In 1662, Dryden was elected as a member of the Royal Society. Until then, he had no real source of income. He began to write plays for King’s Theatre. In 1665, the Plague caused 75,000 deaths in London, only to be followed the next year by the Fire of London, which left 2/3 of the population homeless. The theatres closed from May 1665 until the end of 1666. Dryden retired and spent the time writing at home. When the theatres reopened he went back to work. He had a contract to provide three plays a year and in return he received a share and a quarter out of the twelve shares and three quarters held by the whole company (Stephen 65). He failed to hold up his end of the bargain, but he still received his share of the profit. In 1672, King’s Theatre burned and Dryden’s profits were diminished. Some of his most famous plays include The Rival Ladies, Ladies a la Mode, Mock Astrologer, and An Evening’s Love. His play Mr. Limberham was banned because some thought it to be indecent. His early plays were written in rhymed couplet and his later work in blank verse.
Dryden was appointed poet laureate and royal historiographer in 1668, a position he retained for twenty years. His poetry is “public” in nature, not private or sentimental. His poems are based on true people and events, which according to Stanley Archer, “sometimes causes modern readers to have a difficult time understanding the many parallels and analogies of his work” (1223). He is known for presenting many viewpoints and ideas, then either defending one as ideal or providing a middle ground.
His most important prose work is the already mentioned, An Essay of Dramatic Poesy. Written in 1688, this work is a dialogue between Neander (Dryden) and others in which Neander defends the English drama of generations before. He argues that the English drama has much to gain by observing the exact methods of construction without completely abandoning the freedom that English writers had always been so proud of (Magill 534).
In 1681, he wrote his first and some say, greatest poem of his career. Absalom and Achitophel is a parable written in heroic couplets. There is said to be evidence that the King himself asked Dryden to write the poem. He uses the Biblical story of David and his rebellious son, Absalom, as the biblical parallel to the political situation of that time. At that time, the Whigs wanted to get rid of James, the King’s brother and devout Catholic, and give the rights of the throne to his illegitimate son James, Duke of Monmouth, who was a protestant. King Charles really wanted his brother to take his place, and the Tory party supported him (Bloom 198).
The effort to have James be the next king was led by the Earl of Shaftesbury (Achitophel), but he was unable to win over the king. Charles II (David) was against him and his cause because the king thought that letting parliament change the established succession would change the monarchy from a royal one to a parliamentary one. This would make the king subject to parliamentary restrictions. Dryden’s objective in the poem is to convince readers to support the king in the conflict. Even after Shaftesbury is thrown in jail for treason, Dryden tells him that it is not too late to repent and remain loyal to succession (Bloom 199).
Just as the story in II Samuel 13-18 goes, Achitophel encourages Absalom to rebel against his father, David. Dryden does not follow the biblical account word for word; he notes that the biblical account ends with the death of Absalom, but that he hopes that the current situation will end peacefully. Line 10 refers to illegitimate offspring of the King when Dryden mentions the King’s “scattered image throughout the land.” The King’s son, James, is a very popular and well-liked guy. He has married into money, and is interested in Shaftesbury’s plan. Why would he not be? The plan will benefit him in many ways. But, because he is so supportive of his plan, Charles takes away all of James’ military honors and banishes him. He is so full of himself that after being humiliated, he starts a campaign against his father. He then invades, and of course, is beheaded.
In the first part of the poem, Dryden discredits the Whig opponents of the King. When exclusionist bills came up, Charles II dismisses Parliament. He refused to convene Parliament after 1681. At the end of the poem, Dryden praises the King’s supporters and also has the King appear, showing David (Charles II) facing his opponents (Archer 1224).
The Restoration of Charles II to the throne was not as great as many had hoped. Archer writes:
Partly, Absalom and Achitophel is some sort of inward search. Faith alone, rather than tradition or church authority or reason, offered the only hope. The Anglican church arises mostly out of political convenience. Dryden chronicles the shift from the hopeful spirit of the Restoration to the despairing disillusionment of all institutions: religious, political, and intellectual. (1224)
Some critics say that John Dryden’s work lacks emotional depth. They say that he would rather scorn and condemn what he opposes rather than admire and appreciate what he is defending. They do praise his rational tone, subtle style, and direct expression. But, no matter what critics think, Dryden will always be known as one of the best writers of his time.
Works Cited
Archer, Stanley. Critical Survey of Poetry: John Dryden. 5 Jan. 2000.
Bloom, Harold, ed. Restoration on Literature Critical Approaches. New York: Methven & Co. L & D., 1974.
King, Bruce, ed. Dryden’s Mind and Art. Great Britain: Barnes and Nobles, Inc., 1970.
Magill, Frank N., ed. Cyclopedia of World Authors. Vol. 1. New Jersey: Salem Press, 1974.
Sherburn, George and Donald F. Bond. The Restoration and Eighteenth Century (1660-1789). 2nd ed. Vol. 3. New York: Meredith, 1967.
Stephen, Sir Leslie, and Sir Sidney Lee, eds. The Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. VI. London: Oxford, 1921-1922.
