Milton's Prose is So Hard to Read

[astrum]

Is it just me or is Milton's prose incredibly hard to read?

I found "Tenure of Kings and Magistrates" and "Areopagitica," among others, to be very difficult to decipher.


I do admit that it felt amazing and very satisfying to finally understood what Milton was trying to say. Yet, the process was quite taxing.

[Charles Darnay]

For Areopagitica at least, Milton is not as succinct in his prose than he is in his poetry. The language is straightforward (in a 17th century context) but you do have to read it a few times to piece it together.

Tenure is much simpler - however, it is necessary to understand the historic context in which it was written.

[astrum]

I found that it helps to have good footnotes.