The Complete Works of John Milton: Volume V: Divorce Tracts

The four prose tracts Milton published between August 1643 and March 1645 on the subject of divorce constitute an underappreciated body of work in the great writer's canon.They are almost an embarrassment: that the poet of 'wedded love' in the wreathing lines of Paradise Lost should be drawn again and again to this disheartening topic.Yet Milton argued so hard for divorce because he believed marriage to be a valuable thing: his innovation was to suggest that couples could be separated on the grounds of incompatibility.In putting human happiness first, Milton's writings herald a revolution in thought, not only about marriage, but about earthly life and, indeed, all human relationships.Through an encounter with these troubled writings, it is possible to understand the makings of a great poet and thinker in the fiery conflicts of civil war and intellectual revolution.For these works, the author fell afoul of authorities and came under state investigation, sealing his commitment to freedom