Dryden, Absalom & Achitophel 1680 -81 The Exclusion Crisis (& the Popish Plot) 1
ALLEGORY: a solution to various expressive problems n BUNYAN - Political disengagement & a dissenter’s commentary n Bunyan faces the conceptual impossibility of conveying directly a spiritual transformation--a transformation by definition “beyond words” n Allegory embodies what is not body. n DRYDEN - Political engagement & an insider’s commentary n Dryden deals with the political inadvisability and the psychological ineffectiveness of direct statement. 2
Players: David = Charles II Absalom = James Scott, Duke of Monmouth Michal =Katherine of Braganza Bathsheba = Duchess of Portsmouth Monmouth’s Mother = Lucy Walter(s) http: //www. npg. org. uk/2563. htm; http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Image: James_Scott. jpg http: //www. portcities. org. uk/london/server/show/con. Media. File. 4728/King-Charles-II(163085). html http: //commons. wikimedia. org/wiki/Louise_de_K%C 3%A 9 rouail
More players Achitophel = Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1 st Earl of Shaftesbury Corah = Titus Oates Pharaoh = Louis XIV Agag = Sir Edmund Godfrey
Review the players n Absalom: James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleugh (1649 -1685), son of Charles II & Lucy Walters n Achitophel: Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury (1621 -1683) n David & Israel’s Monarch: (1630 -1685) Charles II n Michal: Catherine of Braganza (16381705), Queen n Bathsheba: Duchess of Portsmouth (16491734), Charles II's mistress. 5
More players n Israel: England Egypt: France n Jerusalem & Sion: London n The Jews: the English n “the chosen people”: Protestants n Hebrew Priests: Church of England (Anglican) clergy n Jewish Rabbins: Church of England priests n Levites: The Presbyterian ministers displaced by the Act of Uniformity. Aaron's Race, the Clergy 6 n Solymaean Rout: London mob. Jebusites:
And more players n Saul: Oliver Cromwell n Ishbosheth, Richard Cromwell (1626 - 1712) n Gath: Brussels, where Charles was in exile after period in France n Hebron: Scotland (where Charles was crowned on Jan. 1, 1651) n Ethnic Plot: Popish Plot n “his Progress”: Monmouth’s journey, beginning July 26, 1680 7
Background: The Exclusion Crisis n The problem of succession n Exclusion Bill: a bill to exclude James, Charles II’s brother, from succession. n See notes in our course booklet. 8
The political problem n Charles has no legitimate children. How do Dryden’s opening lines start to address the problem? n Charles’s sexual promiscuity: many heirs but not one heir n Look closely at lines 1 -18. 9
From the end rhymes of the first 18 lines, what can you guess about the problem the poem presents? n begin, n wear; n sin; n care: n kind, n bore n confin'd: n before. n deni'd n ascend, n bride; n attend. n heart, n none n impart n Absalom: n command n land. 10
The poem’s strategy n To link Charles II to David n To link Monmouth to Absalom, David’s much loved but rebellious son n To recall the Civil War and associate the supporters of exclusion with it n To persuade readers that Charles II’s political opponents threaten the stability of the restoration. Those who aim to alter the succession aim to erode monarchy. n See lines 69 -74. 11
Solution Dryden relies on his allegory to build up the association between Charles and David and create a sense of sexual blessing. The art of the subordinate clause: The first ten lines are one sentence, its temporal clauses focusing attention on the history of David. n In pious times n Before n When n Ere n When n Then 12
Getting a little help from alliteration n man on many n one to one confined multiplied cursedly n The poem makes Charles’s extensive sexual activity a virtue rather than a state problem. The queen is “a soil ungrateful to the tiller’s care” (12). 13
Sexual energy underlies politics. n What does “Scatter'd his Maker's image through the land” mean? n Absalom’s conception seems to have been inspired by a “diviner lust/greater gust. ” n Contrast: Achitophel’s cramped conceptions define him. n 169 And all to leave, what with his toil he won 170 To that unfeather'd, two-legg'd thing, a son: 171 Got, while his soul did huddled notions try; 14
Further scrutiny of Dryden’s link between sexual and political activity n Dryden fuses sexual and political corruption. n 169 And all to leave, what with his toil he won 170 To that unfeather'd, two-legg'd thing, a son: 171 Got, while his soul did huddled notions try; 172 And born a shapeless lump, like anarchy. n Note also the poem’s use of the term debauched: “debauch'd with ease”(47); “debauch'd with praise” (312). n The OED for definition of debauch: 15
But the problem of succession is not solved by prolific sexual activity: “No true succession”(l. 16) n The problem of succession n Highlighted in the opening lines n Obscured by the poem’s effort to make Charles’s extensive sexual activity a sign of blessing and 16
Achitophel: satiric portrait (l. 150 ff. ) n A portrait of excess and deformity n Achitophel is a Satan figure and a master rhetorician. n Achitophel is greatness deformed, an epic figure fallen to satiric status. 17
What is worth noticing here? Rhymes. Alliteration, Metaphors 150 Of these the false Achitophel was first: 151 A name to all succeeding ages curst. 152 For close designs, and crooked counsels fit; 153 Sagacious, bold and turbulent of wit: 154 Restless, unfixt in principles and place; 155 In pow'r unpleas'd, impatient of disgrace. 156 A fiery soul, which working out its way, 157 Fretted the pigmy-body to decay: 158 And o'er inform'd the tenement of clay. 159 A daring pilot in extremity; 160 Pleas'd with the danger, when the waves went high 161 He sought the storms; but for a calm unfit, 162 Would steer too nigh the sands, to boast his wit. 163 Great wits are sure to madness near alli'd; 164 And thin partitions do their bounds divide: 18
Achitophel as Satan: the temptations of Absalom n Auspicious Prince! (230) n Their [thy longing country’s] second Moses (234) n Thee, Saviour, thee, the nation's vows confess (240) n How long wilt thou the general joy detain; Starve, and defraud the people of thy reign? (244 -5) n Believe me, royal youth, thy fruit must be, Or gather'd ripe, or rot upon the tree (250 -1). n Had thus Old David, from whose loins you spring, Not dar'd, when fortune call'd him, to be king (262 -3). n What strength can he to your designs oppose, Naked of friends and round beset with foes? (279 -80). 19
Temptation (cont. ) n Unwarily was led from virtue’s ways; Made drunk with honour, and debauch'd with praise. Half loath, and half consenting to the ill, (For loyal blood within him struggled still) He thus repli'd. --And what pretence have I To take up arms for public liberty? My Father governs with unquestion'd right; The Faith's defender, and mankind's 20 delight:
The Popish Plot exacerbated the problem of succession. Dryden’s view of the plot: 108 From hence began that plot, the nation's curse, 109 Bad in itself, but represented worse. 110 Rais'd in extremes, and in extremes decri'd; 111 With oaths affirm'd, with dying vows deni'd. 112 Not weigh'd, or winnow'd by the multitude; 113 But swallow'd in the mass, unchew'd and crude. Dryden’s treatment of the plot: fever in the body politic 136 For, as when raging fevers boil the blood, 137 The standing lake soon floats into a flood; 138 And ev'ry hostile humour, which before 139 Slept quiet in its channels, bubbles o'er: 140 So, several factions from this first ferment, 141 Work up to foam, and threat the government. 21
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