LANGUAGE, POWER AND DIVINE ORDER IN THE WORKS OF JOHN MILTON
Keywords:
Milton’s language, Power and authority in literature, Order and hierarchy, Political discourse, Divine order, Rhetoric and persuasion, Biblical language, Free will and obedience, Rebellion and authority, The Fall of Man, Paradise Lost.Abstract
This study explores the intricate relationship between language, power and divine order in the works of John Milton, one of the most influential poets and thinkers of seventeenth-century England. Milton viewed language not merely as a tool for communication but as a sacred instrument through which divine truth and moral authority could be revealed. His major works, including Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained and Areopagitica, reflect a deep concern with how the use and misuse of language shape human freedom, political authority and spiritual hierarchy. By examining Milton’s poetic and prose writings, this paper argues that Milton presents language as both a reflection of divine order and a means of challenging earthly power. His defense of free speech and individual conscience emphasizes the moral responsibility attached to the spoken and written word. Ultimately, Milton’s treatment of language embodies his vision of a divinely structured universe where linguistic expression serves as the bridge between human reason and God’s eternal truth.
