The Son as Collaborator in Paradise Regained

In the beginning of Paradise Regained, Milton states that the Son will "Publish his Godlike office." I argue that the connotations of publication in this statement allow us to read the Son's construction of his kingship as an analogue for Milton's construction of his own authorship and vice versa. By exploring a few aspects of Milton's conceptions of authorship, inspiration, and vocation, I will show that Milton constructs the Son as a type of author and publisher with whom he sees himself collaborating, and that the discussion of kingship in the poem provides a model for political engagement through authorship.