Denying a God of Mercy; Masculinity and Samson Agonistes

This essay concerns itself with notions of masculinity in John Milton’s Samson Agonistes. Essentially, the essay argues that the violence in the play is a direct result of concepts of masculinity and the projection of those concepts onto God. The characters in the play repeatedly fail to recognize a God of compassion or mercy, preferring to remain within their notions of a voluntarist, vindictive, vengeful, and violent God. The argument considers the relationship of the play with the Book of Judges before shifting its focus to the Chorus, particularly their activity in framing and controlling the narrative. The play gives us various hints as to why we should pause before following their interpretations. The essay then examines a motif of hands/touch, which intersects with the motif in Paradise Lost, but to very different outcomes. The ending of the play is catastrophic and a direct result of an adherence to a particular view of God and an inability to entertain other views.