John Dryden’s An Essay of Dramatic Poesy

 

The work An Essay of Dramatic Poesy of John Dryden is rightfully ranked as one of the great works that contributed to literary criticism in the emergence of English literature. Influenced by events of the Restoration period, Dryden tries to answers the questions that were dominant regarding the drama and poetry curtains of the period. This essay does disease English drama alone; rather it provides a comprehensive analysis that is useful for both the critics and scholars even in the present time.

Background on John Dryden

John Dryden is one of the most celebrated English critics, being one of England’s foremost writers in the 17th century. His literary output has been dominantly cosmos since it includes poems, plays, and prose. What makes him remarkable in the area of literary critique is an extraordinary essay called An Essay of Dramatic Poesy written and published back in 1668. The paper comes out in appreciation of the arguments in the war between critics and practitioners of classical linear works, and modern English drama.

This paper, Dryden internalized how he wrote this essay in the format of a conversation between Crites, Eugenius, Lisideius, and Neander. Their character was voyagers on the consciousness debate on the antiquity and modernity of drama and its rejuvenating prospects due to its evolution. Dryden uses these characters to ply his trade and in doing so espouses his own views about the sublime nature of the playwright.

Overview of "An Essay of Dramatic Poesy"

It starts with the debate about the nature of drama between four conversationalists, each showing his view. Crites-who stands up for classic drama-maintains that the Greek and Roman playwrights are superior since they observed the unities of time, place, and action. He draws the attention to discipline and structure in classic works as the key to successful longevity.

Eugenius, by contrast, defends modern English dramatists, praising their originality and the ability to express pathos through the elaboration of character and plot relationships. He criticizes the straitened rules of the ancients: "'Tis hard," he says, "to judge of these by ancient rules, Since in our looser writings we allow ourselves So large a liberty of fancy."

Lisideius gives a middle ground by praising French drama, which, according to him, combines the discipline of classical forms with the emotional weight of modern plays. He affirms that the French playwrights, such as Corneille, can combine the best of both worlds.

Neander generally speaks for the views of Dryden himself, who is considered to be a dynamic protagonist. He takes the side of the English dramatists, William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, and defends them. According to him, English drama, with its diversity and naturalness, is incomparably superior to both ancient and French drama when it comes to the portrayal of the human condition.

The Classical vs. Modern Debate

One of the main discussions in Dryden's essay involves a comparison of classical and modern literature. While Crites argues the classical part, he says that virtue lay in ancient Greek and Roman drama—the adherence to the unities, the refinement of language and structure. However, Eugenius argues that modern writers have far surpassed the ancients in embracing an even greater freedom in both form and content, allowing for more complex characters and plot structures.

He does not give any decisive judgment as to which one is better. Rather, he presents a balanced opinion, portraying both. He likes the discipline and clear form of classical works but also equally likes the actual drama for its richness and depth. All this is symbolic of a larger perspective of Dryden's general beliefs that Literature has to keep changing with the changing tastes and values of society.

Nature of Drama and Poetry

Another important theme in the essay is represented by the nature and purpose of drama. Dryden uses his characters to research the idea that drama is supposed to not only entertain but also teach and reflect real life. More than anything, Neander insists that English dramatists are unrivaled in their expressiveness relative to the complexity of human emotion/moral dilemma, and that their plays are significantly more comprehensible and much more effective than the ultra-stylized idealized figures of classical drama.

Dryden also touches on the relation that drama and poetry share, suggesting that neither of the natures is absolutely independent. He asserts that the best dramas are those that make use of the poetic qualities associated with language, such as metaphor, rhythm, and imagery, to make their audiences' experience richer emotionally and intellectually.

Comparative Literature: English vs. French Drama

The essay also stages a comparative textual analysis between English and French drama. Indeed, Lisideius praises the French for "keeping the unities, and making the structure of the play natural, pure, and polished in language." Also, he cites that the structure and sophistication give much more elegance and intellectuality to the French plays compared with the totally confusing and excessively sentimental English dramas.

Neander somewhat counters in the respect that English dramatists, most notably Shakespeare, do open up to the full extent of the vast amount of human experience involved in human nature, from the sublime to the ridiculous. He says that the French pay an exorbitant amount of attention to form and decorum, at the expense of the raw emotional power and naturalism of the best English plays.

That there is a contest, wherein to both English and French drama, each has their own merits, Dryden would ultimately suggest that because of its diversity and emotional depth, English drama stands uniquely powerful.

Critique of Shakespeare and Ben Jonson

Dryden's essay also contains a critical appraisal of two of England's greatest playwrights, Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. Neander, who speaks for Dryden, recognizes Shakespeare's genius as innate and spontaneous in his delineation of human nature. He allows that Shakespeare's plays may not be bound by the classical rules of drama, but insists that this lack is more than amply compensated for by their life and emotional validity.

On the other hand, Jonson is commended for his treatment in classical terms and as an excellent workman in verse. But then again, Jonson is much dispraised by Dryden for the stiffness and the formality in his plays since that cannot let in that naturalness and warmth seen in the plays of Shakespeare. A view like this obviously shows that Dryden believes the finest drama is that which combines the restraint of classical form with the emotion and naturalism found in modern literature.

Dryden's Contribution to Literary Criticism

"An Essay of Dramatic Poesy " is a landmark in the history of English literary criticism. Dryden's dialogue is not merely part of those critical discourses typical of his age; it is going to be predictive of numerous worries of countless critics later. This is testified to by his insistence on balance of form and content, admiration of variability of dramatic traditions, and realization of literature in constant change-all these definitely contribute to working out a subtler and more mature manner of literary critical approach.

The essay also melodramatically told in the later critics of the periods, such as Samuel Johnson and Alexander Pope, who are still facing to settle down the issue brought forward by the work. Indeed, its dialogic form, allowing several perspectives to be raised and debated, provides a model for later critical works looking to explore the complexities of literature without falling into dogmatic assertion.

Besides, Dryden's alertness to the value of both classical and modern traditions, and his open-mindedness to the qualities of other modes of expression, prefigured a more inclusive kind of criticism. For today, as in his time, critics and scholars continue to mine the varied riches of the literary traditions and the crossing and interplay that occur between them.

 

Conclusion

In the end, "An Essay of Dramatic Poesy" is a seminal effort of literary criticism by John Dryden, embodying a complexly rich inquiry into the nature of drama and poetry. Through the mouths of his four speakers, Dryden carries on a lively debate that touches on a number of the most urgent questions of his time the respective merits of ancient versus modern literature, drama's role in society, and the respective strengths of English and French drama.

Dryden's balanced and reflective engagement with these questions, together with his awareness of form and content as always mutually intertwined aspects of literature, bestowed on "An Essay of Dramatic Poesy" the quality of a work never to lose either currency or relevance for readers and critics in any age. His contribution to criticism carries a price that cannot be valued highly enough, not only for the acuteness with which it cleared the ground regarding the nature of drama but also for its contribution to the building up of a more mature and eclectic critical discourse.

As we return to Dryden, perhaps the best indicator we could consider about his work is how much he may have contributed to our idea of literature and the constant tension between the classical and the modern, the form and the content, which forms a continuing dialogue within the field of literary criticism.