Q. Dryden and Pope as verse satirists.
Ans. In the words of David Daiches, John Dryden is the great poet at his age, who built “reform over numbers” achieved by Waller and Denham to perfect a poetic style, both eloquent and flexible, that is one of the landmarks in the history of English poetry. Dryden first achieved the combination and dignity that distinguishes so much of his best verse. He could be ironical, critical humorous and above all satirical in a variety of ways. The verse show Dryden operating in the midst of a society which he knew, and the tone of social knowingness as well as the spirit of satirical vein become important in English poetry for the first time and remain so well into the 18th century. In fact it was Dryden who gave a direction and shape as to the English satire and raised it to the level of classical satire. In his hands satire became not only a useful weapon to attack personal and public enemies, but also an important genre of literature.
In his poetry Dryden is most often satirical rather than the familiar poet. His masterly combination of the formal and the familiar finds an elective outlet in his satirical verses. As a satirical poet, Dryden has strength and vigour though he can be verbose and repetitious. But the voice as David Daiches observes, is often that of a man shouting, and sonority often gives way to shrillness. The satirical writings of Dryden may broadly be classified as political, religious and personal. Absalom and Achitophel is his great political satire. It satirizes the attempt of Shaftsbury to overrule the so succession of the Duke of York and set the Duke of Monmount in his place. In religio Laici, the satire is aimed at the extravagances at the papacy. In the Hind and the Panther the target of his attack becomes the Church of England whose excellences he has celebrated in Religio Laici. On the other hand, Mackflecknoe is a personal satire in which Dryden attacks a poet ester who dared to offend him by...