Theatrical Milton

Abstract

Explains the presence of theatre in John Milton and its centrality to his politics and poetry Theatrical Milton brings coherence to the presence of theatre in John Milton through the concept of theatricality. In this book, ‘theatricality’ identifies a discursive field entailing the rhetorical strategies and effects of framing a given human action, including speech and writing, as an act of theatre. Political and theological cultures in seventeenth-century England developed a treasury of representational resources in order to stage—to satirize and, above all, to de-legitimate—rhetors of politics, religion, and print. At the core of Milton’s works is a contradictory relation to theatre that has neither been explained nor properly explored. This book changes the terms of scholarly discussion and discovers how the social structures of theatre afforded Milton resources for poetic and polemical representation and uncovers the precise contours of Milton’s interest in theatre and drama. Key Features Focuses on rhetoric and representation while employing thick historical contextualization and selected theory Examines Milton’s theatricality in the contexts of rhetorical culture, gender and anti-theatricality, popular literatures of the early 1640s, paradigms of worship, optics and horticulture, and the Quaker body in print and visual culture Demonstrates how theatricality cuts across Milton’s genres