Dryden's Political Satire In Absalom And Achitophel
Dryden, through his political satire, Absalom and Achitophel try to underscore his intention and discernment of satire in the Restoration Period. Satire was the ideal medium to make the hoi polloi cognizant of their vices and follies and through the use of satire, Dryden highlights the impeding political condition of England and the conflict in the Royal family for kingship using classical and Biblical allusions. The classical references serve as an archetypal medium to intensify the ongoing political unrest in the country and thus, believing that satire could be used to castigate the au courant plight of the seventeenth century British society. Absalom and Achitophel is a political allegory that brings into attention the conflict between Charles II, the Duke of Monmouth, …show more content…
Dryden subtly hints his loyalty towards the King and his government while simultaneously berating the Whigs for supporting the Protestant Duke of Monmouth and the Earl of Shaftesbury. The classical episodes help accentuate the inanity of the Restoration period lending the text satirical distinction. “Godlike” David’s promiscuity is talked about in the beginning of the text, viz. “When Nature prompted, and no law deny’d/Promiscuous use of Concubine and Bride”. Here, Dryden subtly hints at Charles II’s debauchery and satirizes it by drawing citations from the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. On the other hand, his son his eulogized by Dryden as he says, “So Beautifull, so brave as Absolon”. The state of England is compared to Israel because of the political unrest that is gripping the country and the people of England are Jews in Dryden’s opinion who support Absalom’s naive decision to dethrone the monarchical authority and get the throne of England for himself. The Biblical allusion is paralleled with the political scenario of England as the Jews led
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