Samson Agonistes is a closet drama published in 1671 by English poet and political activist John Milton. It appeared alongside Milton's Paradise Regained, a poem that follows his most famous work, the epic Paradise Lost. Milton declared Samson Agonistes a tragedy written in the style of ancient Greek drama. The genre of closet drama denotes plays not written for the stage, and indeed in the preface to the text, Milton himself notes that he never intended to see the play performed.
The play is based on the story of Samson from the biblical book of Judges, a son of Israel who was endowed with unparalleled strength. As a Nazirite, Samson's power derived from his untouched locks of hair. When he marries his second wife, the Philistine Delila, she betrays him and orders a servant to cut his hair while he sleeps, rendering Samson powerless against his captors.
The play takes place in a prison in Gaza, where Samson is enslaved by Philistines who have also gouged out his eyes and blinded him. It focuses on the final day of Samson's life after he has been betrayed by his wife and lost his superhuman strength. As he sits in the prison, he is visited by a number of characters, including Delila herself. In keeping with the style of Greek tragedy, the play also includes a chorus, who are meant to serve as voices of Israel who support and pity Samson.
Like many of Milton's works, the play is invested in dramatizing the Christian challenge to maintain unwavering belief in God. The work contains scathing critiques of those who would doubt God's power or justness. Within this broader Christian context, the play also offers critiques of marriage and politics, which many have seen as commentary on the English Civil Wars and restoration of the monarchy in the second half of the seventeenth century.
