Themes
Upon the Circumcision with The Passion and On the Morning of Christ's Nativity form a set of poems that celebrates important Christian events: Christ's birth, the feast of the Circumcision, and Good Friday. The topic of these poems places them within a genre of Christian literature popular during the 17th century and places Milton alongside of poets like John Donne, Richard Crashaw, and George Herbert. However, Milton's poetry reflects the origins of his anti-William Laud and anti-Church of England based religious beliefs.
Although the other poems in the series tend to be commonplace in theme with Milton's contemporaries, the topic of Christ's Circumcision is rare. Of these poems, Herrick discusses the Circumcision as a somber moment during the festive Twelve Days of Christmas. Milton's poem is convention and Milton connects the Circumcision with Christ's Incarnation by describing the removal of flesh as linking Christ to his human identity. The poem's final moments, of linking the Circumcision with the Crucifixion, is a common theme within Circumcision poems, including the description in Cartwright's and Francis Quarles's poems. However, Milton's, unlike some others, fails to mention the Virgin Mary in relationship to the infant Jesus.
Read more about this topic: Upon The Circumcision
Famous quotes containing the word themes:
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