Paradise lost context Flashcards
What were the subjects of Milton’s commentry?
Milton was a political commentator on Charles I’s reign, the English Civil war, and the succession of Charles II. He also quickly became known as a writer on public affairs - always advocating for free will.
Context of his reasons for writing the divorce tracts? Why might he be sympathetic to the issue?
His marriage to Mary Powell, who he married in 1642, broke down within two months. A year later he wrote the Divorce Tracts, and became known (cuttingly!) as ‘Milton the Divorcer’
What did he argue within his divorce tracts?
This tract celebrated true marriage with Puritan zeal (the ardour and eagerness of the soul towards God) but insisted that was only possible if you could free yourself from an unsuitable partner – ‘to be cooped up as it were in mockery of wedlock’.
Religion and divorce - miltons divorce tracts
Examples of his protections of freedom?
His firm commitment here was to the freedom of the individual – which he saw as humanity’s rightful inheritance from Adam (who enacts his freedom – to Fall – in Book Nine).
He wrote a famous defence of the freedom of the press in 1644. At the time, all printed material was licensed by government officials, but Milton championed freedom of expression and freedom of choice in what we read, his argument: evil was allowed into the world to show us good by contrast, to enable us to exercise our virtue by choosing to reject it. Was the Fall too high a price to pay for that freedom?
How did Charles 1st rule affect Milton’s writings?
His writings became increasingly political during the ‘eleven years of tyranny’, under Charles I, of 1629-1640,
When did Charles 1 tyranny rule?
the ‘eleven years of tyranny’, Charles I, of 1629-1640,
When was the english civil war?
English Civil War (1642-49).
What did Milton’s political commentry look like during Charles 1 trial?
During Charles I trial, he wrote a highly controversial tract endorsing the revolutionary act of regicide (killing a king) in certain circumstances. This was a spectacular rejection of the Divine Right of Kings! Like the Puritans, Milton saw Charles as a usurper, and rejected the Divine Right theory.
How did Milton view abolishing the Kingship in religious terms, with reference to Adam’s freedom? from PL?
For Milton, abolishing Kingship was a step back towards the original freedom of Adam – a chance to be obedient to God, our true master, rather than a tyrannical King. Adam’s freedom to Fall was evidence of his freedom: “all men naturally were born free, being the image and resemblance of God himself”.
Who were the two sides in the civil war?
The civil war saw the Parliamentarians and their New Model Army, many of whom were deeply Puritan in their outlook, fighting the Cavaliers or Royalist supporters of Charles I.
What was the Puritan view, which milton shared, about all forms of authority?
The Puritan belief, shared by Milton, was that no man is another’s superior – that all forms of authority other than God’s are therefore suspect.
How did Milton view the return of the Kingship?
Milton was very disappointed at the return to monarchy, feeling the English had feebly given away their newly appointed freedom. He wrote about this, and was briefly imprisoned for it by Charles II.
Oliver Cromwell as a tyrant - how did this lead toward the reinstitution of the monarchy?
Oliver Cromwell, ruler of Republican Britain, was as unwilling to share power with parliament as Charles I had been, and proved himself a similar tyrant. On his death, disaffected MPs asked Charles I’s son, Charles II, to take the throne.
When did Milton start writing PL - context of his health.
Around this time (when the monarchy had been reinstated) he began writing Paradise Lost. By 1652 his eyesight had failed him completely, so he dictated the work to his daughters.
