Milton’s Diodatian Poetics

ABSTRACT This article explores the influence of Charles Diodati’s Latin and Greek writings upon John Milton and examines the intertextuality between their poems. It argues that Diodati’s abilities as an author in his own right have been underestimated, and it revises the perception of the role Diodati played in Milton’s life and works. The Miltonic and Diodatian texts are analyzed in approximately chronological order. The first section looks at the earliest evidence of Diodati’s intertextual presence in Milton’s poetry by comparing Diodati’s Latin obituary poem (1624) with Milton’s “In obitum Procancellarii medici” (1626). The second section examines the language of Diodati’s two Greek letters and sheds new light on his literary allusions and engagement with Platonism. The third section focuses on Milton’s descriptions of Diodati’s lost poems and explores the ongoing poetic collaboration between Milton and his best friend.