Milton, Alexander’s Pirate, and Merchant Empires in the East

Abstract

This chapter examines John Milton’s allusions to Alexander the Great in Paradise Lost, with particular emphasis on his critique of the Dutch East Indies Empire and their English imitators. It considers how Alexander figures mercantile heroism in the age of commerce by focusing on the ways in which Paradise Lost responds to the global spice trade from both sides of the Euro-Asian encounter. The chapter analyzes Milton’s dual characterization of Satan in Paradise Lost as emperor and merchant as well as his depiction of both God and Satan as monarchs. These divergent characterizations of Satan as merchant and as king may be reconciled by recognizing Milton’s allusion to Augustine’s anecdote about the pirate’s critique of Alexander as a tyrant. The chapter also explores colonialism in Paradise Lost, Asia as a significant context for intra-European relations, and Milton’s concern with issues of sovereignty in the East Indies trade.