Britannica Sources used in this answer

What kind of verse did John Milton use in Paradise Lost?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Engraved portrait of John Milton by Jacob Houbraken, showing Milton with shoulder-length hair, a lace collar, and period clothing, facing forward in an oval frame. — John Milton John Milton, engraving by Jacob Houbraken, 1741.

John Milton wrote his epic poem Paradise Lost in blank verse.12

He described this form as "English heroic verse without rhyme," explicitly rejecting the use of rhyme, which he characterized as the "jingling sound of like endings". Technically, this consists of unrhymed iambic pentameter.32

Milton utilized this measure to achieve a grand, intellectually complex style that remained flexible and dramatic. By avoiding end-stopped lines, he employed enjambment to draw the sense and rhythm across multiple verses, creating "voluble units of rhythm and sense" that allowed him to surpass the perceived limitations of rhymed poetry.23