Hello readers....
In this blog I talk about a greatest political poem in the English language. It is Absolam and Achitophel by John Dryden.
John Dryden:-
First we throw some point on this poem.
Absolam and Achitophel is verse satire. It is published in 1681. The poem which is written in heroic couplets, is about the Exclusion crisis, a contemporary episodes in which anti-catholic,notably the earl of Shaftesbury, sought to bar James, duke of York, a Roman Catholic convert and brother to King Charles II, from the line of succession in favour of the king’s illegitimate (but Protestant) son, the duke of Monmouth. Dryden based his work on a biblical incident recorded in 2 Samuel 13–19. These chapters relate the story of King David’s favourite son Absalom and his false friend Achitophel (Achitophel), who persuades Absalom to revolt against his father. In his poem, Dryden assigns each figure in the crisis a biblical name; eg.Absalom is Monmouth, Achitophel is Shaftesbury, and David is Charles II.
First explore this poem as political Allegory:-
Absalom and Achitophel is "generally acknowledged as the finest political satire in the English language". It is also described as an allegory regarding contemporary political events, and a mock heroic narrative. On the title page, Dryden himself describes it simply as "a poem".
The definition of allegory has two senses. The first relates to when an author writes an allegory by design as did Edmund Spenser and John Bunyon. In this sense of allegory the characters are usually given titles rather than names: e.g., the Red Crosse Knight and Mr. Worldy Wiseman. The second sense of allegory depends on the reading given a particular work, passage, sentence, line. In other words, a particular reader may find allegory through his/her reading whereas another reader may not recognize allegory in the same work.
having said this, john dryden wrote absalom and achitophel as a satire to instigate political reform. the era was that during which a faction in england was trying to seat the illegitimate son of charles ii (after the restoration) on the throne through a rebellion against charles ii. dryden used a biblical tale, that of the rebellion of absalom against king david, in the humor of satire stated with the sweetening leaven of verse to point out the wrongfulness of a rebellion and the disastrous impending outcome of such a rebellion.
as you can see from the excerpted quote below, dryden did not style absalom and achitophel as an allegory, as did spenser and bunyon, but he was certainly casting then contemporary figures in the role of biblical heroes and villains. therefore, an understanding of absalom and achitophel as an allegory revolves around the second sense of the definition of allegory, which is that a reading of allegory rests with the reader, literary analyst, literary critic.
Above all else, Dryden’s poem is now an artistic rendering of what was, at the time, a potentially explosive political debate. The Exclusion Crisis wreaked havoc in England from 1679-1681 as the legitimate succession of James to the throne after his brother Charles II was being obstructed by the Whigs on the basis of James’ Catholicism. Favoring an illegitimate son of Charles, the Duke of Monmouth, the Whigs were squaring off against what, to Dryden, was not just the rights of one man, but rather the very foundation of the transition of power which gave the British monarchy its authority. Just as parodies of political figures and satirical treatments of political events on a show like Saturday Night Live can wield influence over public opinion, so is literary satire a powerful form of propaganda. By satirizing a very perilous subject, Dryden was not only aiming to influence the outcome: he was also taking the steps best available to him to convince those in the public who might not “get” the seriousness of the issue from straightforward coverage.
After this we see this poem as satire:-
Satire:- Satire is a literary attack on the follies and vices of individual or society in order to correct them through laughter and ridicule. It has some characteristics. These are-
· Literary form of expression.
· Disgust at the ugly and foolishness.
· Humour.
· A sincere desire to correct or reform.
The only intention of Dryden to write this poem was to support King Charles II. The King himself asked Dryden to write a poem satirizing the Whig party and particularly its leader Shaftesbury. Dryden was also supporter of Tory. He was called Staunch Tory. He used satire very strictly for that people who were against the King Charles II and made plan to dethrone him.
First, Dryden attacked Earl of Shaftesbury. With his brilliant tricks he represented Shaftesbury as hypocrite. We found Shaftesbury a smooth talker and with his this capability, he convinced Duke of Monmouth to go against his father.
Dryden also attacked Protestant group. The Protestant group was in fear that if James, the brother of King Charles II, came to the throne then Roman Catholics would be beneficial and would be in power. Here, it is notable that James, the Duke of York was thought to be a follower of Pope of Roman Catholic. Instead, Protestants wanted to see the Duke of Monmouth in the throne of England. In Absalom and Achitophel, Dryden tried to show the traitorous activities of the Whig against their king.
In the seventeenth century England, religion played a big role in ruling the country and politics and religion were closely related to each other. Both Protestant Christians and their rival Roman Catholic were in cock fight to grab the power of the country. To prevent Roman Catholics from getting into the power of England, a clergyman, Titus Oates, in favor of Protestants, also made a plan and claimed that James and Roman Catholics had tried to kill the King Charles II in order to make James as the king of England which was later proved wrong.
Dryden in Absalom and Achitophel also criticized Duke of Buckingham with whom he had personal conflict. When Dryden joined as a poet-laureate and historiographer to the government in 1670, he got both money and recognition. Being jealous of Dryden’s such prosperity, some contemporary high officials started making fun of him. Duke of Buckingham was one of those people. In his literary work, The Rehearsal, he strongly criticized Dryden. In Absalom and Achitophel, Dryden took the revenge of making fun of him. In his poem, Dryden compared the Duke of Buckingham to the Biblical character Zimri, who being lured of the throne of Israel, killed his master and ascended to the throne thought Zmiri could only survive for seven days as the king of Israel. In reality, Duke of Buckingham was initially a friend of King Charles II, but when the religious chaos between Whig and Tories started, he joined the Whig, the rebel group of King Charles II.
In Absalom and Achitophel, Dryden did not focus much on the Duke of Monmouth who in the poem is compared to Absalom. Instead, he criticized much about Shaftesbury who is compared to Achitophel. According to Bible, Achitophel was a counselor to the court of King David, father of Absalom. When Absalom set to fight against his father, King David, Achitophel joined Absalom’s side. So, Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel would be much more related to the Biblical incident of Absalom and Achitophel, if he gave much importance on the Duke of Monmouth while making satire. However, Dryden mostly attacked Shaftesbury (symbolises Achitophel in the poem). There are some political reasons behind it. At that time in England, Shaftesbury was in lead of the Whig, who placed “The Exclusion Bill” to the House of Commons. So, Dryden wanted to save King Charles II from any volatile situation due to the continuing rebellion. That is why; Dryden gave much importance while making satire. Another reason is that Dryden might have though that if he criticized Duke of Monmouth much then he would be more furious and as the Duke of Monmouth was an illegitimate child of King Charles II, Dryden tried to make a compromise between the King and Duke of Monmouth so that the movement over the religion and power could be stopped.
Dryden wrote this poem on King’s demand. Through this poem, Dryden lampooned the Wighs and Earl of Shaftesbury. However, he did not use harsh criticism for James Scott. Absalom and Achitophel veils its political satire under the transparent disguise of a Biblical Story. This poem perfectly depicts the existing crisis and political issues of the contemporary society.
Dryden called Absalom and Achitophel ‘a poem’ and not a satire, implying thereby that it had elements other than purely satirical. One cannot, for instance, ignore the obvious epic or heroic touches in it. All the same, the poem originated in the political situation of England at the time and one cannot fail to note that several political personalities are satirised in it. Published in November 1681, the theme was suggested by the king to Dryden. At this time, the question of succession to King Charles had assumed great importance.
The Earl of Shaftesbury had been thrown into prison to face a charge of high treason. There were two contenders for the succession. Firstly, Charles’ brother James, Duke of York, a known Roman Catholic; the second contender was Charles’ illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth. The Whigs supported Monmouth while the Tories supported the cause of James in order to ensure stability in the country. There was great public unrest on account of the uncertainty of succession. King Charles II saw to it that the Exclusion bill brought before Parliament, to exclude the succession of his brother James, could not be pushed through. The earl of Shaftesbury, a highly ambitious man, sought to capitalise on this unrest. He also urged Monmouth to rebel against his father. The King, though fond of his illegitimate son, did not support his succession because that would have been against law. The Earl of Shaftesbury was arrested on a charge of high treason and lost popular support.
Conclusion:- in nutshell we can say that Dryden is correctly regarded as the most vigorous and polished of English satirists combining refinement with fervour. Dryden is unequalled at debating in rhyme and Absalom and Achitophel displays his power of arguing in verse. It may be said that Absalom and Achitophel has no rival in the field of political satire. Apart from the contemporary interest of the poem and its historical value, it appeal to the modern reader lies in its observations on English character and on the weaknesses of man in general.
Absalom and Achitophel remains the greatest political satire in English Literature.
Word count:-1863
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