Posts Tagged ‘John Dryden’
“Absalom and Achitophel” is an allegorical poem that uses the biblical story of ’s rebellion against as the thinly veiled allegorical reference to the (1685) in England. Here’s the wiki summary of that period:
The Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England at the death of his elder brother Charles II on 6 February 1685. James II was unpopular because he was Roman Catholic and many people were opposed to a “papist” king. James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, an illegitimate son of Charles II, claimed to be rightful heir to the throne and attempted to displace James II.
The rebellion ended with the defeat of Monmouth’s forces at the Battle of Sedgemoor on 6 July 1685. Monmouth was executed for treason on 15 July, and many of his supporters were executed or transported in the “Bloody Assizes” of Judge Jeffreys.
The biblical King David represents King Charles II, who had many illegitimate children but no legitimate heir to the throne. Absalom represents the Duke of Monmouth – Charles’ (illegitimate) oldest son, and Achitophel is a stand in for the Earl of Shaftesbury- a leader of the Whig party who supported the Duke.
You won’t need to know all these detail for the GRE, just the basic allegorical intent of the poem.
Listen to lines lines 1-490
Read the text on google books
John Dryden – “Mac Flecknoe” audio book
Like Pope’s “Rape of the Lock,” Dryden’s “Mac Flecknoe” (1684) is a satirical mock epic written in heroic couplets. In this poem Dryden attacks his contemporary, Thomas Shadwell, who was both his literary and political rival (Shadwell was a Whig, while Dryden supported the Stuart monarchy).
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Listen to the audio book courtesy of and