Consider the trajectory from the early "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity" (a religious hymn) and "L'Allegro"/"Il Penseroso" (exploring contrasting states of mind and idealized lifestyles) to the later, politically charged sonnets and prose like "Areopagitica." What does this progression reveal about the evolution of Milton's intellectual and creative focus?
1
He abandoned religious themes entirely to focus on politics.
2
His early works were apolitical escapes, while his later works represent a complete rejection of aesthetic concerns.
3
His engagement with theological and philosophical ideas in his early poetic works laid the groundwork for his later, more direct engagement with complex societal, political, and ethical issues.
4
His early works were purely personal expressions, and his later works were written solely for public consumption and political gain.