Samson Agonistes is a tragic closet drama by John Milton. It appeared with the publication of Milton's Paradise Regained in 1671, as the title page of that volume states: "Paradise Regained / A Poem / In IV Books / To Which Is Added / Samson Agonistes". It is generally thought that Samson Agonistes was begun around the same time as Paradise Regained but was completed after the larger work, possibly very close to the date of publishing, but there is no certainty.
Title page of Paradise Regained (1671), the first publication of Samson Agonistes.
Samson Agonistes, pen sketch by George Hayter, 1821
Samson was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution of the monarchy. He is sometimes considered as an Israelite version of the popular Near Eastern folk hero also embodied by the Sumerian Gilgamesh and Enkidu, as well as the Greek Heracles. Samson was given superhuman powers by God in the form of extreme strength.
Samson's Fight with the Lion (1525) by Lucas Cranach the Elder
The Sacrifice of Manoah (1640–50) by Eustache Le Sueur
Samson Slays a Thousand Men with the Jawbone of an Ass (c. 1896–1902) by James Tissot
Samson and Delilah (1887) by Jose Etxenagusia