Paradise Lost and Republican Tradition from Aristotle to Machiavelli (Cursor Mundi)

This major interdisciplinary study re-examines the political thought of John Milton, one of the celebrated proponents of the 'Commonwealth and Free State' that was established in England in the mid-seventeenth century. Walker shows that in his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), Milton presents a heterodox Protestant vision of politics. This vision differs radically from the vision of politics presented by republicans from Aristotle to Machiavelli, and Milton himself in his major political prose. The study is based on close readings of primary texts and scholarship in literary criticism, philosophy, theology, and the history of political thought. It is thus a powerful challenge to the current consensus on Milton's republicanism, his Christian humanism, and the shape of his oeuvre. It is, in addition, an important contribution to our understanding of a tradition of political thought that continues to inform modern republics.