Well-known English poet, most famous for his epic poems, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. He was born on December 9th, 1608 and died on November 8th, 1674. He is considered a seminal writer in English Literature and was alive during three distinctive and important eras in England.

 

"L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso" were first published in 1645 in England, as a part of Milton's 1645 Poems. These two poems are contrasting Pastoral poems, which are often paired together and meant to be read in conversation with each other. 

 

These two poems are lesser known than others by Milton. It has been agreed upon by scholars stating he wrote them in his last summer at Cambridge University in Cambridge, England. L'Allegro means The Happy One and Il Penseroso means The Thoughtful One. Milton hoped to achieve a comparison between pleasure and pain. Many poets have followed suit in this style of poetry writing, but Milton's were considered the greatest of his time and contemporaries. 

 

Both poems feature characters of classical mythology, for example, Mirth, Aurora and Vesta.