Samson Agonistes

John Kinsella’s reworking of John Milton’s dramatic poem, Samson Agonistes, confirms Milton as one of the many influences in Kinsella’s own poetics. Echoing Milton’s themes, he explores how the cyborg Samson – both a symbol of uncontrolled violence and a pacifist peacemaker – must come to terms with his participation in his own powerlessness.