The Courtship of Miles Standish

Longfellow claimed the story was rooted in family tradition, yet there is a complete absence of historical evidence to support its major elements.

Main characters Miles Standish, John Alden, and Priscilla Mullins are based upon real Mayflower passengers.

Scholars have confirmed the cherished place of romantic love in Pilgrim culture,[2] and have documented the Indian war described by Longfellow.

[11][12] Courtship of Miles Standish is written in dactylic hexameter, the same meter used in classical epic poetry such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Vergil's Aeneid.

A 1940 Merrie Melodies cartoon depicts their own version of the story in The Hardship of Miles Standish.

A scene from The Courtship of Miles Standish , showing Standish looking upon Alden and Mullins during the bridal procession
Priscilla Mullins, illustration from a 1903 printing