Form.—Distinguish between the mask and the regular drama; between the mask and the opera.
Point out the chief lyrical passages.
Find examples of blank verse, of rhymed pentameter, and of the two kinds of verse so common in L'Allegro and Il Penseroso.
Compare the meter of the dialogues with that of the lyric passages.
Find passages remarkable for beauty of figurative language (like 188-192 and 375-380), others for beauty of sentiment (like 210-220 and 453-463).
The Life and Character of the Author.—See outline for the study of Lycidas, page 59.
What impression of Milton's character do we get from Comus? What suggestions do we get here of the best side of Puritanism?