Milton's masque Comus, first performed at Ludlow Castle in 1634, is an exploration of how to live: should we submit to our base animal instincts, however enjoyable the experience, or instead apply sophisticated human values and morals to our existence and interaction with others. Milton comes down firmly in favour of the latter approach, but presents well-stated and persuasive counter-arguments for the former, in an engaging and magical entertainment. Also included in this edition are Milton's early poems Ode on the Morning of Christ's Nativity, Lycidas, L'Allegro and Il Penseroso.