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The political and liturgical subtext of Milton's "On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough." (John Milton's poem)

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From: ANQ
Date: 19940101
Author:Shawcross, John T.

John Milton's poem 'On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough' contains a subtext of political liberation, using liturgical language. The poem is ostensibly a lament for the death of Milton's niece. Liturgical concepts from the Feasts of St. Anne and St. Joachim are used which refer to a new birth to redeem worldly conditions. The context of the poem indicates that the conditions to be redeemed were the oppressive English monarchy of 1628.

In his poem on the death of his niece, Anne, daughter of Anne and Edward Phillips, Milton makes reference to his sister's current pregnancy. His ...

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