The video points out the parallels between the poems in detail. The poems balance each other by exploring the benefits of the lives of a happy person and a thoughtful person. To show the characteristics of two opposite lifestyles, Milton creates parallels between the poems. He draws a comparison between the “lively din” of the rooster in “L’Allegro” and the “most musical, most melancholy” nightingale in “Il Penseroso.” Milton has also personified the sun in both the poems. In “L’Allegro,” the sun is portrayed as majestic and magnificent:
Where the great Sun begins his state,
Robed in flames and amber light
In contrast, “Il Penseroso” portrays the sun as something that is interfering and meddling:
And when the sun begins to fling
His flaring beams, me, Goddess, bring
To arched walks of twilight groves
In this way, the poems explore two different approaches to life, each with its own merits.
Watching the video and listening to lines from the poems makes the contrast in their tones more apparent. The contrasting tones suggest that the two poems are meant to represent opposite, but equally valuable choices. (PLATO)
