ABSTRACT
Milton's An Apology for Smectymnuus identifies one source for his doctrine of male chastity in the vision of love that Socrates elaborated in his dialogues. Kendrick argues that Milton's masque is 'an allegory not just of sexuality's deployment but of its emergence', but he does not explore the issue of same-sex desire. Milton's writings do not delve into the Socratic sources underlying his notion of chastity, because to reveal their pederastic logic would undermine the vision of 'perfect union and agreement' that both he and Ben Jonson envisioned between the male author and the equally discerning 'master spirits' he addressed. Milton argues that while revelry may have a place in the composition of elegy, only 'chaste' austerity should be the life of the poet who wishes to write the higher forms of epic or religious verse. According to Milton, one can only exercise free will and make morally significant choices with a full knowledge of evil.
