The version of this poem used to create this guide appears in: Milton, John. Stephen Orgel and Jonathan Goldberg (editors). John Milton: The Major Works. Oxford, 1991.
Note that all parenthetical citations refer to the line number in which the quotation appears.
Comus opens with a speech from the Attendant Spirit, an ethereal figure who announces that he has taken on a lowly human form at the behest of the god Jove. Sent to protect the children of "A noble peer of mickle trust" who now governs over this particular tract of land, the Attendant Spirit warns the audience about the dangers the Lady and her brothers will face as they travel to their father's house (31). The biggest threat to their safety, the Spirit explains, is Comus. The offspring of Bacchus, the God of wine and pleasure, and the powerful sorceress Circe, Comus possesses magical ability as well as an affinity for debauchery. The Spirit announces that he has come to earth dressed as a shepherd in order to protect anyone who passes through Comus's dwelling place.
The Spirit disappears after hearing footsteps, and Comus enters. He celebrates the arrival of nighttime and encourages his followers—whom he has transformed from humans to grotesque half-beast figures—to revel and enjoy themselves. Soon, however, he hears "chaste footing," and vows to trick whomever approaches into joining his group of debauched followers (146). The Lady appears and encounters Comus dressed as a villager. She explains that she has lost her brothers, and Comus assures her that he will help guide her back to them.
In the next scene, the two brothers express their worry over having lost their sister. The second brother argues that her beauty demands extra protection and that she is now in grave danger walking alone. The elder brother, however, assures the younger that their sister is protected by her own chastity. The Attendant Spirit interrupts their discussion of "divine philosophy" to inform them that their sister has been tricked by Comus and now travels with him through the woods (476). The brothers vow to free their sister from Comus by force, but the Attendant Spirit warns them that the only thing that can disarm Comus is a small yellow flower, which the Spirit has been saving for the appropriate moment.
Back at Comus's dwelling, he has cast a spell on the Lady that immobilizes her. However, the Lady maintains that Comus cannot harm her mind, and she criticizes him for his deception, debauchery, and over-indulgence. Comus dismisses notions of temperance and modesty as he attempts to convince the Lady to drink from his magic cup. She refuses, once again indicting him for his "swinish gluttony" and use of deceptive rhetoric (776). Just as Comus begins to realize that the Lady is protected by "some superior power," the two brothers rush in (801). They destroy Comus's glass, but Comus and his hoard escape into the night.
The Attendant Spirit reminds the brothers that they were supposed to use the yellow flower to disarm Comus. Now, the Lady still remains under Comus's immobilization charm. The Spirit decides to invoke the water nymph Sabrina, also a virgin like the Lady, to see if her powers can help undo Comus's spell. Sabrina appears and frees the Lady from her magic binding.
As the masque ends, the Lady, the brothers, and the Attendant Spirit all arrive at Ludlow castle. The spirit leads them in a "victorious dance / O'er sensual folly, and intemperance," before announcing that his job is complete and he must return to the celestial sphere (974-975). Before departing, he encourages the audience to value Virtue above all else.
