The life of John Dryden
John Dryden was born on August 19, 1631, in Aldwincle, Northamptonshire, England, and died on May 1, 1700, in London, England. He survived through political turmoil’s, the power of shift, English civil war, the common wealth, and the Restoration of the monarchy. In first, Dryden was in favor of Commonwealth but after the restoration in 1660 he supported the Restored Monarchy of King Charles II.
Thus he was appointed as first poet of Laureate of England. As it is mentioned earlier that Dryden wrote his works in different genres: poems, essays, plays and criticism works.
Facts about John Dryden
John Dryden was a glorious poet of the 17th century. He wrote poems, essays, religious allegory and plays. John Dryden was a prominent poet, critic, playwright, satirist, and multisided literary giant.
He made the heroic couplet popular among his contemporary literary writers. He used the heroic couplet (pairs of rhymed iambic pentameter lines) which later on grew as popular form in English poetry.
Poems by John Dryden
John Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel is a political satire written in 1681. It is considered the most influential work of Dryden, because the poem criticizes the 17th century political situation in England. The poem shows the rebellion of Duke of Monmouth against the monarchy of England.
Dryden describes the political conflicts and civil war scenarios in the poem Absalom and Achitophel. John Absalom and Achitophel poem name comes from biblical characters to describe the political figures of the times. The poem is considered an allegorical poem written in heroic couplets (the use of iambic pentameter).
The Hind and Panther (1887)
This is poem is a religious allegory and sparked much debate when it was published. The Hind represents Catholicism and the Panther represents Anglicanism. This poem also contains a number of discussions on different religious beliefs and the work was written during the times when England was in Protestants’ hands. The Hind represents the Catholic Church, is defended by Dryden in the poem.
Meanwhile, he criticizes the Anglican Church (The Panther). Dryden defends the Catholic Church because he considers it legitimate and true church or even flaw less. In contrast, he depicts the Panther (Anglican Church) an imperfect and not virtuous. John Dryden through these animal figures explores the theological and religious issues in such a manner that he prefers defending the Catholic Church.
“A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day” (1687)
St. Cecilia was saint in Christian tradition known as patron of music. Dryden wrote this lyrical ode poem in honor St. Cecilia. In this poem, the author describes how the technical skills blend with emotions to create music that nourishes soul and society. The author shows the power of music and influence on the listeners and society. This poem of Dryden is considered as lyrical poem and lyrical ode.
“To My Dear Friend, Mr. Congreve” (1692)
John Dryden this poem as a tribute to his friend who was a playwright- William Congreve. In this poem, Dryden admires the ability and legacy of the young poet and his support for new writers. This poem is written in elegiac genre.
John Dryden was a versatile writer; he also wrote plays that reflect the social conflicts of the restoration period. His plays explore the themes of politics, love, morality, and human nature.
Here are his famous plays
“All for Love” (1678)
All for Love is considered a tragedy written in blank verse by John Dryden. This drama is a retell story of Shakespeare’s tale “Antony and Cleopatra. Though this drama projects the tragic love story between the Roman general Mark Antony and The Egyptian queen Cleopatra, yet the drama theme is based on the issues of his time. This drama uses a shift in the style from Earlier Elizabethan writing to the Restoration period, and reflects emotional depth and more complexity of the style.
The Tempest 1679
The drama is considered as the restoration work of Shakespeare’s drama, “The Tempest”. John Dryden adds more political themes and makes alterations in its outlines. Dryden makes changes in dialogue and cuts Shakespeare’s scenes to bring new change in the work.
“Marriage à la Mode” (1672)
“Marriage à la Mode” is a comedy of manners and criticizes the institution of marriage and social conventions. The drama argues to societal norms and represents flaws of mismatched marriage. Dryden projects how wealthy people consider marriage mere couple rather than personality choices.
“The Conquest of Granada” (1670)
“The Conquest of Granada” is based on historical events and conquest of Spain after losing the domination of Muslims rule in Spain. The drama is a part drama records the last victory of the Kingdom of Granada, by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, who were catholic monarchs.
“Aureng-Zebe” (1675)
It is a tragedy written by Dryden. The drama plot is based on the struggles of Aurenge-Zebe, the king of Mughal Empire. Aureng-Zebe, who is the fourth son Shah Jahan, struggles for his throne. Dryden explores the themes of power, love, betrayal and the political environment of Mughal Empire. The drama is rich with romantic conflict and political conflicts.
Essays by John Dryden
“An Essay of Dramatic Poesy” (1668)
“An Essay of Dramatic Poesy” is a critical essay. John Dryden praises Shakespeare and Ben Jonson’s classical rules of drama in the essay. He defends such classical form of drama and prefers it over other structure of drama.
Of Heroic Plays” (1677)
In the essays, the author justifies the epic poetry and heroic drama and argues that such dramas should contain the noble themes and elevated tone and language. The essay is in form of a discussion and examination the structure and development of drama.
A short work
“The Defense of the Epilogue” (1700)
This is a short of work of Dryden. In this, he examines how epilogue serves in a drama to enhance its quality of tone and reflects writer’s intentions. The Defense of the Epilogue in which Dryden defends the use of epilogue and suggests that epilogues balance the
Dryden was versatile writer; his genius and artistic skills lie in his technique of writing poems, plays, and critical essays. His works explore various themes: politics, power, love, mortality, struggle and human nature. Moreover, he defends poetry, restores the Shakespeare’s plays and prefers writing the works based on his contemporary themes.