Give an outline of the social, political, and religious background of Milton's times?

 Give an outline of the social, political, and religious background of Milton's times

John Milton represents the dominant influence in a period of transition when England after making a compromise or fusion between the two forces of Renaissance and the Reformation was preparing for a confrontation in the areas of politics and religion. The growing excesses of the puritans had been restrained by the Elizabethan religious settlements but under the rule of James I, the puritans were subjected to perception. These caused many of them to migrate to America, but in England, the policies of the king united the puritans to form a powerful resistance against the monarchy. Evident classes were mostly puritans but their earnestness and strong business instincts had benefited greatly from the expansion of trade. This new powerful class offered serious challenges to the aristocracy. The incidence of the new taxes mostly in the shape of custom, a duty which James I had cleaved became more the aristocracy. The puritans managed to oppose this when they came to parliament in larger numbers. The theory of ‘ The Divine theory of Kingship’ was being openly challenged. Things came into crises after the death of James-I his son Charles I tried to get around parliamentary opposition by imposing new taxes without the sanction of parliament. In his effort to curb The growing power of the puritans. Charles was supported by the nobles as a class. The nobility resented the transfer of political power to the hands of the commercial gentry who now formed the majority in Parliament. This compelled the king and the parliament to a direct confrontation England now witnessed a conflict between the interest of the monarchy and the welfare of the people.

In this conflict between the puritan and his kings and his nobles, the puritan opposed everything that the Monarchy and aristocracy stood for. A part of this opposition was naturally direct to a cultural heritage of Renaissance which both the Aristocracy and Monarchy upholding. Thus, the puritans opposed the theatre’s which had been in great favor with the court. When they came to power in the parliament in 1639. One of the first things they did was to close down the theatres. This action was important considering the fact that Charles I queen was a French Princess and a Roman catholic addicted to the gaiety of the French court. This alliance with the King with Roman Catholic also removed all possibility of any compromise. To the Puritans the king and the Roman Catholic queen along with his pleasant seeking courtier must be eliminated if the country had to be saved. The puritans as a social class upheld a rigid moral court and adopted the same attitude to life. Puritanism was thus an attitude to life. Puritanism was thus an attitude that demanded sincerity and earnestness, in a matter of religion, politics as well as all affairs of life. This attitude was reflected in literature. In the form of the emphasis being shifted to prose from poetry. The majority of the poets were overshadowed by the dominant Milton who represented the puritan passion in his poetry. There was a small group of court or Cavalier poets who called themselves ‘Sons of Ben’ and included in writing right-hearted graceful lyrics, but the majority of literary output was in prose which was rich in variety as well as power.