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Eikonoklastes

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description Eikonoklastes Overview

"Eikonoklastes," which translates to "The Image Breaker," is a 1649 prose polemic written by the English poet and scholar John Milton. Commissioned by the English Commonwealth, the work was written as an official rebuttal to the "Eikon Basilike," a sympathetic memoir attributed to the executed King Charles I. Milton systematically dismantles the royalist arguments, defending the regicide by asserting that a monarch who acts as a tyrant can be lawfully tried and executed by the sovereign people. It serves as a significant text in the history of English republican thought and political theory.

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Why did John Milton write Eikonoklastes?

Milton wrote Eikonoklastes in 1649 to answer Eikon Basilike, a highly influential book presenting Charles I as a pious royal martyr. Parliament's republican government wanted a response to the sympathy that book generated after the king's execution.

What does the title Eikonoklastes mean?

The title means "image breaker" or "iconoclast." Milton presents himself as dismantling the carefully constructed public image of Charles I found in Eikon Basilike.

How does Eikonoklastes defend the execution of Charles I?

Milton argues that kings remain accountable to the people and can be judged when they become tyrants. He rejects the idea that royal office gives a monarch immunity from law or public justice.

Is Eikonoklastes the same work as The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates?

No, both appeared in 1649, but they serve different purposes. The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates develops a general argument for resisting tyrants, while Eikonoklastes directly attacks the claims and royal image promoted by Eikon Basilike.

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