Samson Agonistes is Milton's last work and, as such, is notable for its lack of finality. The poem is incredibly oblique; Milton gives no answers and asks almost no questions. However, Milton succeeds in writing a Christian tragedy in Samson Agonistes by presenting the ease with which a Christian can be alienated from true interaction with his own faith. Samson's blindness is the blindness of all Christians who seek the path to salvation without divine guidance, and his tragedy is the tragedy of all those who convince themselves that they have found it for themselves. While Milton works essentially within the framework of Greek tragedy, his choices of interlocutors for Sampson testify to his fascination with a major paradox of Christianity: man cannot develop his faith alone, and yet he must. By removing any direct divine presence from the poem, Milton explores the consequences of following Christian law without seeking Christian faith. Milton begins Samson Agonistes after the most famous part of the biblical story, after he has been betrayed, blinded, and sent to prison. The opening lines speak to the purpose of the entire poem: “A little forward, stretch out your guiding hand/ Towards these dark steps, a little further;/ For there the shore has the choice of sun or shade . » (1-3) On the one hand, these lines are simply an exposition of Samson's movements, but on the other hand, they reveal a concern with the major themes of the play: guidance and salvation. Milton does not specify who Samson is speaking to. As the poem was written to be read and not interpreted, it is quite easy to imagine a companion to guide Samson, but this companion is nowhere in the text. Whose “hand is that which guides you”? There is no clear answer, but it...... middle of paper ......rks Cited Achinstein, Sharon. “Samson Agonistes.” A Companion to Milton. Thomas N. Cors, ed. Blackwell Publishing, 2003. Bennett, Joan S. “Reading Samson Agonistes.” » The Cambridge Companion to Writing about the English Revolution. NH Keeble, ed. Cambridge, 2001. Guibbory, Achsah. "Milton and English poetry." A Companion to Milton. Thomas N. Cors, ed. Blackwell Publishing, 2003. Keeble, NH “Milton and Puritanism.” A Companion to Milton. Thomas N. Cors, ed. Blackwell Publishing, 2003. Kierkegaard, Soren. Fear and trembling.Lewalski, Barbara K. "Gender". A Companion to Milton. Thomas N. Cors, ed. Blackwell Publishing, 2003. Luxon, Thomas H., ed. “Samson Agonistes. » Milton's reading room. Dartmouth College. Web. Parry, Graham. “Literary Baroque and Literary Neoclassicism”. A Companion to Milton. Thomas N. Cors, ed. Blackwell Editions, 2003.