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UBC Theses and Dissertations
Milton’s divorce tracts : a declaration of independence Bradley, Alasdair Ross Maclennan
Abstract
This thesis deals with an aspect of the divorce argument not previously addressed in Milton scholarship - Milton's hermeneutics, and how they change over the course of his divorce tracts. Though his hermeneutics remain fundamentally the same throughout the argument, in the final tract, Tetrachordon, certain principles come to dominate. Milton's combination, and subsequent application, of specific principles warrants particular attention, for through them he would not only justify divorce scripturally but also hypothesize a legal independence which permitted him to defy Parliament's legal authority and to act according to his own polygamous concepts of matrimony. This thesis also studies the considerable influence of John Selden on Milton's thought. Selden's work on natural and Hebraic law was pivotal in the development of Milton's own theories on law, and on marriage and divorce in particular. Such a study of Milton's hermeneutics, and of his subsequent legal theories, has implications for the reading of Paradise Lost. Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes. and for the political tracts justifying regicide. The period of 1643-5 was a tumultuous one for Milton, with his disastrous marriage, with the negative reaction of both Parliament and pulpit to his arguments and, finally, with the onset of his blindness. He entered this period with the confident flush of his success with the antiepiscopal tracts but suffered continuous opposition on virtually all fronts, emerging a very changed man. This thesis examines the stages of that change through close textual analysis of the divorce tracts, and draws conclusions which bear upon the remainder of Milton's life and work.
Item Metadata
| Title |
Milton’s divorce tracts : a declaration of independence
|
| Creator | |
| Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
| Date Issued |
2004
|
| Description |
This thesis deals with an aspect of the divorce argument not previously addressed in Milton
scholarship - Milton's hermeneutics, and how they change over the course of his divorce tracts.
Though his hermeneutics remain fundamentally the same throughout the argument, in the final
tract, Tetrachordon, certain principles come to dominate. Milton's combination, and subsequent
application, of specific principles warrants particular attention, for through them he would not
only justify divorce scripturally but also hypothesize a legal independence which permitted him
to defy Parliament's legal authority and to act according to his own polygamous concepts of
matrimony.
This thesis also studies the considerable influence of John Selden on Milton's thought.
Selden's work on natural and Hebraic law was pivotal in the development of Milton's own
theories on law, and on marriage and divorce in particular. Such a study of Milton's
hermeneutics, and of his subsequent legal theories, has implications for the reading of Paradise
Lost. Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes. and for the political tracts justifying regicide.
The period of 1643-5 was a tumultuous one for Milton, with his disastrous marriage, with the
negative reaction of both Parliament and pulpit to his arguments and, finally, with the onset of
his blindness. He entered this period with the confident flush of his success with the antiepiscopal
tracts but suffered continuous opposition on virtually all fronts, emerging a very
changed man. This thesis examines the stages of that change through close textual analysis of
the divorce tracts, and draws conclusions which bear upon the remainder of Milton's life and
work.
|
| Genre | |
| Type | |
| Language |
eng
|
| Date Available |
2009-12-23
|
| Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
| Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
|
| DOI |
10.14288/1.0099818
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| URI | |
| Degree | |
| Program | |
| Affiliation | |
| Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
|
| Graduation Date |
2005-05
|
| Campus | |
| Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
| Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
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Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.