Question

In Sonnet XIX by John Milton, at what point did the speaker’s eyesight fail? a.when he lost his talent

b. at midlife
c. in late spring
d. during his youth

Answer 1

The speaker’s eyesight fails as presented in the poem ´´Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide´´ which means at midlife which is the central period of a person's life, spanning from approximately age 40 to age 65.

Answer 2

The correct answer is B) at midlife.

In sonnet XIX by Jhon Milton, the speaker’s eyesight failed at midlife.

The excerpt of the sonnet reads: “When I considered how my light is spent, Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide…” which he is referring to “half my days” as at middle life. The author is having a nostalgic moment when he is remembering those days of his life.

John Milton (1608-1674) was a British writer and poet known by his famous “Paradise Lost” of 1667, considered an epic poem in England. It relates the story of how Adam and Eve are tempted by the Devil.