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Bridge Cource : An Essay On Dramatic Poesy

 Bridge Course 


                             Dryden : Essay on Dramatic Poesy


          This blog spot is in  response to the bridge course  on Dryden's An Essay on Dramatic Poesy. In this Particular Blog Spot, I am Going to write About John Dryden And his An Essay on Dramatic Poesy . This task is a part of bridge course which was assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir ,  Department of English, MKBU.



         * John Dryden 


                                   


                        John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright. He was first appointed England's first Poet Laureate in 1668. He is seen as 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. John Dryden was the greatest English poet of the 17th century. After William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, he was the greatest playwright.


                       Dryden was born on  August 9, 1631. He was raised  by a Puritan gentry in Northampton shire. But as a teenager he was sent to the King’s School at Westminster to be trained as a King’s Scholar by the brilliant Royalist headmaster Richard Busby. 


* An Essay of Dramatic Poesy


                                      


                     John Dryden’s An Essay on Dramatic Poesy presents a brief discussion on Neo-classical theory of Literature. “An Essay of Dramatic Poesy” was probably written in 1666 . Essay of Dramatic Poesy is a work by John Dryden. He defends the classical drama saying that it is an imitation of life and reflects human nature clearly.


                           

                               An Essay on Dramatic Poesy is written in the form of a dialogue among four gentlemen: Eugenius, Crites, Lisideius and Neander.



                * Neander speaks for Dryden himself.




     Eugenius favours modern English dramatists by attacking the classical playwrights, who did not themselves always observe the unity of place. But Crites defends the ancients and points out that they invited the principles of dramatic art paved by Aristotle and Horace. 

          


            Crites opposes rhyme in plays and argues that though the moderns excel in sciences, the ancient age was the true age of poetry. Lisideius defends the French playwrights and attacks the English tendency to mix genres.

  

   Neander speaks in favour of the Moderns and respects the Ancients. He is however critical of the rigid rules of dramas and favours rhyme. He also finds subplots as an integral part to enrich a play. He finds single action in French dramas. 


                Dryden thus argues against the neo-classical critics. He supports the use of blank verse in drama and says that the use of rhyme in serious plays is justifiable in place of the blank verse.



             


     * Que.1 :  Do you find any difference between Aristotle's definition of Tragedy and Dryden 's definition of play? 

               

        *  Aristotle’s Definition of Tragedy : 


     Aristotle's definition of tragedy is very compact. 

 

        “Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude”. In the language embellished  with each kind of artistic ornament , the several kinds being found  in  separate parts of the play. The actions represented have serious, often dire consequences and the characters represented are of elevated social status.

 

 

                Tragedy form of action , not of narrative. It imitates a human life, a human nature and completes itself. Behind tragedy this implication is that you do not transgress your limits.



     According to Aristotle , Tragedy has six major elements, 

                     Mythos=plot

                     Ethos= Character

                     Dianoia= Thought

                     Lexis= Diction

                     Melos= Songs

                     Opsis= Spectacle



           *  Dryden's definition of Play


                                                                                                                                                                                 “ A Play Ought to be a just and lively image of human nature , represents its Passion and humours , and the change of Fortune to which it is Subject , for the delight and instruction of mankind. " 


            Dryden is really a great critic and supporter of imagination. In his age, he is rather different from all the poets. He said that all people differ in their character. They might be either evil or good. The bad and good parts in a human character make them do rather good or bad things, which are the basis for a tragedy or comedy. He calls imagination as a special faculty of a creative artist without rules and regulations. imagination is like a polisher that makes the material elegant. Such labour uplifts its value more and more. In other words, it is more needed to say that imagination is a shaping power.


          In the definition of drama, John Dryden gives primary importance to delight, and the secondary to instruction. The function of poetry is delight, and to instruct is the function of prose. It is he who combines the both. It is examined that the instruction comes out of the delight.


                                 


 Que. 2 : WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PREFERENCE SO FAR AS POETIC OR PROSAIC DIALOGUES ARE CONCERNED IN THE PLAY?



  •   Poetic Dialogue gives us entertainment compared to Poetic Dialogues. It Contains in Poetic Manner. 


Examples of Poetic Drama ,

                            

A Midsummer Night’s Dream , 

                            

Romeo and Juliet . 


  Example of Prose Drama, 


               As You Like It

                                

              

 

                        


Thank You… . 

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