Who was the author of the literary work 'A Mask presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634' a work more commonly known as 'Comus'?
Comus (Milton) Comus (Milton) Comus (A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634) is a masque in honour of chastity, written by John Milton. It was first presented on Michaelmas, 1634, before John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater, at Ludlow Castle in celebration of the Earl's new post as Lord President of Wales. Known colloquially as "Comus", the masque's actual full title is "A Mask presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: on Michelmas night, before the Rt Hon. Iohn Earl of Bridgewater, Viscount Brackly, Lord President of Wales, and one of His Maiesties most honorable privie councill". "Comus" was printed anonymously in 1637, in
Comus (Milton) the masque was not "Comus" (this was imposed later by scholars), but "A Mask, Presented at Ludlow Castle". Creaser notes that it had become old-fashioned by the 1630s to use an occasional title such as this (consider other masque titles of the time such as Carew's "Coelum Britanicum" and "Tempe Restored", etc.) This shows that Milton wanted to specifically draw attention to his work as a masque, asking the reader to hold in their minds all that this signified, as he consciously used and twisted the conventions of the genre to put across his particular message. For example, his audience