‹‹e’l Cantar che di mezzo l’hemispero traviar ben può la faticosa luna››: iSonetti italianidi John Milton

Milton’s Italian sonnets, an important indication of the status of Italian literature in Europe at the time, are not only an erudite exercise of occasional poetry.An in-depth analysis of their linguistic and stylistic patterns shows that this youthful experience represents a crucial moment in Milton’s elaboration of his poetical language. Milton complies with Petrarchan tradition in terms of style and imagery through Bembo’s recommendations and Della Casa's and Tasso’s stylistic practice. Tasso's magnificent classical diction is fully acquired by the English poet and coherently applied to his own work in Italian.