Assignment of Paper no. 3: An Essay of Dramatic Poesy by John Dryden
Respected sir,
To Evaluate my assignment click here
Name: Rudrika Gohel
Respected sir,
To Evaluate my assignment click here
Name: Rudrika Gohel
Course: M.A. English
Sem: 1
Batch: 2017-2019
Roll No: 38
Enrollment No: 2069108420180015
Submitted to: Smt.S.B.Gardi Department of English MKBU
Email Id: rudrikagohel97@gmail.com
Paper no: 3 Literary Theory and Criticism
Topic: An Essay of Dramatic Poesy by John Dryden
Introduction: John Dryden
John Dryden was a English poet, critic, translator. He was a playwright of Restoration age therefore, the age is known as the the of Dryden. After John Milton, John Dryden was the greatest English poet of seventeenth century. Dryden, the poet was best known as a satirist.
Dryden was born in 19th August 1531, in England. He was the eldest of fourteen children, Erasmus Dryden was his father and Mary Pickering was his mother. In 1650, Dryden went up to Trinity college, Cambridge. There he would have experienced a return to the religious and political ethos of his childhood.
He wrote only two great satires,
1. Mac fleckone (1682)
2. The Medall (1682)
His notable works:
"Absalom and Achitophel"
"Mac fleckone"
"The Hind and the Panther"
He was seem a dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the age of Dryden. Walter Scott called him "Glorious John".
Dryden died on 12th May 1700, and he was initially buried in St Anne's ceremony in Soho, before being exhumed and reburied in Westminster Abbey ten days later.
Dryden's definition of drama:
"A play ought to be a just and lively image of human nature, representing it's passion and humors, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind."
According to this definition of 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 action. For the imitation is not only 'just', it also lively. The definition of drama is divided into three parts. 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 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.
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 with dramatic dialog, four characters representing the four critic's position. These four critical positions deal with five issues.
1. Eugenius favours the moderns over the ancients
2. Crites argues in favour of the ancients
3. Lisideius argues that French drama is superior to English drama
4. Branded favours the moderns-English plays, but does not disparage the ancients. He also favours English drama and has some critical things to say of French drama.
Violation of the 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 English when they do observe the rules as Ben Jonson has done in The Silent Woman, show greater skill and art than the French. It all depends upon the ‘genius’ or ‘skill’ of the writer.
The Ancient and Modern Controversy:
Dryden's view:-
In the age of a Dryden there was a debate on the comparative marits and demerits of the Ancients and the Moderns. In this essay of 'Dramatic Poesy' Dryden favours the Moderns as a Eugenius, one of the debators in the essay. The case of ancients presented by Crites. In the Controversy Dryden takes no extreme position, follows the golden mean, and is sensible enough to give the Ancients their respect.
Crites favours the Ancients:
Crites favours the Ancients and speak in their defense that The superiority of Ancients is established by the very fact that the moderns simply imitate them, and build on the foundations laid by them. The Ancients are the acknowledge models of the moderns. It should be remembered that every age has its own genius, its own
inclination for some particular branch of knowledge.
He says that ancients are genius in drama and they could reach perfection in their poetry. The Ancient drama is superior because the Ancients closely observed Nature and faithfully represented her in their work. Moderns do not observed and distinguish the study of nature carefully. Crites makes special mention of the unities, of Time, Place, and Action, which he says “ought to be observed in every regular play”. Eugenius consider Ben Johnson as a great admiration for the Ancients and he prefers him as best of all other poets.
Eugenius replies to Crites:
Eugenius replies to Crites and speaks in favour of 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 of the ancients is concerned it lacks originality. Even he mentioned about three unities of time, place and action, he says that the ancients are not perfect in follow the unities like Horace and Aristotle, they are not make mention of the unity of place. He also mentioned Terence that he was not regular of the ancient dramatist. Also in plays of Euripides, 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 views in French playwrights:
Lisideius favours the French plays and considered them the best of all Europe because of their adherence to the unities. The French plays maintain the unity of action and they not added the sub-plots to confuse audience. 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. The English plays are 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.
At the end he compliments the "beauty of their rhyme" because of English poetry though he doesn't think there is anyone who was capable of doing it properly.
Neander favours the English Drama:
Neanders suggestions based on the definition of a play, he favours the English and say that they are best at "the lively imitation of human nature". In French plays he finds fault in irregularity of plots which has been complimented as uncluttered and also make the plays too much alike. He defends the English invitation of tragicomedy by suggesting that the use of mirth. He suggested that English plays are more entertaining and instructive because of their element of surprise which French have not. 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."
At the end of the essay, a discussion of the proper use of rhyme and verse ensues in between Crites and Neander, the discussion 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 sum up,
John Dryden in his essay given the neo classical theory and he defends the classical drama. The essay was written in dialog form, concerned to four critics who were given their views on their own way.
Reference:-
http://wikieducator.org/Dryden_Dramatic_Poesy
http://content.inflibnet.ac.in/data-server/eacharya-documents/53e0c6cbe413016f234436f0_INFIEP_11/2/ET/11-2-ET-V1-S1__introduction.pdf
Introduction: John Dryden
John Dryden was a English poet, critic, translator. He was a playwright of Restoration age therefore, the age is known as the the of Dryden. After John Milton, John Dryden was the greatest English poet of seventeenth century. Dryden, the poet was best known as a satirist.
Dryden was born in 19th August 1531, in England. He was the eldest of fourteen children, Erasmus Dryden was his father and Mary Pickering was his mother. In 1650, Dryden went up to Trinity college, Cambridge. There he would have experienced a return to the religious and political ethos of his childhood.
He wrote only two great satires,
1. Mac fleckone (1682)
2. The Medall (1682)
His notable works:
"Absalom and Achitophel"
"Mac fleckone"
"The Hind and the Panther"
He was seem a dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the age of Dryden. Walter Scott called him "Glorious John".
Dryden died on 12th May 1700, and he was initially buried in St Anne's ceremony in Soho, before being exhumed and reburied in Westminster Abbey ten days later.
Dryden's definition of drama:
"A play ought to be a just and lively image of human nature, representing it's passion and humors, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind."
According to this definition of 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 action. For the imitation is not only 'just', it also lively. The definition of drama is divided into three parts. 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 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.
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 with dramatic dialog, four characters representing the four critic's position. These four critical positions deal with five issues.
1. Eugenius favours the moderns over the ancients
2. Crites argues in favour of the ancients
3. Lisideius argues that French drama is superior to English drama
4. Branded favours the moderns-English plays, but does not disparage the ancients. He also favours English drama and has some critical things to say of French drama.
Violation of the 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 English when they do observe the rules as Ben Jonson has done in The Silent Woman, show greater skill and art than the French. It all depends upon the ‘genius’ or ‘skill’ of the writer.
The Ancient and Modern Controversy:
Dryden's view:-
In the age of a Dryden there was a debate on the comparative marits and demerits of the Ancients and the Moderns. In this essay of 'Dramatic Poesy' Dryden favours the Moderns as a Eugenius, one of the debators in the essay. The case of ancients presented by Crites. In the Controversy Dryden takes no extreme position, follows the golden mean, and is sensible enough to give the Ancients their respect.
Crites favours the Ancients:
Crites favours the Ancients and speak in their defense that The superiority of Ancients is established by the very fact that the moderns simply imitate them, and build on the foundations laid by them. The Ancients are the acknowledge models of the moderns. It should be remembered that every age has its own genius, its own
inclination for some particular branch of knowledge.
He says that ancients are genius in drama and they could reach perfection in their poetry. The Ancient drama is superior because the Ancients closely observed Nature and faithfully represented her in their work. Moderns do not observed and distinguish the study of nature carefully. Crites makes special mention of the unities, of Time, Place, and Action, which he says “ought to be observed in every regular play”. Eugenius consider Ben Johnson as a great admiration for the Ancients and he prefers him as best of all other poets.
Eugenius replies to Crites:
Eugenius replies to Crites and speaks in favour of 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 of the ancients is concerned it lacks originality. Even he mentioned about three unities of time, place and action, he says that the ancients are not perfect in follow the unities like Horace and Aristotle, they are not make mention of the unity of place. He also mentioned Terence that he was not regular of the ancient dramatist. Also in plays of Euripides, 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 views in French playwrights:
Lisideius favours the French plays and considered them the best of all Europe because of their adherence to the unities. The French plays maintain the unity of action and they not added the sub-plots to confuse audience. 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. The English plays are 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.
At the end he compliments the "beauty of their rhyme" because of English poetry though he doesn't think there is anyone who was capable of doing it properly.
Neander favours the English Drama:
Neanders suggestions based on the definition of a play, he favours the English and say that they are best at "the lively imitation of human nature". In French plays he finds fault in irregularity of plots which has been complimented as uncluttered and also make the plays too much alike. He defends the English invitation of tragicomedy by suggesting that the use of mirth. He suggested that English plays are more entertaining and instructive because of their element of surprise which French have not. 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."
At the end of the essay, a discussion of the proper use of rhyme and verse ensues in between Crites and Neander, the discussion 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 sum up,
John Dryden in his essay given the neo classical theory and he defends the classical drama. The essay was written in dialog form, concerned to four critics who were given their views on their own way.
Reference:-
http://wikieducator.org/Dryden_Dramatic_Poesy
http://content.inflibnet.ac.in/data-server/eacharya-documents/53e0c6cbe413016f234436f0_INFIEP_11/2/ET/11-2-ET-V1-S1__introduction.pdf
Comments
Post a Comment