1. Introduction
·
Written in 1668,
during the Restoration period, while London theatres had reopened after being
closed during the Puritan rule.
·
Dryden (1631–1700): Poet Laureate, first major
English literary critic.
·
An Essay on
Dramatic Poesy is a dialogue
between four characters, set against the backdrop of the Second Dutch War (1665).
·
Aim: To defend the value of drama and establish
English drama’s worth compared to classical and French models.
2. Structure and Form
·
A dialogue
in prose, not a formal treatise.
·
Four interlocutors:
o
Crites
→ defends the ancients (classical drama).
o
Eugenius
→ supports the moderns (English dramatists of the time).
o
Lisideius
→ argues for French drama (regular, rule-bound, neoclassical).
o
Neander
(represents Dryden) → defends English drama, especially Shakespeare.
3. Central Issues Discussed
(a) Ancients vs Moderns
·
Crites:
Ancient dramatists (Aristotle, Sophocles, Euripides, Plautus, Terence) set the
rules; moderns merely imitate them.
·
Eugenius:
Moderns improve upon the ancients in characterization, plot complexity, and
natural dialogue.
(b) French vs English Drama
·
Lisideius
praises French drama:
o
Observes three
unities (time, place, action).
o
Structured, elegant, decorous.
o
Avoids mixing tragedy with comedy.
o
More believable and morally instructive.
·
Neander
(Dryden) defends English drama:
o
Richer variety: blends tragedy and comedy
(tragi-comedy).
o
More realistic representation of life.
o
Use of subplots
adds depth.
o
Greater emotional impact; appeals to human
nature more vividly.
o
Shakespeare praised for “larger, looser, and
freer” spirit, even if he broke classical rules.
(c) Use of Rhyme in Drama
·
Contemporary debate: blank verse vs rhymed
verse.
·
Neander/Dryden
argues:
o
Rhyme adds decorum, elevation, and delight.
o
Helps structure and control expression.
o
Blank verse is too close to prose, lacks the
polish needed for drama.
4. Dryden’s Critical Positions
·
Drama as
imitation (follows Aristotle’s mimesis).
·
The end of
drama is delight and instruction (Horatian principle).
·
Rules vs
genius: Rules (classical unities) are useful, but true greatness comes
from natural genius (e.g., Shakespeare).
·
Catharsis:
Not explicitly discussed, but Dryden accepts Aristotle’s notion of purging
emotions through pity and fear.
·
Practical
criticism: Dryden applies theory to actual dramatists, not abstract
speculation.
5. Key Quotations
·
Lisideius describes a play as a "just and
lively image of human nature, representing its passions and humours" for
"delight and instruction of mankind". “Imitation of nature is the
chief end of the poet.”
·
Crites portrays Ben Jonson as an imitator and
"learned plagiary" of ancient writers.
·
Neander distinguishes Shakespeare's natural genius, calling him "the
Homer...of our dramatic poets." He says for Shakespeare and Jonson that
"I admire him, but I love Shakespeare".
6. Importance of the Essay
·
First major work of literary criticism in English.
·
Establishes comparative criticism (ancient vs modern, French vs
English).
·
Advocates a liberal humanist view: rules matter, but genius and
audience delight matter more.
·
Balances neoclassical
discipline with English dramatic freedom.
7. Critical Reception & Legacy
·
Seen as a landmark
in English criticism.
·
Influenced Augustan critics (Pope, Johnson).
·
Dryden’s defense of Shakespeare paved the way
for later Romantic critics.
·
Shows early modern England’s search for a
national literary identity.
Relevance in
Present Day Perspective
1. Comparative Criticism
·
Dryden set up a model of evaluating texts by
comparing ancients vs moderns, French vs English.
·
Today, comparative literature and cross-cultural
analysis follow the same method.
·
Modern scholars often place Shakespeare next to
Ibsen, Brecht, or Indian dramatists—the same spirit of comparative inquiry
Dryden pioneered.
2. Rules vs Creativity
Debate
·
Dryden asked: Should writers follow strict rules
(Aristotle, French unities), or should they trust creative genius (like
Shakespeare)?
·
This debate continues today in:
o
Creative
writing pedagogy: Should students stick to “forms” or experiment?
o
Cinema/Drama:
Formulaic genres vs experimental narratives.
·
Dryden’s flexible answer (“rules help, but
genius matters more”) still resonates in art and literature studies.
3. National vs Global
Literature
·
Dryden defended English drama against French classical models.
·
Today, nations still wrestle with balancing local/national literary identity against
global or Western standards.
·
Example: Indian English theatre vs Western drama
traditions.
4. Mixed Genres and
Hybridity
·
Dryden praised English drama for blending tragedy and comedy (tragi-comedy).
·
Modern literature and media are full of hybrids:
tragicomedies, dramedies, magic realism, postmodern pastiche.
·
Dryden’s defense of “mixture” anticipates today’s
embrace of genre-fluid storytelling.
5. Criticism as Dialogue
·
The essay is in dialogue form, not a rigid treatise.
·
This conversational, plural-voiced style mirrors
contemporary critical practices,
which value dialogue, diversity of perspectives, and debate rather than
absolute authority.
6. Practical Criticism
·
Dryden discusses actual writers (Shakespeare,
Jonson, Fletcher), not just abstract rules.
·
This approach—close reading + practical
examples—is central to modern literary criticism and pedagogy.
7. The Role of Drama in
Society
·
Dryden emphasized that drama should delight and instruct.
·
Today, debates on literature’s purpose
(entertainment vs education, art vs ideology) echo the same tension.
·
For instance: Is Netflix drama just
entertainment, or can it also be socially instructive?
8. Legacy in Literary Theory
·
Dryden paved the way for later critics (Johnson,
Coleridge, Arnold, Eliot).
·
His balancing act between classicism and creativity foreshadows
later theoretical debates (structuralism vs poststructuralism, tradition vs
innovation).
Conclusion
The relevance of Dryden’s Essay
on Dramatic Poesy lies in its timeless
questions:
·
Should art follow rules or break them?
·
What is the balance between national tradition
and global influence?
·
What is the purpose of drama: pleasure,
instruction, or both?
These remain the central
debates of literary and cultural criticism today, making Dryden’s
essay not just a Restoration document but a living text in critical theory.
Q1. In which year was An Essay on Dramatic
Poesy published?
Ans. It was published in 1668 during the Restoration period.
Q2. Who are the four speakers in the dialogue?
Ans. Crites, Eugenius, Lisideius, and Neander (Dryden’s persona).
Q3. What is the main aim of the essay?
Ans. To defend the value of drama and establish the worth of English drama.
Q4. Which dramatist does Dryden praise as having the “largest and
most comprehensive soul”?
Ans. William Shakespeare.
Q5. Who among the characters defends French drama?
Ans. Lisideius.
Q6. What dramatic principle does Crites support?
Ans. He supports the authority of the ancients and classical rules.
Q7. What is Dryden’s view on rhyme in drama?
Ans. He supports rhyme, claiming it adds decorum, elevation, and delight.
Q8. Which literary war forms the backdrop of the essay?
Ans. The Second Dutch War (1665).
Q9. What two functions of drama does Dryden emphasize?
Ans. Drama should both delight and instruct.
Q10. What is the form of An Essay on Dramatic
Poesy?
Ans. A dialogue in prose.
Q1. What is the central debate in An
Essay on Dramatic Poesy?
Ans. The central debate concerns whether ancient dramatists are superior to
moderns, and whether French drama, which follows strict classical rules, is
better than English drama, which mixes comedy and tragedy. Through the
dialogue, Dryden presents multiple perspectives but ultimately defends English
drama.
Q2. How does Dryden (through Neander) defend English drama?
Ans. Neander argues that English drama better imitates real life by blending tragedy
and comedy. He praises the use of subplots and variety, which makes English
plays more engaging and emotionally powerful. He defends Shakespeare as a
genius who transcends rigid rules.
Q3. What role does the debate on rhyme vs blank verse play in the
essay?
Ans. Dryden, through Neander, defends the use of rhyme in serious plays,
arguing it adds structure, elegance, and delight. Critics of rhyme, however,
see it as artificial compared to blank verse. The debate reflects Restoration
experiments with rhymed heroic plays.
Q4. Why is An Essay on Dramatic
Poesy considered important in English criticism?
Ans. It is the first major critical work in English literature that applies
comparative criticism. Dryden combines classical authority with practical analysis
of contemporary playwrights, creating a foundation for modern literary
criticism.
Q5. What is the relevance of the essay today?
Ans. The essay raises timeless issues—rules vs creativity, national vs global
literary standards, the purpose of art, and the value of genre hybridity. These
debates continue in contemporary literature, theatre, and film, making Dryden’s
criticism still significant.
Q. Critically examine Dryden’s An
Essay on Dramatic Poesy as a defence of English drama.
Answer
Introduction
John Dryden’s An Essay on Dramatic Poesy
(1668) is the first significant work of English literary criticism. Written in
dialogue form, it presents four interlocutors—Crites, Eugenius, Lisideius, and
Neander—who debate the relative merits of ancient, modern, French, and English
drama. While the essay engages with classical rules and neoclassical ideals, it
ultimately serves as Dryden’s defence of the richness and vitality of English
theatre.
1. Ancients vs Moderns
·
Crites defends the ancients, insisting they
established the permanent rules of drama.
·
Eugenius counters by claiming that modern
dramatists surpass the ancients in plot construction, characterization, and
natural dialogue.
·
Through this debate, Dryden situates English
drama as an heir to tradition but not bound by it.
2. French vs English Drama
·
Lisideius praises French drama for its strict
adherence to the three unities of time, place, and action, its
elegance, and its moral refinement.
·
Neander, Dryden’s mouthpiece, defends English
drama for its freedom, variety, and truth to life.
·
He praises the English practice of mixing
tragedy with comedy, the use of subplots, and the emotional power of dramatists
like Shakespeare and Fletcher.
·
Shakespeare, according to Dryden, had the
“largest and most comprehensive soul,” whose genius outweighed technical
irregularities.
3. Debate on Rhyme in Drama
·
A central concern of Restoration drama was
whether plays should be written in rhyme or blank verse.
·
Neander argues for rhyme in serious drama,
claiming it adds structure, polish, and delight, though he admits it must not
sound forced.
·
This shows Dryden’s attempt to adapt classical
principles to contemporary English tastes.
4. Purpose of Drama
·
Dryden asserts that the purpose of drama is both
delight and instruction (Horatian principle).
·
English plays, though less regular, achieve this
by appealing directly to human nature and emotions, thus effecting a deeper
impact on audiences.
5. Critical Significance
·
The essay is not dogmatic; instead, it presents
multiple perspectives and concludes with a balanced defence of English theatre.
·
It is practical criticism: Dryden evaluates real
playwrights (Shakespeare, Jonson, Fletcher) rather than abstract theory.
·
It marks a transition in English criticism,
blending classical respect with modern flexibility.
