Fascination with Monarchy: Characteristics of Divine Monarchy as Depicted in the British Literary Canon and the Significance of Those Characteristics to Political Theology

Abstract

This study investigates why monarchy—more than any other form of government—commands the attention of creative literature, particularly within the British literary canon. Examining eight canonical works including the Arthurian legend, Paradise Lost, The Canterbury Tales, and The Faerie Queene, the paper identifies recurring themes of divine appointment, Christian community, perpetuity of government, and the sacrificial burdens of kingship. The author argues that these literary glorifications of divine monarchy may reflect a deep, subconscious human longing for the eternal Kingdom of God, and that the ideals embedded in British monarchial literature—bloodline legitimacy, peace-through-one, and community over individualism—carry significant implications for political theology and our understanding of eschatological governance.