Milton disguises himself and Edward King (the friend for whom the poem was written) as
"swains," or shepherds. Milton likens their life together at Cambridge to the life of
the mythical shepherds, herding sheep and playing music. As a result, the whole poem is
told through this pastoral "lens."
Another feature of the
pastoral evident in the poem is its harmony with nature. After Lycidas dies, nature
mourns him; the flowers all die, and the vines shrivel up. Similarly, they are brought
forth in a beautiful catalog of flowers to decorate Lycidas's grave. The plants and
nature seem to feel for Lycidas and the speaker, and to be active participants in the
mourning.
However, an anomalous feature in
Lycidas that doesn't fit within the traditional pastoral trope is
the easy blending of pagan and mythical thought with Christianity: Milton's reference to
"he who walks the waves" would be anachronistic for his ancient pastoral
setting.
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