Motif: Blindness
Blindness is the most prominent motif in the play, as nearly every character remarks on the tragedy of Samson's enslavement by acknowledging his blindness. Blindness signifies the extent of Samson's fall—from a famous Nazirite with unparalleled strength to a slave of the Philistines cut off from the rest of the world. Samson's lack of sight is ultimately what leads him to desire death the most, as he perceives that he can in no way be useful to Israel as a blind man, even if he is freed. However, his dedication to God helps prove that even in his weakest state (one Milton shared, as he was completely blind by the end of his life), he can still serve God, as well as Israel.
Motif: Temptation
Temptation exists in the play through the various characters who visit Samson in prison. The first is his father Manoa, who tells Samson he is attempting to free him with ransom money. Delila also tempts Samson, saying that she too will free him and he can live with her for the rest of his life. Finally, Samson is tempted throughout the play to take his own life in order to free him of his suffering. Samson declines all of these opportunities to escape his imprisonment, showcasing his resistance to temptation and commitment to God, who eventually restores his strength.
Motif: Liberty
Because Samson is imprisoned and enslaved, the concept of liberty appears again and again throughout the play. Milton's notion of liberty, however, is markedly different from the way it is traditionally interpreted: for Samson, liberty means labor, effort, and difficulty put forth in order to maintain one's freedom. Bondage, by contrast, is the easier way. Samson expresses this sentiment in order to scorn the men of Judah who delivered him to the Philistines to protect their own land. However, this concept of "strenuous liberty" (271) is present in many of Milton's earlier political tracts. In them, Milton argued that monarchies based on absolutism are only heightened forms of bondage, and that the commonwealth should pursue the labor of liberty in order to enjoy true freedom. This motif, then, is especially significant given the restoration of the English monarchy only four years prior to the publication of Samson Agonistes.
Symbol: Samson
Through the events of the play, Samson becomes a symbol of the fallen man. There are numerous parallels made between Samson and Adam and Eve, who fell after being tempted by Satan to eat from the tree of knowledge. But Milton's Samson is not merely a fallen hero who succumbs to despair. On the contrary, Samson represents a hopeful version of the fallen man, one who continues to dedicate his life to serving God despite his fall. Through the figure of Samson, the text argues that even those who have fallen from great heights can eventually seek redemption, a moral that foreshadows the New Testament and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Symbol: Prison
In the play, prison symbolizes physical weakness. Milton dedicates large portions of the play to describing Samson's newfound powerlessness and confinement. However, the play is careful to establish a distinction between the confinement of the body and the confinement of the mind. Samson himself even declares that though he physically serves the Philistines by working in the mill, "commands are no constraints" (1372). Here, Samson emphasizes the power he still retains in his mind, though he be physically imprisoned. The play ultimately suggests that one's mind is always free to maintain faith in and service to God.
