Paradise reframed

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In 1677, John Dryden, poet laureate to Charles II, published ‘The State of Innocence,’ promoted as ‘an opera’ and based on John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost.’ This libretto emerged amidst the politically charged atmosphere of the 1670s, representing a strategic appropriation of a text seen as reflecting Milton’s opposition to the Restoration establishment. This study explores the historical context surrounding Dryden’s adaptation, examining influences from Restoration politics to the book market and early modern interpretative practices. Dryden, as ‘Servant to His Majesty,’ reinterprets ‘Paradise Lost’ into a royalist narrative, effectively neutralizing its radical elements while embedding his own political messages through prefaces and topical references. By analyzing both works within their shared cultural-historical framework, the intertwined histories reveal the politicized nature of Restoration literary culture and provide new insights into the early reception of a contentious and ‘pre-canonical’ ‘Paradise Lost.’