Milton's Samson Agonistes can be viewed as a study of Samson's conflicts over both love and authority. These are examined in relation to his capacity for guilt and his establishment of a sense of self. Paternal authority occurs for Samson in three forms: the God of Abraham, Dagon, and Manoa. The author identifies Samson's conflict, in which at least one father must be displeased. If Samson "marries a Philistine woman [or] attends the feast honoring Dagon, he has to displease a father." This assertion of Samson's own authority is a displacement of the parental figure and may be linked unconsciously with parricide. Samson's courage to bear a sense of guilt and to establish autonomy promotes growth and strength, while leading inevitably to his tragic death.