Neocl

assi
cal
poet
sDr
yden&Pope
Fi
rstofal l
,itismandat oryt oknowaboutt heet ymol ogyoft hewor dNeocl assi ci
[Link] er m
Neoclassicism isacombi nationoft wowor ds: NeoandCl assi [Link] dneohasbeender i
ved
fr
om aGr eekwor dneos, whi chmeansy oungornew, whil
et hewor dcl assic, accordingtot he
WebsterDi ctionary
, r
eferst othest yl
eandwor ksoft heanci entaut horsofGr [Link]
combinet hesewor ds,wegett hemeani ngofNeocl assicism ast her ebirt
handr estorat
ionof
Classi
[Link], Neocl assicism i
sthemov ementi nthehi storyofEngl ishl iter
ature,whichlai
d
i
mmenseemphasi sonr ev iv
al oftheclassical spir
itdur ingtheper i
odbet ween1680and1750i nthe
ageofPopeandDr [Link] ototypeofCl [Link] i
t ersoft hisper iodi mmensel y
endeavour edt ofol
lowt hef ootpathsoft hewr itersoft heper iodofAugust us, emper orofRome,
whichpr oducedunpar al
leledwr it
ersasHor ace, VirgilandOv [Link] sther eason; t
heageofPope
andDr ydeni salsocalledAugust anAge.

Neocl
assicalPoetryisaty
peofpoetr
y,whichf ol
lowsthepatt
ernofpoetryauthor
edbythepoet
sof
anci
entti
mei .e.
,[Link] ydenweretheleadingwri
ter
s,whodeviat
edfr
om the
tr
adi
ti
onal schoolsofpoet
ryandsoughtguidanceintheworksofancientGreekandRomanwr i
ter
s.
Theytr
iedtof ol
lowthewrit
ersoft
heantiquit
yinlett
erandspiri
tintheAugustanAge.

"Classici
sm andNeoclassici
sm, i
nthearts,hi
stori
caltradi
ti
onoraest het
icatti
tudesbasedont he
artofGr eeceandRomei nanti
quit
y.I
nthecont extofthetradit
ion,Classici
sm referseit
hertothe
artproducedi nanti
quit
yortolaterar
tinspir
edbyt hatofant i
quit
y ;Neoclassi
cism alwaysrefer
sto
thear tproducedlat
erbutinspi
redbyantiquit
[Link] ermsCl assici
sm andNeocl assici
sm are
oftenusedi nter
changeably.
"

St
agesofNeocl
assi
cism
TheRest
orat
ionPer
iod:

Iti
scal
ledtheRestorat
ionPer
iod,asKingCharl
eswasr est
oredinthi
[Link]
ionPeriod
l
astedfr
om [Link]
ter
soft hi
sage,Dry
denandMi l
ton,
endeavouredtousesubli
me, gr
and
andimpressi
vestyl
e,schol
arl
yall
usions,
andmy thol
ogyandcur bt
heintenseuseofimaginati
on.

TheAugust
anAge:

TheAugust
anAgeisal
socall
edt
[Link]
hel
eadi
ngpoeti
nthi
[Link]
August
anAgel
astedfr
om 1700t
o1750.

TheAgeofJohnson:

TheAgeofJohnsonl
ast
edupto1798,
whentheRomant
icMovementwasunder
waywi
tht
he
publ
i
cati
onofLyri
cal
Bal
ladsbyWor
dswor
thandSamuelCol
eri
dge.

Char
act
eri
sti
csofNeocl
assi
calPoet
ry
Rat
ional
ism

Rational
i
sm isthemostessent i
alf
eatureofneoclassi
cal
poetr y
.Neoclassi
calpoetsviewedreason
asthemai nspri
ngoflearni
ng,knowledgeandinspir
ati
onfortheirpoet
[Link]
assicalpoetr
yisa
reacti
onagainsttherenai
ssancestyl
eofpoetry.I
tisauniqueout comeofintel
lect,
notfancyand
i
magi nat
[Link]
keromanticpoetr
y,whichisenti
relyt
heresultofsent
imentsoft hepoet,
neocl
assicalpoet r
yisasi mulated,fabr
icat
edandst ereotypi
calty
peofpoet r
[Link]
y,
senti
mentspl ayav it
alrolei
nwr i
ti
ngofpoet ry,
whi l
ei nneoclassi
cal
poetry
; r
easonandi ntel
l
ectare
dominantelement [Link] ghthav eheardaboutCol eri
dgeandWor dsworth,whowr ot
epoet r
y
thor
oughlyatt heimpulseoft heiri
magi nat
[Link] dn’tl
ayemphasisonr easontocompose
poetr
[Link] assicalpoet
smadeanef forttodisregardimaginat
ion,
emot ionandfeeli
ngs,whil
e
composingt heirpoetry
.Thatist hereason;theirpoetrymaybebr andedasar ti
fi
cial
andsy nt
heti
c.

Schol
arl
yAl
lusi
ons
Theneoclassi
calpoetsalwayslovedt omakeuseofschol arl
yallusionsintheirpoetr
[Link] heywere
al
lhighl
yeducatedandwel l
-versedinv ari
ousf i
eldsofstudi
es,theyknewal otaboutreligi
ous,
bi
bli
calandclassi
calli
ter
[Link]
usionshel pedthem toconveyt heirmessaget othei
rr eader
s
eff
ecti
velyandeasil
[Link] ;t
heirpoet ryi
sbrimmingwi t
hpl entif
ulal
lusionstoclassical
wri
tersi
.e.,
Vir
gil
,HoraceandHomer .Theydesi redtowr i
tei
nt hemanneroft heircl
assicalmaster
s.
Lookatthefoll
owingexampl estakenfr om Rapeoft heLockbyAl exanderPope:

Saf
epasttheGnomet hro't
hisfantast
icband,
Abranchofheal
ingSpleenwortinhishand.
(
Rapeoft
heLock,
Cant
oIV)

I
ntheabove-
menti
onedli
nes,
Spleenworti
sabr [Link]
eferri
ngtoVir
gil
’
sAenei
d,
wher
eint
heAeneasvisi
tst
heganglandsafel
yjustbecauseofhavingmagicalbr
anchofatr
ee.

TheGoddesswi t
hadiscontent
edair
Seemstor ej
ecthi
m,tho'shegrant
shispr
ay'r
.
Awond'rousBagwithbothherhandsshebinds,
Li
kethatwhereonceUlyssesheldthewi
nds.
(
Rapeoft
heLock,
Cant
oIV)

I
ntheabov
e-ment
ionedl
i
nes,
thepoethasmadeal
l
usi
onst
oHomer
’sOdy
ssey
.

Di
dact
ici
sm
Neoclassi calpoetsr ebel
ledagai nstther omant icnatureofpoetryoft heRenaissancePer iod.
Romant icpoet slovedt ocomposepoet ryj ustforthesakeofpoet r
ylikeJohnKeat [Link] ri
edhar d
tosidestepmor ali
tyanddi dact i
cism inthei rpoetr
[Link] posewast ogi veventtot hei
r
feel
i
[Link] heotherhand, theneocl assi calpoetslaidstresssigni
ficantl
yont hedidacticpurpose
ofpoetry .Theyendeav ouredhar dtof i
xt het eet
hingtroublesofhumani t
ythroughthemagi calpower
ofpoetry .Theneocl assicalpoet swer echi efl
yconcernedwi ththedidacticaspectsoft heirpoetr
y .
Thatist her eason;mostoft heneocl assical poetr
yisrepletewithdidactici
sm toagr eatdeal.
Considert hef ol
lowingl i
nest akenfrom Al exanderPope’ spoem AnEssayonMan, whichi s
absolutelyanexcel lentexampl ei nthisregar d:

Vicei
samonst erofsof r
ightfulmi
en,
Astobehat edneedsbuttobeseen;
Yetseentoooft,fami
li
arwi t
hherface,
Wef i
rstendur
e,thenpi
ty,thenembrace.
AnEssayonManbyAl
( exanderPope)

Real
ism
Realism i sthehal lmar kofneocl assicalpoetr
y .Theneocl assicalpoets, unliker omant i
cpoets,were
notlivingi nthei
rownwor l
dofi maginati
[Link] ehar dreali
stsandt heypr esentedthetrue
pict
ur eoft heirsoci ety .Theydidn’tturnthei
rey esfrom thehar shr eal
itiesofl i
[Link]
obser versanddwel leduponwhatt heyexperiencedwi tht hei
ropeney esi nt heirpoetry
.Thesepoet s
werenotescapi stsl i
ker omanticpoets,whot urnedt hei
rbackt ot hehar shreal i
tiesofli
feandt r
ied
toescapef r
om t hem wi ththehelpofpl i
ghtofi [Link] assi
cal poet swer emenofact ion
andpr act i
callyl
iv edi nt hemi [Link] swhy ;theyhadav erykeenobser v
ati
onoft hei
r
society .Theyav oi dedabst r
actideas,imaginativethought sandideal i
sm i nt [Link]
yden’sand
Pope’ spoet ryarer epl etewi t
hexcel l
entexampl esofr eali
[Link] hef ollowingexampl e:

WhenIconsi derLife,'t
isallacheat;
Yet,f
ooledwi t
hhope, menf avourthedecei
t;
Truston,andthinkt o-mor r
owwi llr
epay:
To-morrow'sfalserthant hef or
merday ;
Li
eswor se;andwhi l
eitsay s,weshallbebl
est
Withsomenewj oys,cutsof fwhatwepossesst
.
(
Aur
angZebbyJohnDr
yden)

Adher
encet
oCl
assi
calRul
es
Theneoclassicalpoet
swer eundoubt edl
ygr eatadherent
sofclassi
calrul
[Link]-
outto
revi
vetheClassici
sm intheirpoetrybyf ol
lowingeachandev eryrul
eofCl assi
[Link]
rhighest
concernwast oadheretot heclassicalrul
esandempl oythem i
ntheirpoetryasmuchaspossi ble.
Thatisthereason;neoclassicalpoetryisalsolabeledasPseudoClassicalPoetry
.Theyrespected
theclassi
calrul
esagr [Link] hef oll
owingexamplefrom Pope’spoetry:

ThoseRULESofolddiscovered,notdevised,
AreNaturest
il
l,
butNatureMet hodized;
Natur
e,li
keLi
berty
,isbutrestrai
ned
BythesameLawswhi chfirstherselfor
dained.
EssayonCr
( it
ici
sm byAl
exanderPope)

Her
oicCoupl
et
Her oiccoupletisanot herhallmarkofneocl assicalpoet r
y .Theneocl assical poetswer eprimarily
responsi bl
eforreput ati
onofher oiccoupletsi nthehistoryofEngl ishl i
[Link] et he
champi onsofher oi
ccoupl [Link] ,i
nt hehi st
oryofEngl i
shl i
terature, cancompet ewi t
ht he
mast eryofneoclassicalpoetsinhandl i
ngher oiccoupl [Link] ledeachandev erypoeti nthis
regar [Link] hefi
rstpoet ,whoempl oyedher oiccoupl etinhi spoet [Link]
renownedpoet soft hewor ldtri
edt hei
rhandsonher oiccoupl et,yetDr ydenandPopear etheonl y
poet s,whoout di
dev er y
onei [Link] econsi deredast hereal mast ersofher oi
ccoupl et.
Whati smostimpor tantaboutt heset wopoet sisthattheypol ishedt heher oiccouplet,correctedit
,
madei tregul
ar,mor ef l
exi
bleandapol i
shedmedi um ofpoet i
cexpr essi [Link] yden
wr oteal mostthi
rtythousandher oiccoupl [Link] keAbsal
i am andAchi topel,Mac
FlecnoeandTheMedalar eal li
nher oi
ccoupl [Link] hefollowi ngexampl es:

Musicr
esemblespoetry:ineach
Arenamelessgr
aceswhi chnomethodsteach,
Andwhichamast erhandalonecanr
each.
AnEssayonCr
( it
ici
sm byAl
exanderPope)
Goodnatur
eandgoodsensemusteverj
oin;
Toerri
shuman,t
oforgi
ve,di
vi
ne.
AnEssayonCr
( it
ici
sm byAl
exanderPope)

NoPassi
onat
eLy
rici
sm
Romanticpoetryi
spopul arforitsl
y r
icalquali
ty,whi
leneoclassicalpoetryi
slackinginly
r i
cal
feat
uresduetoapat hyoftheneocl assicalpoetsforpassion,f
eelingsandemot [Link]
thepassi
onwi t
hdistrustandsuspi [Link];veryfewl yr
icswerewr i
tteni
nt heageof
PopeandDr [Link]’tgivefreeplaytot hei
rimaginati
on; r
athertheydweltupont he
i
ntel
lect
ualaspectsofpoet r
y .Lookatt hefoll
owingexampl e:

Iam HisHi
ghness'dogatKew;
Praytel
lme,si
r,whosedogareyou?
Engr
( avedont
heCol
l
arofaDogWhi
chIGav
etoHi
sRoy
alHi
ghnessbyAl
exanderPope)

Obj
ect
ivi
ty
Objecti
vit
yisanot heri
mpor t
antfeat
ureofneoclassi
calpoetr
y .Asthesepoetswerecompl et
ely
againstsubjecti
vit
yinpoetry
, t
heyendeavour
edhar dtowrit
eobj ect
ivepoet
[Link]
ng
venttotheirfeel
ings;r
athertheydweltuponthemiseri
es,hardshipsandproblemsofthepeople
[Link] swhy ;wef i
ndver
yl i
tt
lei
nformati
onaboutt heli
vesofneoclassi
calpoetsinthei
r
poetry.

Poet
icDi
cti
on
Poeti
cdi ct
ionofneocl assi
cal poetryiscomplet
elydi
fferentf r
om thatofromant i
cpoet ry.I
n
romanticpoet r
y,thedicti
oni sfl
exibleandeasytouse, whileintheneoclassicalpoetry
, i
tis
rest
rai
ned, concreteandr i
[Link] assi
calpoet
swer ef ondofusi ngadiffer
entlanguagef or
poetr
[Link] houghtthatther eshouldbeadi vi
dingl
inebet weent helanguageofpr oseandpoet r
y.
Thatiswhy ;theylai
demphasi sonspeci fi
cstyl
[Link] eofthev iewthatdecor um,
specif
icstyleandmanner i
sm ar ethev i
talel
ementsofpoet [Link]
exanderPopewasv eryconscious
aboutthelanguageofhi [Link] sinEssayonCr it
icism:
Expressionisthedr essofthought, andsti
ll
Appearsmor edecentasmor esuitable.
AvileConcei ti
npompouswor dsexpr ess'
d
Isl
ikeacl owninr egalpurpl
edr ess'd
Fordiff
'rentsty
leswi thdi
ff'
rentsubj ect
ssort,
Assev'ralgarbswi t
hcount r
y ,
town, andcourt.
EssayonCr
( it
ici
sm byAl
exanderPope)

Not
eont
hewr
it
ingsofDr
yden&Pope
TheNeocl assicperiod,li
keallotherperiods,wasareact
iontotheperi
od
whichprecededi t,
theRenai ssanceper i
[Link]
sfocusedupon
theimportanceofor derandrestrai
[Link] ongerwer
etextsfi
ll
edwith
overzeal
ousr amblings; i
nst
ead,thet ext
sbecamesi mpli
fiedbytheauthor
s
usingonlyconv ent
ional l
it
erarydevices-andonlywhenabsolutel
ynecessary
.
Thetextsfocusedupont heidealsasstatedbyt heclassics-thi
stypi
cal l
y
i
nvolvedtheorderandpeace( whi
chcamef r
om or der)embr acedbyt he
RomanEmpi r
[Link] st
sbel i
evedthatmanki ndwasconst anti
nt heir
behavior
.Therefor
e,theabi l
itytosucceedorf ai
l hasalreadybeenprov enin
[Link]
evedt hatoneshoul dnottrytosetgoal swhichexistedfar
beyondrati
onalreasoning; i
nstead,goalsshouldbesi mpl i
sti
csoast oi nsur
e
success.

JohnDryden'spoemswer ecr
eatedusingclassi
cfor
ms(
showi
ngusageof
cl
assi
cideals)andfocuseduponthefacts.

AlexanderPope' spoems, mirr

ori
ngDr y
den,wer etypi
cal
lywr i
tteninheroi
c
[Link],insteadofadher i
ngtothemodesoft heclassicpoets,Pope
(nAnEssayonCr
i iti
cism)wishedtodefinehimselfasat [Link]
,
Popeexami nest hetechniquesusedbyt heclassi
cpoetssoast odefine
himselfasapoet .Popeachi evesthi
sbygi v
ingcreditt
ot heclassi
cpoet s
regardingtheirauthorityonthemat t
erandt henshowst heimpor t
anceof
adheringtospeci ficattri
but
es.

Oli
verGol
dsmithwouldnotbeconsi
der edaNeoclassistgivenhedidnot
adheret
oanyspecif
icschoolori
[Link]
fy"
AnEl egyon
theDeat
hofaMadDog"asanexampl eofneoclassi
cpoet rysol
elybased
uponthefactt
hatt
hepoem supportssensibi
l
ityanddecency .

JohnDr
yden
JohnDr
yden1631–12MaywasanEngl i
shpoet
,li
ter
arycr
it
ic,
transl
ator
,andpl
aywr
ightwhowas
madeEngl
and'
sfir
stPoetLaur
eat
ein1668
Hei
sseenasdominati
ngthel
it
erar
yli
feofRestor
ati
onEnglandtosuchapointt
hattheper
iodcame
t
obeknowninl
it
eraryci
rcl
[Link]
terScottcal
l
edhi
m" Glor
iousJohn.
"

MacFl
ecknoe
MacFlecknoeisaversemock-heroi
csat
ir
ewri
tt
enbyJohnDryden.I
tisadi
rectat
tackonThomas
Shadwel
l,anot
herpr
omi nentpoetoft
heti
me.I
topenswit
htheli
nes:

Al
lhumant
hingsar
esubj
ectt
odecay
,
Andwhenf
atesummons,monar
chsmustobey
[2]

Writ
tenabout1678, butnotpubl
i
shedunt
il1682,"
MacFlecknoe"i
stheoutcomeofaser
ies
ofdisagreementsbetweenThomasShadwellandDry
[Link]
rel
blossomedf
rom t
he
fol
l
owi ngdisagr
eement s:
"
1)
Thei
rdi
ff
erentest
imat
esoft
hegeni
usofBenJonson,
2)Theprefer
enceofDrydenf
orcomedyofwi
tandr
epar
teeandofShadwel
l
,thechi
ef
di
sci
pleofJonson,
forhumorscomedy,
3)Ashar
pdi
sagr
eementov
ert
het
ruepur
poseofcomedy
,
4)Cont
ent
ionov
ert
hev
alueofr
hymedpl
ays,
and
5)Plagi
ari
sm."Shadwellf
anciedhimselfhei
rtoBenJonsonandt othevariet
yofcomedy
whichthelat
terhadcommonl ywri
[Link]
’
spoetr
ywascer tai
nlynotofthesame
standar
dasJonson’s,anditi
spossiblethatDr
ydenweariedofShadwell’
sargumentthat
Drydenunderval
[Link]
ednotonl ybyli
ter
ary
groundsbutalsobypoli
ti
calonesasShadwel l
wasaWhi g,whil
eDr y
denwasanout spoken
support
eroftheStuar
tmonar chy
.
Thepoem i l
lustratesShadwel lastheheirtoakingdom ofpoeti
cdul l
ness,repr
esentedby
hisassociati
onwi thRichar dFlecknoe,anear
lierpoetal
readysati
ri
zedbyAndr ew
Marvellanddi sl
ikedbyDr y
den, al
thoughthepoetdoesnotusebel it
tl
ingtechni
quest o
sati
ri
[Link] ti
pleallusi
onsi nthesati
reto17th-cent
uryli
ter
arywor ks,
andtoclassic
GreekandRomanl i
ter
ature,demonst r
ateDryden’scomplexapproachandhi smasteryover
themock- heroicstyle.
Thepoem begi nsint het oneofanepi cmast er
piece,presentingShadwel l
'
sdef i
ning
characteri
st i
casdul lness,justasev er
yepi cherohasadef iningchar act er
isti
c:Odysseus' s
i
scunni ng; Achi l
les'siswr ath;theher oofSpenser 'sTheFaer ieQueenei sofhol i
ness;
whilstSatani nPar adiseLosthast hedef ini
ngchar acteri
sti
cofpr [Link], Drydensubv erts
thethemeoft hedef iningchar acteri
sticbygi vi
ngShadwel lanegat ivechar acteri
sti
cashi s
onlyvirt
[Link] y denusest hemock- heroicthroughhi suseoft hehei ght enedlanguageoft he
epictotreatt het ri
v i
al subj
ectssuchaspoor lywr i
tt
enandl argelydi smi ssibl
epoet r
[Link]
j
uxtapositionoft hel oftystyl
ewi thunexpect ednounssuchas' dullness' provi
desani ronic
contrastandmakest hesatiri
cpoi ntbyt heobv i
ousdi spari
[Link],itwor ksatthev erbal
l
evel,witht helanguagebei ngcarr i
edbycompel li
ngr hythm andr hy me.

Li
nes1-
2
Al
lhumanthingsaresubj
ectt
odecay,
And,whenFatesummons,monarchsmustobey
:

 Dr
ydenbegi
nswi
thal
oft
ycomment
aryonmor
tal
i
ty,
God,
andki
ngs,
hisi
ntr
oduct
iont
o
whatwecanonl
yassumewi
l
lbeagr
andi
oseepi
cofHomer
icpr
opor
ti
ons.
 Aswewi
l
lsoondi
scov
er,
theent
ir
etyoft
hepoem i
swr
it
teni
nrhy
medher
oiccoupl
ets,
typi
caloft
heepicst
yle.(
Checkout"Form andMeter"f
ormoreonhowt hi
spoem i
sput
toget
her.
)
 From t
hisi
nit
ial
couplet
,Dry
dencreatestheatmosphereofanepi
c,agr
andiosest
oryof
godsandkings,i
nli
newiththet
radi
tionofpoeti
cbignameslikeHomerorMilt
on.

Li
nes3-
6
Thi
sFlecknoef ound,who,l
ikeAugustus,young
Wascall'
dt oempi r
e,andhadgov er
n'dlong:
I
nproseandv erse,wasown'd,
withoutdisput
e
Thr
oughal lthereal
msofNon- sense,absolut
e.
 Act
ual
l
y—j
/k,
ever
[Link]
sisnoepi
c;i
t'
sasat
ir
ewr
it
teni
nmock-
epi
cfor
m.I
nthese
l
i
neswegetasenseoft
hepoem'
str
uet
one,
inal
li
tsbi
ti
ng,
sar
cast
icgl
ory
.
 Her
e'sourf
ir
stappear
ancef
rom t
het
it
lechar
act
er,
oneMacFl
ecknoe,
themonar
ch
spokenofi nl
[Link] scouldbear ef
erencetoRichardFlecknoe,anear l
i
erEngl i
shpoet
l
ikelyofIri
shori
[Link] egardedtobeapoet aster—basicall
ysomeonewho
wr i
tesbadpoetry—knownf orhavi
ngtopayt ogethispoemspubl ished
 LikeAugustus,thefi
rstemper orofRome, Fl
ecknoe'srul
ewasl ongandsuccessf ul
.But
ofcour seFl
ecknoe'sdomai nisn'
tRome, butrat
herthe"realmsofNon- sense,"ofwhich
heist hepoet
-ki
[Link] sdisti
ncti
ondoesnotr ef
lectwellonhisli
terarytal
ents.

Li
nes7-
14
Thi
sagedpr i
ncenowf l
ourishinginpeace,
Andblestwi thissueofal argei ncrease,
Wornoutwi t
hbusi ness,didatl engthdebate
Tosettlethesuccessi onoft heSt ate:
Andpond' ri
ngwhi chofal lhissonswasf it
Toreign,andwagei mmor t
alwarwi thwit;
Cry'
d,'
tisresolv'
d;fornaturepl eadst hathe
Shouldonlyrule,whomostr esembl esme:

 Theendofourki
ng'
sli
fei
snear
,howev
er,
andi
tist
imenowf
orhi
mtodecl
arehi
s
successort
othet
hrone.
 Hehasbeenbl
essedwi
tha"
lar
gei
ncr
ease"(
a.k.
[Link]
ebr
oodofof
fspr
ing)
,andhe
mustchoosewhi
choneofhi
schi
l
drenwi
l
linher
itt
heki
ngdom.
 Sohowwi
l
lhemaket
hisdeci
sion?Hewi
l
lchooset
hehei
rwhoi
smostl
i
ket
heki
ng
hi
msel
f,i
nwi
tandpoet
icabi
l
ity(
or,
asDr
ydeni
mpl
i
es,
lackt
her
eof
).
 Somet
hingt
ell
suswear
en'
tex
act
lygoi
ngt
ogetShakespear
east
henextki
ng.

Li
nes15-
18
Shadwellal
onemyper f
ecti
magebear s,
Matureindull
nessfr
om hi
stenderyears.
Shadwellal
one,ofal
lmysons,i
she
Whost andsconfi
rm'
dinful
lst
upidi
ty.

 Ent
erThomasShadwell
,thehapl
esssubjectofDryden'
sire.
 I
nsteadofwr
it
ingoutt
hef ul
lnameof"Shadwell
,"Dryden'
sorigi
nal
textact
ual
l
yreads
"Sh—" ,i
mpl yi
ngacer tainscat ologi calexpleti
ve(hint:i
trhymeswi th"sni
t").I
tal soimpl i
es
thenameoft hewr it
er: Shadwel l
.
 Dryden'smet er ,howev er,consi sti
ngoft ensy l
labl
el i
nes,requi
resat wo-syll
ablewor d
[Link] ul
l name" Shadwel l"f i
tst hebill
.
 Inhissupr emedul l
nessandst upi dity,
itisShadwel lal
onewhoappear sf i
ttoinher itthe
thronef r
om Fl ecknoe.
 Let'stakeamomentt ost epoutoft hekingdom ofnonsenseandbacki ntor eality:
Shadwel landDr ydenwer eoncef riends,buttheirrelat
ionshipsouredov ersev eral
disagreement [Link] vergentpol it
icalvi
ews, asDr y
densuppor tedtheSt uar t
monar chywhi l
eShadwel l
wasamemberoft heopposi ngpar t
y,cal
ledtheWhi gs.
 Theyhadr eli
giousdi fferences, too, givenDryden'sCat hol
icsympat hi
esandShadwel l
's
[Link] heyhadar unningdebat eov erthemer it
sofShakespear eandhi s
cont emporaryBenJonson; DrydenwasaShakespear efan,whileShadwel lconsi dered
hi
msel
fthel
eadi
ngst
udentandhei
rtoJonson'
slegacy
 Thi
sfest
eri
ngcont
ent
iousnessbet
weent
het
wowr
it
ersr
eachedaboi
l
ingpoi
ntwhen
Shadwel
lpubli
shed"TheMedal ofJohnBayes"i
n1682, whi
chatt
ackedDrydenhead-
on.
Drydenr
espondedwi t
hint
hey earwi
th"MacFlecknoe.
"ThoughShadwell
wouldgoont o
repl
aceDry
denasPoetLaur eateofEngl
and,i
tseemst hatDr
ydenul
timat
elyhadthel
ast
l
augh,gi
venthelegacyof"Fl
ecknoe.
"

Li
nes19-
24
Theresttosomef aintmeaningmakepr et
ence,
ButShadwellneverdev i
atesi
ntosense.
Somebeamsofwi tonot hersoul
smayf al
l,
Str
ikethr
oughandmakeal uci
dint
erval
;
ButShadwell'
sgenuinenightadmitsnoray,
Hisri
singfogsprevailupontheday:

 Backt
other
eal
m ofnonsense,
wher
eShadwel
li
sundev
iat
ingl
ydaf
tandi
mpenet
rabl
y
[Link] ofi ntel
li
genceorwitcanr eachhi
mi nhis"genui
neni
ght .
"Inother
words, he'
sacompl etemor on.
 He r
e,theironypresentinDryden'
smock- heroicst
ylebecomesespecial
l
ycl ear
.Dryden
dropsinsultaft
erinsult,
berati
ngtheint
elli
genceandsubstanceofhisvicti
m—buti nthe
l
oftylanguageandst y
lethatmightbeusedt oexaltthemanyv i
rt
uesofaHomer i
cher o.

Li
nes25-
32
Besi
deshi sgoodlyfabri
cf i
llst
heey e,
Andseemsdesi gn'dforthoughtlessmaj esty:
Thoughtlessasmonar choaks, thatshadet hepl
ain,
And,spreadinsolemnst ate,supinel
yr ei
gn.
HeywoodandShi rleywerebutt ypesoft hee,
Thoulastgreatprophetoft aut
ology:
EvenI,adunceofmor erenownt hant hey,
Wassentbef orebuttopr eparethyway ;

 Nope,
youdi
dn'
treadt
hatf
ir
stl
i
newr
ong:
it'
sthesev
ent
eent
h-cent
uryequi
val
entofaf
at
j
oke.
 He'
sthought
lessasanoak,
Dry
den(
usi
ngasi
mil
e)say
sofShadwel
l
.Weguesshe
probablyhadmor eintel
lectthanatree,buteit
herway—ouch.
 Drydenthenr efer
encest woear l
ierEngli
shpoetsandpl aywri
ghts:JohnHey woodand
JamesShi r
[Link]
heroft hesetwowr it
ersgarneredmuchaccl ai
m duringtheirday
,
presumabl yprepari
ngt hewayf ormor elackl
usterwri
terstocome.
 A" t
autology"isbasicall
yjustaredundancy ,t
heunnecessaryrepetit
ionofinformati
on.
Drydenaccusest hesepoet s,mostimportant
lyShadwellhimsel
f ,
ofbad, i
l
logicalwri
ti
ng.

Li
nes33-
40
AndcoarselycladinNorwichdr uggetcame
Toteachthenat i
onsinthygreat ername.
Mywar bl
inglute,t
helut
eIwhi lom strung
Whent oKingJohnofPor tugalIsung,
Wasbutthepr eludet
othatgl ori
ousday ,
Whenthouonsi
l
verThamesdid'stcutthyway,
Wit
hwellt
im'
doarsbef
oretheroyalbarge,
Swel
l'
dwitht
hepri
deofthycel
estialchar
ge;

 Wel
l,i
tlooksl
ikesomedefini
ti
onsar einorderhere.A"dr
ugget"isaroughwoolenfabr
ic.
 Nor
wichwast helar
gestci
tyi
nNor folkCounty,Shadwell
'
splaceoforigi
n.
 "
Whil
om"i sanarchai
ctermfor"once,"asthespeakeronceplayedlut
e(astr
inged
i
nstrumentpi ct
uredhere)forKingJohnofPort
[Link]
ydenactuall
yspentsomet i
mei
n
Portugal,
havingwrit
tenanumberofpi ecesdedi
catedtothePortuguesemonarch.
 Ther i
verThamesr unsthroughLondon.
 Inthissecti
on,thespeakeraddressesShadwel
ldir
ectl
yinthesecondperson,
remember ingasthewr i
terappearedi
nthecapit
alaboardashipont heri
ver(
"t
houon
sil
verThames" ).

Li
nes41-
48
Andbi gwit
hhy mn, commanderofanhost ,
Theli
kewasne' erinEpsom bl anket
stoss'
d.
MethinksIseet henewAr ionsai l
,
Thelutesti
llt
rembl ingunder neaththynail
.
Atthywellsharpen'dt humbf rom shoretoshore
Thetrebl
esqueaksf orf
ear ,t
hebassesr oar:
Echoesfrom Pissing- Al
ley
, Shadwellcal
l,
AndShadwel ltheyresoundf rom AstonHall.

 Thespeakerdescr
ibesasShadwel
lri
desi
ntoLondonv
ict
ori
ous,
asi
fhewer
ethe
commanderofal
argear
my.
 "
Epsom bl
anket
stoss'
d"i
sar
efer
encebot
htoEpsom Wel
l
s,a1672pl
aybyShadwel
l
,as
wel
last
oal
i
nef
rom anot
herofhi
spl
ay TheVi
s, rt
uoso,
whi
chdebut
edi
n1676.
 Ar
ionwasananci
entGr
eekpoetandmusi
[Link]
hest
orygoes,
hewasr
idi
nghomeon
ashipwhent hesail
orsdecidedtokillhimrobhimf [Link]
edt o
singonel astsongaccompani edbyhi slyr
eand,afterdoingso,hejumpedint
othe
water—wher ehewassav edbyadol phinwhocar r
iedhi mtoshore.
 Appa rent
lytherewasanact ual"Pi
ssing-All
ey"i
nLondondur i
ngDryden'
sday,wherethe
l
ocal swoulddot hei
rbusiness(charmi ng)
.Though, opensewerswerecommonpl ace
everywhere.
 "AstonHal l
"li
kelyr
eferst
oaBi r
mingham mansi on,construct
edseveral
decadespriorto
thepubl i
cati
onofthepoem.

Li
nes49-
55
Aboutthyboatt heli
ttl
efi
shest hr
ong,
Asatthemor ningtoast,t
hatfloatsalong.
Sometimesaspr i
nceofthyhar moniousband
Thouwi eld'
stthypaper si
nt hythreshi
nghand.
[Link]'
sf eetne'erkeptmor eequaltime,
Notev'nthef eetofthyownPsy che'srhyme:
Thought heyinnumberasi nsenseexcel
Sojust,soliketautologytheyfell
,

 Thet
erm"
toast
"ref
erst
owast
eint
her
iver(
ew)
.It
'snotanent
ir
elyf
lat
ter
ing
i
ntr
oduct
ionf
orShadwel
l
.
 St
.Andr
ewasaFr
enchmast
erofdance,
whochor
eogr
aphedShadwel
l
's1675oper
a
l
ibr
etoPsy
t che.
 Dry
denpunsont hewor d"f
eet"her
e,ref
err
ingtothefeetofthedancerSt
.Andr
e,aswel
l
astothemetr
icalfeetandrhy
meschemeofShadwel sPsy
l
' che.
 Wea l
sogetanotherdigatShadwell
's"t
aut
ology,
"hispoorl
y-const
ruct
edwri
ti
ng.

Li
nes57-
63
That,pal
ewi t
henv y
,Singl
etonf orswor e
Theluteandswor dwhichhei nt ri
umphbor e
Andv ow'
dhene' erwouldactVi l
leriusmor e.
Herestoptthegoodol dsir
e;andweptf orj
oy
I
nsi l
entrapt
uresofthehopef ulboy .
Allar
gument s,butmosthisplay s,persuade,
Thatforanoint
eddullnesshewasmade.

 Whoar
ethesef
olks,
youwonder
?JohnSi
ngl
etonwasacour
tmusi
cianandsi
nger
,and
Vill
eri
usi sacharacteri
nSirWil
li
am Davenant
's1656tr
agicomicoper TheSi
a, egeof
[Link] ght
,[Link]
ousSingleton,
the
speakeri mpl
ies,wil
lbegrandmasterofLondonnomor e,nowthatShadwelli
si nt
own.
 Itcan'tbedenied:Shadwell
,i
nallhi
sdull
ness,i
stheonlymanf ort
[Link]
se
i
sj ustplayi
ngforsecondplace.

Li
nes64-
71
Closetot hewallswhichfai
rAugust abind,
(ThefairAugustamucht ofearsinclin'
d)
Ananci entfabr
ic,r
ais'
dt'
inf
ormt hesi ght
,
Therest oodofyore,andBarbi
cani thight:
Awat cht oweronce;butnow,sof ateordains,
Ofallthepileanempt ynamer emai ns.
From it
sol drui
nsbrothel
-housesr i
se,
Scenesofl ewdloves,andofpollutedjoys.

 "
August
a"r
efer
sher
[Link]
d"august
"or
igi
nal
l
ymeanst
oinspi
rer
ever
ence
orawe,
rei
nfor
cingt
hepoem'
smock-
epi
ctone.
 Londonwasi
nast
ateoff
eardur
ingt
hist
imeduet
otheso-
cal
l
ed"
Popi
shPl
ot,
"an
al
legedconspiracysuggesti
ngthattheJesuit
splannedt oassassi
nateKingCharl
esII
.
Theplotturnedouttobecompl et
elyinaccur
ate
 TheBa r
bican("i
thight"means"i
twascal l
ed")wasadef ensi
vefort
ifi
cat
ionlocat
edin
[Link]
sf or
mergl oryi
sgone,howev er
,asithasbecomet hesit
eofbr ot
hels,
fort
he
purposeof"poll
utedjoys.
"

Li
nes72-
78
Wheretheirvastcourt
s,themot her
-st
rumpetskeep,
And,undist
urb'
dbywat ch,insi
lencesleep.
Neartheseanur ser
yerectsit
shead,
Wherequeensar eform'd,andfutur
eher oesbred;
Whereunf l
edg'
dactorslearntolaughandcr y,
Wher
einfantpunkst
hei
rtenderv
oicest
ry,
Andl
it
tl
eMaxi minst
hegodsdefy.

 Her
eDr
ydenpai
ntsf
orusapi
ctur
eofa"
nur
ser
y,"wher
ethebr
othel
chi
l
drenl
ear
ntobe
[Link]
stoneisquiteir
oni
chere,
seeingasthi
sbrotheli
sanunl
ikelybir
thpl
acefor
"queens"and"f
utureheroes.
"
 Weha vemoreter
mi nol
ogytocl
earup:t
het er
m"punks"ref
erst
oprost i
tut
es.
 Also,Maximinwasachar act
eri
nDryden'sown1670dr amaTyr
annickLove—at r
agic
hero.

Li
nes79-
84
GreatFl
etchernevertr
eadsinbuskinshere,
NorgreaterJonsondaresinsocksappear;
Butgentl
eSi mkinj
ustrecept
ionfi
nds
Amidstthismonumentofv anish'
dminds:
Purecli
nches,thesuburbi
anmuseaf for
ds;
AndPant onwagingharmlesswarwi t
hwor ds.

 JohnFl
etcherwasanear
lysev
ent
eent
h-cent
urypl
aywr
ightknownf
orhi
str
agedi
es;
in
theancientGr eektradi
ti
on, "
buskins"weretheki ndofbootwornbyact orswhen
perfor
mi ngtragedies.
 Be nJonson, acontempor aryofFletcher
'sandani dolofShadwell'
s,wasaplay wri
ght
bestknownf orhiscomedi es,forwhichperfor
mer sonstagegener al
lyworesocks.
 "Simkin"isadr amatict
ermf orasimplet
onoracl own,whil
e"cli
nches"isanotherword
forpuns, ofwhichThomasPant onwasawel l
-knownpracti
ti
oner.
 I
nshor t,thespeakerexplainsher ethatt
hereisnor oom fort
ragediesorcomedi esint
his
place;onlyfoolsandpunst erswhowage" harmlesswar[s]wit
hwor ds"mayf i
ndan
audienceher e.

Li
nes85-
89
HereFlecknoe,asaplacet ofamewel lknown,
Ambiti
ouslydesign'
dhisShadwel l'
sthrone.
ForancientDeckerprophesi'
dlongsince,
Thati
nt hispi
leshouldrei
gnami ghtypri
nce,
Bornforascour geofwit,andfl
ailofsense:

 Whatbet
terpl
acef
orShadwel
ltor
esi
det
hanher
e,t
hisunf
ort
unat
epar
toft
owndev
oid
ofgoodwr
it
ersandcul
tur
e?I
tisher
ethatFl
ecknoeset
supShadwel
l
'snewt
hrone.
 ThomasDekkerwasani
l
l-r
egar
dedEngl
i
shwr
it
er,
andav
ict
im ofBen
Jonson'ssati
r ThePoet
e, [Link] ophecyf r
om Dekker,i
nthissense,i
shardl
yashi ni
ng
endorsement—thoughthi
sant i
cipatedprincewithoutwitorsenseseemst operf
ectl
yfit
thebil
l.
 Drydenisri
ghtbackatbeli
tt
lingShadwel l
.Thepr evi
oust went
ylineshaveserv
edt oset
upShadwel l
'
snewdomai nasapl aceofillreput
eandl ackoftaste—nowShadwellis
abouttoassumehi spl
aceont het hrone.

Li
nes90-
93
Towhom t
ruedul
l
nessshoul
dsomePsy
chesowe,
Butworl
dsofMiser
sfrom hi
spenshouldflow;
Humori
stsandhypocr
it
esitshoul
dproduce,
WholeRaymondfamil
i
es,andtri
besofBruce.

 Thesel
i
nesmaker
efer
encet
othr
eeofShadwel
l
'spl
ay TheMi
s: ser
,TheHumor
ist
s,
andTheHy
pocr
it
e.
 Raymondi
sachar
act
erf
rom TheHumor
ist
s,andBr
ucei
sachar
act
erf
rom The
Vi
rt
uoso.
 Dr
ydeni
staki
ngashotatev
eryShadwel
lwor
khecan.

Li
nes94-
101
NowEmpr essFamehadpubl ishttherenown,
OfShadwell'
scoronat i
onthrought hetown.
Rous'
dbyr eportoffame, thenationsmeet ,
Fr
om nearBun- Hil
l
,anddi stantWat l
ing-
str
eet.
NoPersiancarpetsspreadt h'i
mper i
alway,
Butscatt
er'
dlimbsofmangl edpoet slay:
Fr
om dustyshopsnegl ectedaut horscome,
Martyr
sofpies,andr el
iquesoft hebum.

 I
t'
scoronat
iont
ime!
 Shadwel
l'
sfamestr
etchesf
rom "
Bun-
Hil
l
"to"
dist
antWat
li
ng-
str
eet
"—whi
chi
nreal
i
ty
washar dlydistantatall
.Thespeaker 'sironicstatementshowst henar r
owl i
mi t
sof
Shadwel l
'
si nfl
uence.
 I
tisnot" Persiancarpets"andot hertradit
ional
lyr oyal,
luxur
yitemst hatlinethestr
eetfor
hiscoronation,butrat
hert he"scatter
'dlimbsofmangl edpoets."Thi
st houghtsuggests
thatShadwel l
'sascensiont othethroneoccur satt heexpenseofgoodandsensi ble
poetry
.
 I
nt i
mesofscar cit
y,paperf r
om bookswoul dof tenber epur
posedf orot [Link]
ning
pieti
nswasonesuchusage, andt oil
etpaperwasanot her(
"rel
iquesoft he
bum" )
—cl assy.
 Dryden'suseoft oil
ethumorcont rast
st heelevatedt oneofthepoem, combi ni
nghighart
andlowbr owj okeseffort
lessly.

Li
nes102-
109
MuchHey wood,Shirl
ey,Oglebytherelay,
ButloadsofShadwel lalmostchok' dtheway .
Bi
lk'
dst ati
onersforyeomanst oodpr epar '
d,
AndHer ri
ngmanwasCapt ainoft heGuar d.
Thehoar ypri
nceinmaj est
yappear '
d,
Highonat hr
oneofhisownl aboursrear'd.
Athisri
ghthandoury oungAscani ussat
Rome'sot herhope,andpil
larofthest ate.

 Lot
smor eident
if
icat
ioni
scall
edf orher
[Link]
ournotesr
eady?
 Thespeakeragai
nmakesr ef
erencetomediocr
epoetsJohnHeywood,
JamesShi
rl
ey,
andnowi ncl
udesJohnOgl
eby—aScotti
shtransl
atorandcart
ographerwhoalso
happenedtowrit
ebadpoet
[Link], thespeakersuggest
s,but
Shadwelli
sevenworse.
 "
Bil
k'
dst
ati
oner
s"r
efer
stot
hebooksel
l
erswhocannotsel
lShadwel
l
'sshoddypoet
ry.
"
Yeomen"wer
eroy
alat
tendant
s.
 Henr
yHer
ri
ngmanwasapubl
i
sherandbooksel
l
er,
whopubl
i
shedDr
yden,
aswel
las
Shadwel
l
."Hoar
y"means"
whi
te,
"ref
err
ingher
etot
heel
der
lyFl
ecknoeasheappear
s.
 Ascani
uswasaher
oandki
ngf
eat
uredi
nVi
rgi
l
' cTheAenei
sepi [Link]
he
founder softheRomanpeopl
[Link] i
keShadwell
,heinher
it
edthethr
onefr
om hi
s
father.
 Ther eferenceher
etoRomereinfor
cesthemockepictone,t
hespeakerir
oni
cal
l
y
l
ikeningShadwel l
'
ssit
uat
iont
ot hatoft
heclassi
calher
oesofold.

Li
nes110-
117
Hisbr owsthickfogs,insteadofgl ori
es,
gr ace,
Andl ambentdul l
nesspl ay'
dar oundhisface.
AsHanni baldidtot healtarscome,
Swor nbyhissi r
eamor talfoet oRome;
SoShadwel lswor e,norshoul dhisvowbev ain,
Thathet i
lldeathtruedul l
nesswoul dmai ntai
n;
Andi nhisfather'
sright,andr ealm'
sdefence,
Ne'ertohav epeacewi thwi t,
nort r
ucewithsense.

 Thespeakeri
roni
cal
l
ydescr
ibesShadwel
l
'sdul
l
nessas"
lambent
,"orgl
owi
ng,
play
ing
ar
oundhi
sfaceasi
fitwer
ewi
torsomesembl
anceofr
adi
ance.
 Hanni
bal
wasagener
alf
rom Car
thagewhowar
redagai
[Link]
s
f
ather
,heswor
etocombatRomeasl
ongashel
i
ved.
 Thus,
Shadwel
lswear
stowagewaronwi
tandsense,
all
int
henameof"
tr
uedul
l
ness"
andt
hedef
enseoft
her
eal
m.

Li
nes118-
123
Theki nghi mselfthesacredunctionmade,
Askingbyof fi
ce,andaspr i
estbytrade:
I
nhi ssinisterhand,inst
eadofbal l,
Hepl ac'
dami ghtymugofpot entale;
Love'skingdom t ohisri
ghthedi dconv ey,
Atoncehi ssceptreandhi srul
eofsway ;

 "Unct
ion"herereferstothepr
ocessofanoi
nti
nganewki ngwit
hsacr
amentaloil
.
 Wek nowt hatRichardFl
ecknoe'
sdayjobwasasapriest
.
 Theterm" si
nist
er"justmeans"l
eft
,"sot
hespeakerr
efer
ringt
otheki
ng'
[Link]
word" si
nister
"inmoder nEngl
ishcomesf rom thatLati
nwor dforl
eft
-handed.(
Sorr
y,
southpaws. )
 Athiscor onati
on,t
hekingofEnglandwoul dbepr esentedwithascepterandorbasa
symbol ofpower .I
nthiscase,i
nsteadofanor b,orball
,thenewkingispresent
edwith
booze, i
mpl yi
ngthedimwitt
eddullnessofthenewmonar ch.
 Love'sKingdom wasanot herofShadwell
'splays.

Li
nes124-
131
Whoseri
ght
eousl
or et
heprincehadpr
acti
s'dyoung,
Andfr
om whosel
oinsrecor
dedPsychesprung,
Histempleslastwithpoppieswer eo'erspr
ead,
Thatnoddingseem' dtoconsecratehishead:
Justatthatpointofti
me,iffamenotl ie,
Onhislefthandtwelvereverendowl sdidfl
y.
SoRomul us,'
ti
ssung, byTiber'
sbrook,
Presageofswayf rom twi
cesi xvult
urestook.

 I
nthissecti
on,wegetanotherr
efer
encet
oShadwellsPsy
' che.
 Shadwellal
sohadanaddicti
ontoopium,
whichismadefrom poppi
es.
 Accordi
ngtoRomanmy th,Romulus,t
hel
egendaryf
ounderofRome,wasv
isi
tedby
twel
vev ul
tureswhotoldhi
m wher etoest
abli
shtheci
[Link],Dr
yden
mockinglyjuxt
aposi
tionst
hisdebasednarr
ati
vewithcl
assicalepi
cs,compar
ing
Shadwell'
scoronati
onandv i
sit
ati
onbyowlstothefoundingofRome.

Li
nes132-
138
Th'
admi ri
ngthrongloudaccl amati
onsmake,
Andomensofhi sfutureempi r
etake.
Thesirethenshookt hehonour sofhishead,
Andf r
om hisbrowsdampsofobl ivi
onshed
Ful
lont hefil
i
aldull
ness:longhest ood,
Repell
ingfrom hi
sbr eastt
her agi
nggod;
Atlengthburstoutinthispropheti
cmood:

 Athrongofadmi r
erscheer
sShadwel l
on,ashet akeshi
sseatonthethrone.
 Ofcourse,heissodaft,
thespeakercl
aims,thatheli
ter
all
ysweatsobl
ivi
ousness.
 By"f
ili
al,
"thespeakermeansthatShadwell
inheri
tshisdul
lnessf
rom t
heol dki
ng
Fl
ecknoe.
 AndthusFlecknoepr
epar
est
oaddr
esst
hecr
owd.(
Thi
soughtt
obegood…)

Li
nes139-
144
Heavensblessmyson, fr
om Ir
elandl ethi
mr ei
gn
TofarBarbadoesontheWest ernmai n;
Ofhisdominionmaynoendbeknown,
Andgreaterthanhi
sfather'
sbehist hrone.
Beyondlove'
skingdom l
ethim str
etchhi spen;
Hepaus'd,andallt
hepeoplecry'
dAmen.

 Thi
spassageconsi
stsofFl
ecknoe'
sspeechregardi
ngthecor
onati
onofhisson.
 Theki
ngdom appar
entl
ystr
etchesal
lthewayfrom I
rel
andtoBar
bados,whichseems
i
mpressi
veuntilyour
eali
zethathe'sref
erri
ngtothevast,butempt
y,Atl
anti
cOcean.
(
Cuethesadt r
ombone.)
 "
Letmyson'srulebeevengreaterandmor eimpressi
vethanmyown,"Flecknoe
(
basi
call
y)excl
aims,and"l
ethim writ
efreel
ythroughouthisdomai
n."

Li
nes145-
154
Thenthus,continu'
dhe, mysonadv ance
Sti
lli
nnewi mpudence, newignorance.
Successletotherteach,l
ear
nt houfrom me
Pangswi t
houtbi
rth,andf r
uit
lessindust r
y.
LetVir
tuososinfi
vey earsbewr i
t;
Yetnotonethoughtaccuset hyt oilofwit.
Letgentl
eGeorgeint ri
umpht readt hestage,
MakeDor i
mantbet r
ay ,andLov ei
tr age;
LetCull
y,Cockwood, Fopli
ng,charmt hepit
,
Andintheirf
oll
yshowt hewriter'
swi t.

 Fl
ecknoecont
inues.I
nanut
shel
l
,hesay
s:"
Letmysoni
ncr
easei
nbl
i
ndi
gnor
anceashi
s
r
ulepr
oceeds,
produci
ngmor
eandmor
eter
ri
blewor
ks.
"
 Weal
sogetanot
herr
efer
encet
oShadwel
l
'sTheVi
rt
uosos,
whi
chnoone,
thespeaker
expl
ains,
wil
lev
ermi
stakef
orhav
inganywi
torsubst
ance.
 Si
rGeor
geEt
her
egewasacomedi
cpl
aywr
ightandcont
empor
aryofShadwel
land
Dry
[Link]
t,Cul
l
y,Cockwood,andFopli
ngar
eallchar
act
ersfr
om hi
splay
[Link]
yden
act
ual
lyseemscomplementaryof"gent
leGeor
ge,
"makingnoteofhi
swit
.

Li
nes155-
164
Yetstil
lthyfool sshal lstandint hydefence,
Andjustifytheiraut hor'swantofsense.
Let'
em beal lbyt hyownmodelmade
Ofdullness,anddesi renof oreignaid:
Thattheyt of utureagesmaybeknown,
Notcopi esdr awn, butissueoft hyown.
Nayletthymenofwi ttoobet hesame,
Allf
ullofthee, anddi fferi
ngbuti nname;
Butletnoal i
enSedl eyi nter
pose
Tolardwi thwi tthyhungr yEpsom pr ose.

 Shadwel
l'
schar
acters,
ontheotherhand,ar
easunif
ormlydullasthei
rcreat
or.
 Theter
m" want
"means" l
ack,
"ref
err
ingtoShadwel
l'
slackofsense.
 Si
rCharl
esSedleycomposedtheprologuef
orShadwell
'sEpsom Well
s,butFlecknoe
r
emindshisheirt
hathemustnotal
l
owot her
st ocontr
ibut
eanywi
ttohi
sownwi t
-
l
acki
[Link]'
twantt
oactual
l
ywriteanythi
ngwort
hwhi
lenow,woul
dhe?

Li
nes165-
174
Andwhenf alsef l
ower sofr het or i
cthouwoul d'stcul
l
,
TrustNature, donotl abourt obedul l;
Butwritethybest ,andt op;andi neachl i
ne,
SirFormal'
sor at
orywi llbet hine.
SirFormal,thoughunsought ,at tendsthyqui l
l
,
Anddoest hyNor thernDedi cat ionsf i
ll
.
Norletfal
sef r i
endsseducet hymi ndtofame,
ByarrogatingJonson' shost il
ename.
LetFatherFlecknoef i
ret hymi ndwi thpraise,
AndUncl eOgl ebyt hyenv yraise.

 Dr
ydencont
inuest
obel
i
ttl
eShadwel
l
'swr
it
ingabi
l
itywi
thi
rony
,asFl
ecknoegoeson,
pr
aisi
ngShadwel
l
'sv
irt
ues.
 Youneednott
ryt
obedul
l
,Fl
ecknoer
emi
ndshi
shei
[Link]
mpl
yhav
etobey
ourown
dul
lsel
fandt
her
estwi
l
ltakecar
eofi
tsel
[Link]
'squi
tet
hepept
alk.
 Si
rFor
mal
Tri
fl
eist
hemai
nchar
act
eri
nShadwel
l
'sTheVi
rt
uosos,
remember
edf
orhi
s
haughty
,elevatedspeaki
ngst yl
e.
 Shadwellwouldoftendedicat
ehi splaysandpoemst ot heDukeandDuchessof
Newcastle,l
ocatedinthenorther
npar tofthecountr
y.
 Shadwellwasagr eatadmirerofcomedi cplay
wrightBenJonson, andattempt
edtowr i
te
i
[Link],however,wasamuchsuper i
orwr i
[Link]
denconsideredShadwel
l
tobe"arr
ogating,
"orunjustl
yclai
mi ngJonson'sl
egacy, asthecr
it
icism her
esuggest
s.

Wegetanotherref
erencet
oJohnOgl
ebyandhi
spedest
ri
anpoet
ry,
whoshoul
dbeenv
iousof
Shadwel
l'
sabil
it
ytowr i
tef
arwor
sLi
nes175-
182
Thouar tmyblood,whereJonsonhasnopar t;
Whatshar ehavewei nNat ureorinAr t
?
Wheredi dhi
swi tonlearningfixabrand,
Andrailatart
shedi dnotunder stand?
Wheremadehel oveinPr i
nceNi cander'
sv ei
n,
Orsweptt hedustinPsy che'
shumbl est r
ain?
Wheresol dhebargains,whip-sti
tch,ki
ssmyar se,
Promis'
dapl ayanddwi ndledtoaf arce?

 We'
regi
venanot
herr
efer
encet
oear
li
erpl
aywr
ightBenJonson,
whom Shadwel
lgr
eat
ly
admi r
[Link] ydenscof fsatthenoti
onthatShadwellwouldconsi derhimsel
ftheheirto
thelegacyofJonson, givenJonson'
sstatusasamuchsuper i
orwr i
ter
.
 Otherthingst oknowaboutf ort
hissecti
onincl
udethef actthat"rai
l"meanstoreproach,
orspeakoutagai nst.
 Aswe ll
, Pri
nceNi canderisacharacteri
nShadwel sPsy
l
' che.
 Final
ly,"
whi p-stit
ch"and" ki
ssmyarse"werecatchphr
asesusedbysomeofShadwel l'
s
[Link] ydent akesashothereatthelackofsubst anceinShadwel l
'
splay
s, which
thespeakerpr oclaimsar enothi
ngmor ethancheapfarces.

Li
nes183-
192
Whendidhi smusef rom Fletcherscenespur loi
n,
Asthouwhol eEt h'r
idgedostt ransfuset othi
ne?
Butsotr
ansf us'dasoi lonwat ersf l
ow,
Hisal
way sfloatsabov e,thi
nesi nksbel ow.
Thisi
sthypr ovince,thisthywondr ousway ,
Newhumour stoi nventforeachnewpl ay:
Thisi
sthatboast edbi asofthymi nd,
Bywhichoneway ,t
odul l
ness, '
ti
si ncli
n'd,
Whichmakest hywr it
ingsleanononesi desti
ll
,
Andinallchangest hatwaybendst hywill
.

 Her
ewegetmor
eref
erencest
ocomedi
cpl
aywr
ight
sJohnFl
etcherandGeor
ge
Et
her
ege,
whom i
tseemsDr
ydenv
iewedmor
efav
orabl
ythanShadwel
l
.
 TheAnci
entGr
eeksdev
elopedat
heor
yinmedi
cinet
hatt
hehumanbodywasmadeup
offourhumors,whi
chcont ri
but
et [Link]
pioneer
edthe"ComedyofHumor s"genre,wr
it
ingplay
sthatfeaturedfourmain
charact
ers,
eachrepresenti
ngoneoft [Link]
edt ocopyt
his
styl
einhisownplays,i
ncludi
nghisapt l
yti
tl
ed,[Link]
ly,
t
hough,
Dry
denwoul
dsay
.
 I
nt ogueofTheHumor
heepi
l ist
s,Shadwel
lwr
it
es:
"ahumori
sabi
asoft
hemi
nd,
"whi
ch
i
swhyt hatphraseappearshere.
 We'
retoldthatShadwelldoesn'
thav
etoworryaboutthi
ngsli
kehumorinhi
swri
ti
ng,
t
[Link] k'
sincl
i
nedt obedul
[Link]
li
sr eal
l
yget
ti
ngfl
amedhere.

Li
nes193-
202
Norl etthymount ainbell
ymakepr etence
Ofl i
keness; thi
ne'sat ympanyofsense.
At unofmani nthyl ar
gebul kiswrit
,
Butsur et hou'rtbutaki l
derkinofwi t
.
Likemi net hygent l
enumber sfeeblycreep,
ThyTr agicMusegi vessmiles,thyComi csleep.
Wi t
hwhat e'ergallthousett
'stthyselftowr i
te,
Thyi noffensivesat i
resneverbite.
Inthyf el
oni oushear t,
thoughv enom lies,
Itdoesbutt oucht hyIri
shpen, anddies.

 Lookout
,her
ecomesanot
herf
atj
[Link]
soaheav
yguy
,li
keShadwel
l
.But
whi
l
ethesi
zeoft
hei
rbel
l
iesmaycompar
e,t
hei
rwr
it
ingcer
tai
nlydoesnot
.
 Her
ethewor
d"t
ympany
"means"
aswel
l
ing,
"whi
l
e"t
un"r
efer
stoabar
rel
forbeeror
wine.A"kil
derki
n"isaquarterofat [Link]
ywemov efrom af atjoket oastupi
d
j
oke.
 Whe nShadwel l
tri
estobedr amatic("t
hyTragicMuse")
,hejustmakest heaudience
l
augh;whenhet ri
est
obef unny( "
thyComi c")
,heput
stheaudi encetosl eep.
 Hissatir
eslackpunchandhi splaysareinsipi
[Link] herwor ds,t
heyare
super-
lame( i
ncase,youknow, youhadn'tpickeduponthatideabynow) .

Li
nes203-
208
Thygeniuscall
st heenottopurchasefame
I
nkeeniambi cs,butmi l
danagram:
Leav
ewr it
ingplays,andchoosef ort
hycommand
Somepeacef ulprovi
nceinacrosticl
and.
Ther
ethoumay '
stwi ngsdi
splayandaltar
sraise,
Andtort
ureonepoorwor dtenthousandway s.

 Thet
erm"
iambi
cs"r
efer
sher
etosat
ir
esi
nthecl
assi
cal
tradi
ti
on,
commonl
ywr
it
ten
i
niambs—muchl ikeDr yden'sownpoem.
 An"anagr am"i
sar earrangingoflettersinawor d,andrefer
sheretoacommonpr act
ice
i
nsev enteent
h-centurypoet rywher ewr i
ter
swoul darrangethei
rpoemsont hepagein
cert
ainshapes,likewi ngsoral tar
s.
 Thisstyl
ewasv i
ewedbypur ist
sas" fal
sewi t
."
 Anotherexampl eoft hisstyleisacrosti
cpoet r
y,inwhichthefir
stl
ett
erofeachli
ne
spell
soutawor [Link] ydenaccusesShadwel lhereofwr i
ti
ngcheapl
yinthi
smanner .

Li
nes209-
217
Orifthouwoul d'
stthydi f
f'rentt al
entssui t,
Setthyownsongs, andsi ngt hem t ot hylute.
Hesai d,
buthi sl
astwor dswer escar cel
yhear d,
ForBruceandLongv ilhadat rappr epar'd,
Anddownt heysentt hey etdecl aimingbar d.
Si
nkinghel efthi
sdr uggetr obebehi nd,
Bornupwar dsbyasubt erraneanwi nd.
Themant lefellt
othey oungpr ophet'spar t
,
Withdoublepor t
ionofhi sf ather '
sart.

 I
nAnci
entGr
eece,
Homer
'sepi
cpoemswoul
dof
tenbesungbyt
rav
eli
ngper
for
mer
s,
gener allywi t
haccompani mentf r
om ast r
ingedi nstrumentl ikeal [Link] evalEurope,
bardsf ollowedi nt hi
stradit
ion,singingepicpoet r
ywhi leplay i
ngt hel ute.
 Wege tar eferencet oBr uceandLongv i
l,twochar actersinShadwel lsTheVi
' r
[Link]
thepl ay ,theypul latrapdoort odismi ssthehaught ySirFormal Trifleint hemi ddleof
oneofhi sr ambl ingspeeches.
 Drydenl eav esuswi t
habi bli
calreference, anal lusiontot hest oryofEl ijah,i
n
whi chEl ishapi cksupt heelderpr ophet'smant leaf terhedepar t
st oheav enina
whi rl
wi [Link] sist heorigi
noft hemoder nexpr ession" totakeupt hemant le."Andas
Eli
shacar riesoni ntheabsenceofhi sment or ,
Shadwel lisleftast hei nherit
orofhi s
father '
scr ummydr ugget("woolenf abri
c"),andequal l
ycr ummyl egacy .Ofcour se,
though, hehasa" doubleportionofhi sfather '
sar t."Thatsoundsawesome, buttheny ou
realizet hatt hismeanshehasanev enshar perknackf orwr i
ti
ngt erri
blepoet rythanhis
predecessor .
 Andt herewehav ei t
."MacFl ecknoe"inal litsscat hinglyhilari
ousgl or [Link] l.
Wecanst illfeelthebur nallthewayf r
om her e.

Al
exanderPope
1688–1744

AlexanderPopewasbor ninLondontoaRomanCat holi

cfami l
[Link] l
dhoodsickness
l
efthim withst
untedheight
,acurvedspine,
andil
lhealthforther estofhi
sli
[Link]
earnedfameandgr eatf
inancial
successasapoet,satir
ist
,andt ransl
ator
.Heis
perhapsbestrememberedf orhi
smast er
yoftheheroiccouplet,asinAnEssayon
Manand“ TheRapeoftheLock.”

Rapeoft
heLock
Pope' smostfamouspoem i sTheRapeoft heLock, fi
r stpublishedin1712, witharevisedversion
[Link]- epi
c,i
tsat i
ri
sesahi gh-
societ yquar r
elbetweenAr abell
aFer mor(the
"Beli
nda"ofthepoem)andLor dPetre,whohadsni ppedal ockofhai rfrom herheadwi t
houther
permi ssi
[Link]
ricalstyl
eistemper ed,howev er,byagenui neandal mostvoyeur
istici
nteresti
n
the"beau-monde"(fashionablewor l
d)of18t h-centur
yEngl i
shsoci et
[Link]
]
evi
sedandext ended
versionofthepoem br oughtmorecl earl
yintof ocusitst ruesubject-theonsetofacqui sit
ive
i
ndi v
iduali
sm andasoci etyofconspicuousconsumer [Link] heworldoft hepoem purchased
artefactsdi
splacehumanagency ,and'tr
ivi
al t
hings'assumedomi nance.
Dunci
adandMor
alEssay
s

Thought heDunciadwasf ir
stpubli
shedanony mouslyinDublin,it
sauthorshi
pwasnotindoubt .As
wellasTheobald,itpi
ll
ori
edahostofot her"hacks"
,"scri
bblers"and"dunces"
.Mackcall
edits
publi
cati
on" i
nmanyway sthegreatestactoff ol
lyi
nPope' sli
fe".Thoughamasterpi
ece,"i
tbore
bi
tterfr
uit.I
tbroughtthepoetinhisownt i
met hehostil
it
yofi tsvi
cti
msandt hei
rsympathi
zers, who
pursuedhi mimplacablyf
rom thenonwi thaf ewdamagi ngt r
uthsandahostofslandersandlies..
."
.
Thet hr
eatswer ephysi
caltoo.
Accordingt ohissister
,Popewoul dnev ergoforawal kwithoutthecompanyofhisGreatDane,
Bounce, andapai rofloadedpist
ol [Link]
hJohnGay '
s'TheBeggar'
sOper a'
andSwi ft'
s'Gull
iver'
sTravel
s'thi
sf i
rst'
Dunciad' waspartofaconcertedpr
opagandaassaultagainst
Walpole'sWhi gmi ni
str
yandt hefinanci
al r
evoluti
onitstabi
li
[Link]
houghhewasakeenpar ti
cipant
i
nthest ockandmoneymar kets,Popenev ermi ssedanoppor t
unit
ytosati
ri
sethepersonal,
social
andpoliticalef
fectsofthenewschemeoft hi
[Link] om '
TheRapeoft heLock'
onwards,these
sat
iri
cal themesar eaconstantinhi swork.
I
n1731, Popepubli
shedhis"Epist
letoBurl
ingt
on",onthesubjectofarchi
tect
ure,
thefi
rstoffour
poemswhi chwouldlat
erbegr oupedundertheti
teMor
l alEssays(1731–35).I
ntheepistl
e,Pope
ri
dicul
edthebadtasteofthearist
ocrat"
Timon".Pope'
senemi esclai
medhewasat t
ackingtheDuke
ofChandosandhisestate,[Link] rue,i
tdidPopeagreatdeal of
damage.

EssayonMan
TheEssayonMani saphil
osophical
poem, wri
tt
eninheroi
ccouplet
sandpubli
shedbetween1732
[Link]
endedthi
spoem tobet hecentr
epi
eceofaproposedsyst
em ofethi
csthatwas
tobeputfor
thinpoeti
cfor
[Link] eceofworkthatPopei
ntendedt
omakei ntoalar
gerwork;
however
,hedidnotli
vetocompleteit
.
Thepoem isanattemptto"v
indi
catet
hewaysofGodtoMan, "avari
ati
ononMi l
ton'
satt
empt
nPar
i adiseLostto"j
ust
ifyt
heway sofGodtoMan"(1.
26).I
tchall
engesaspri
defulan
ant
hropocentr
icworl
d-v
[Link] i
snotsolel
yChri
sti
an,however;
itmakesanassumpt
iont
hat
manhasf al
lenandmustseekhisownsalvat
ion.
Itconsi stsoffourepi stl
est hatareaddr
essedt oLordBol i
[Link] sanideaonhi s
viewont heUniverse;hesay sthatnomat t
erhowi mper f
ect,complex,i
nscrutableanddisturbi
ngt he
Uni v
erseappear stobe, itfuncti
onsinarati
onalfashionaccordingtothenat urall
[Link] ural
l
awsconsi dertheUni v erseasawhol eaper f
ectwor [Link] tappear stobeev il
and
i
mper fectinmanyway s;howev er,
Popepointsoutthatthisisduetoourlimi tedmindsetandlimi t
ed
i
nt el
lectualcapaci
t [Link] sthemessageacr ossthathumansmustacceptt hei
rpositi
oninthe
"GreatChai nofBei ng"whi chisatami ddl
est agebetweent heangelsandthebeast softhewor l
[Link]
wear eabletoaccompl i
sht hi
sthenwepot enti
all
ycouldleadhappyandv i
rtuouslives
Thepoem i sanaf fi
rmati
vepoem off ait
h: l
ifeseemst obechaot icandconf usingtomanwhenhei s
i
nt hecenterofit
, butaccordingt oPopei tisreallydi
vi
nel
yorder [Link]'swor l
d, Godexi stsand
i
swhathecent r
est heUni versearoundinor dertohaveanorder edstruct
[Link] i
mi tedintel
li
gence
ofmancanonl yt akeintinypor ti
onsoft hisor derandcanexperienceonlypar ti
altruths,henceman
mustrelyonhopewhi cht henleadsintof ai
[Link] eofhisexistencei ntheUni v
erse
andwhathebr ingst oit
,int ermsofriches, powerandf [Link]' sdutytost r
ivet obegood
regar
dlessofothersi t
uations: t
hisi
st hemessagePopei stryingt ogetacrosst other eader.