An Essay of Dramatic Poesy By Dryden

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Name : Gauswami Surbhai A.

 Assignment Topic : An Essay of Dramatic Poesy By 

Dryden

Roll No. : 32

Submitted to : Dr. Dilip Barad

MKBU Bhavnagar University

Batch Year : 2016-18

• An Essay of Dramatic Poesy

by John Dryden

Johan Dryden (9 Aug. 1631-1700) was an English Poet, literary critic, translator and playwright after John Donne and john Milton, John Dryden was the greatest English poet of the 17th Century. After Shakespeare and Ben Johnson, he was the greatest playwright.

* About John Dryden

* Born on : 9 August, 1931 Ad

* Also listed in : Poets, playwrights

* Religion : Roman Catholic

* Nationality : British

* Father : Erasmus Dryden

* Mother : Mary Pickering

* Education : College, Cambridge, West minister School

University of Cambridge

He is the major voice of restoration age that's why this age is also known as the age of Dryden Dr. Samuel Johnson quote him as :

"The father of English criticism, who first taught us to determine upon principle the merit of composition".

Tn. 1668 he wrote his most important prose work of dramatic poesy, an essay the basis for his reputation as the father of English literary criticism.

• Five issues are under discussion in this essay :
• Ancients Vs moderns
• Unities
• French vs English Drama
• Separation of Tragedy and comedy vs tragicomedy.
• Appropriateness of rhyme in drama.
• Dryden wrote this essay as a dramatic dialogue with four character representing four critical positions. These four critical positions deal with five issues.
• Eugenius favors the moderns over the Ancients.
• Crites argues in favor of the ancient.
• Lisideius argues that French drama is superior to English drama.
• Neander favors the moderns but does not disparage, the ancients. He also favors English drama and has some critical things to say of French drama.

Dryden's definition of Drama :

"A just and lively image of human nature representing it's passion and humors and the change of fortune to which it is subject for the delight and instruction of mankind ?"

According to this definition drama is an image of human nature and that the image is 'just' as well as 'lively'.

By using the word 'Just' Dryden seems to imply that literature imitates human actions. For the imitation is not only 'just' it is also lively.

The definition of drama is divided into three parts.

The first part evokes that drama is the just and lively image of the human nature in the central part of the definition he wants to say that drama must be present the life as it is and it should have the essence of realism. He ended his definition with delight and instruction to the mankind.

There is no artificiality in the drama, it should be natural. There most be a passion and humors but as a part of life. Dryden uses the word delight and not pleasure. Pleasure may be sensual and delight is for the divine in the history of civilization there must be instruction but if it's come in delightful manner it creates land mark event.

• Violation of three unities :

Dryden's liberalism, his free critical disposition is best seen in his justification of the violation of three unities.

French plays sticks to follow three unities, but they are often betrayed into absurdities from which English plays are free.

The English disregard of unities enables them to present a more 'just' and lively picture of human nature in comparison to French playwrights for eg. Shakespear's plays are more just and lively image of human nature.

If the ends of drama are better fulfilled by a violation of the unities, then there is no harm in violating them.

The Ancient us. Moderns Controversy :

In his 'Essay on dramatic poesy' Dryden has argued moderately on behalf of modern the mouth of Eugenius one of the four debtors in the essay. The case for the ancients is presented by Crites.

Crites favors the ancients and says that :

The superiority ancients is established by the very fact that the modern simply imitate them.

Dramatists and poets after rewarded and encouraged according to their merits in ancient time but in modern times poets are neither suitably honored nor are rewarded. They criticize others, instead of themselves trying to do better.

Crites argues that ancients closely observed nature and faithfully represented her in their work.

According to ancients three unities are ought to be observed in every regular play.

Eugenius then replies to Crites and speaks in favor of the moderns :

In the very beginning he acknowledge that the moderns have learnt much from the ancients but after their several efforts they have added to what they have gained from them and as a result that they now excel them in many ways.

Ancients did not divided their play into acts. They wrote without any plan and when they could write a good play their success was more a matter of chance than of ability.

As far as the plot or fable of the ancients is concerned it locks originality.

Some of the writers of ancients did not follow the unity of place for eg. Terence and Eripidies.

There is too much of narration at the cost of action.

There is no poetic justice in their plays.

Their themes ofter arouse horror and Terror.

* Lisideius's view in favor of the French playwrights :

Lisideius spoke in favor of the French. He believes that the French are superior to the English for various reasons.

French playwright faithfully observed the rules of the ancients. The unities of time, place and action they observed so scrupulously.

The plots of French plays are based on some well known story, but they modifies their story by mixing truth with fiction. While modern dramatist do not modify and transfer their stories for dramatic purpose.

French do not burden play with too much plot they give attention to one single passion to depicts it well but The English more hurried from one passion to author and so fail to represent well any of them.

French play give equal value to every character. There is not even a single character who does not have some in the action.

Another fact in the English play is the representation of death on the stage. But according French plays death should better to be described or narrated rather than represented.

The French are also superior in their use of rhyme the English also use rhyme but generally their rhymed plays are badly writer.

* Neander Favors English Dram :

Neander favors English drama and has some critical things to say of French drama Neander remarks about French plays.

"They are indeed the beauties of a statue but not of a man."

Neander criticizes French drama, essentially for it's smallness. It's pursuit of only one plot without subplot, it's tendency to show too little action observations of the writers dearth of plot and narrowness of imagination are all qualities which render it inferior to English drama/

Dryden's Comparative criticism of Shakespeare and Ben Johnson :

Dryden says about Shakespeare :

"Had the largest and most comprehensive soul."

While Johnson was "The most learned and judicious writer which any theater ever had."

Ultimately Neander prefers Shakespeare as compared to Johnson:

Dryden comments on their respective merits :

"If I would compare him with Shakespeare, I must acknowledge him the more correct poet, but Shakespeare was the Homer, or father of our dramatic, poets Johnson was the Virgil, the pattern of elaborate writing, I admire him, but I love Shakespeare."

Controversy regarding use and avoidance of rhyme in drama.

Crites objects to rhyme in plays and says "since no man without premeditation speaks in rhyme neither ought he to do it on the stage."

"Rhyme is incapable of express the greatest thought naturally.

Crites argues that rhymes verse is unnatural so it should not in the drama in counter argument Neander advocates that rhymes should be there in drama because when we read literature it appears our sense of vision and sense of listening. So the rhyme words add true to the work Neander argues that is advisable to use musical language in rhymed one. He defines that rhyme is sugar quoted ornament which adds sweetness to the language. So its good to write in rhyme.

• To wind up :

Dryden displayed his ideas about the drama through his essay on dramatic poesy in which he has explained the different aspects of drama in the best way. In this way, Dryden's commitment to the neoclassical tradition is displayed.

Citation :

www.online - literature.com/dryden

Material of Dryden's essay.