John Dryden
|
John Dryden, 1631-1700, English poet, dramatist, critic, and translator.
Dryden was the most important poet between Milton and Pope. Though he began as a supporter of Cromwell's Protectorate, he celebrated the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 in "Astræa Redux," the first in a long series of Royalist panegyrics, including "Annus Mirabilis" (1667) and "Absalom and Achitophel" (1681). He also wrote some of the most successful plays of the Restoration era, including the heroic tragedies The Conquest of Granada (1670) and All for Love (1677). He was rewarded for his Royalist sympathies with the Poet Laureateship, but lost the post at the accession of William and Mary in 1689.
Dryden was also author of important literary criticism, including An Essay of Dramatic Poesy, and translator of Virgil's Aeneid; he is also credited with translating Plutarch's Lives (though in fact he only supervised the translation). He was named a fellow of the Royal Society in 1663. His own life was written by Samuel Johnson.
Contributed by an anonymous poster
|
|
This article was written by Knowledgerush staff or contributed by users. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
|
|
John Dryden (August 9, 1631 - May 12, 1700) was an influential British poet and playwright.
He was born at a village rectory near Oundle in Northamptonshire and educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was a professional writer throughout his life. His early plays, often heroic tragedy, met with highly variable success but served to promote his name and his Royalist sentiments. Arriving in London during the Protectorate, he attempted to capitalise on the Parliamentarian sympathies of his family, but failed to make much impact until the Restoration of King Charles II. His poem, Astrea Redux, in honour of this event, made him a name.
Dryden turned to the stage for a living, and soon became the most successful dramatist of the decade following the Restoration. He wrote in both of the dominant genres of the period: heroic verse drama and comedy of manners. He wrote for money, and claimed that the only one of his plays he cared for was All For Love.
The Indian Emperor is a wholly fictitious account of the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards.
Dryden was a contentious personality, and frequently entered upon literary wars with other prominent writers. He savagely attacked playwright Thomas Shadwell in the poem MacFlecknoe, and attacked both Shadwell and Elkanah Settle in part two of Absalom and Achitophel.
By 1663, the year he was made a fellow of the Royal Society, he was prominent enough to be accepted as a suitable husband for Lady Elizabeth Howard, but his reputation was not really made until Annus Mirabilis, a celebration of the events of 1666. In 1668, he was appointed to succeed William Davenant as Poet Laureate, a post which he lost when King James II was deposed twenty years later. He continued to lead the way in Restoration comedy, his best known work being All for Love (1678). From the 1680s Dryden concentrated on poetry where his use of the rhymed couplet is considered brilliant, although he continued to write plays and composed several librettoes. In 1686 he converted to Catholicism. He also made some popular translations of Virgil's Aeneid and works by Horace, Ovid and Homer. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
His eldest son, Charles Dryden, became chamberlain to Pope Innocent XII.
Works
- Astraea Redux, (1660)
- The Indian Emperor, (1665)
- Annus Mirabilis, (1667)
- An Essay of Dramatic Poesy, (1668)
- Tyrannick Love, (1669)
- Marriage A-la-Mode, (1672)
- The Conquest of Granada, (1670)
- All for Love, (1677)
- Absalom and Achitophel, (1681)
- The Hind and the Panther, (1687)
- Amphitryon, (1690)
- Don Sebastian, (1690)
External links
Referenced By
1601 in literature | 1602 in literature | 1603 in literature | 1604 in literature | 1605 in literature | 1606 in literature | 1607 in literature | 1608 in literature | 1609 in literature | 1610 in literature | 1611 in literature | 1612 in literature | 1613 in literature | 1614 in literature | 1615 in literature | 1616 in literature | 1617 in literature | 1618 in literature | 1619 in literature | 1620 in literature | 1621 in literature | 1622 in literature | 1623 in literature | 1624 in literature | 1625 in literature | 1626 in literature | 1627 in literature | 1628 in literature | 1629 in literature | 1630 in literature | 1631 in literature | 1632 in literature | 1633 in literature | 1634 in literature | 1635 in literature | 1636 in literature | 1637 in literature | 1638 in literature | 1639 in literature | 1640 in literature | 1641 in literature | 1642 in literature | 1643 in literature | 1644 in literature | 1645 in literature | 1646 in literature | 1647 in literature | 1648 in literature | 1649 in literature | 1650 in literature | 1651 in literature | 1652 in literature | 1653 in literature | 1654 in literature | 1655 in literature | 1656 in literature | 1657 in literature | 1658 in literature | 1659 in literature | 1660 in literature | 1661 in literature | 1662 in literature | 1663 in literature | 1664 in literature | 1665 in literature | 1666 in literature | 1667 in literature | 1668 in literature | 1669 | 1669 in literature | 1670 in literature | 1671 in literature | 1672 in literature | 1673 in literature | 1674 in literature | 1675 in literature | 1676 in literature | 1677 in literature | 1678 in literature | 1679 in literature | 1680 in literature | 1681 in literature | 1682 in literature | 1683 in literature | 1684 in literature | 1685 in literature | 1686 in literature | 1687 in literature | 1688 in literature | 1689 in literature | 1690 in literature | 1691 in literature | 1692 in literature | 1693 in literature | 1694 in literature | 1695 in literature | 1696 in literature | 1697 in literature | 1698 in literature | 1699 in literature ...
|
|
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "John Dryden".
|
If you know facts or have questions about this author post them here.
|
John Dryden, 1631-1700, English poet, dramatist, critic, and translator.
Dryden was the most important poet between Milton and Pope. Though he began as a supporter of Cromwell's Protectorate, he celebrated the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 in "Astræa Redux," the first in a long series of Royalist panegyrics, including "Annus Mirabilis" (1667) and "Absalom and Achitophel" (1681). He also wrote some of the most successful plays of the Restoration era, including the heroic tragedies The Conquest of Granada (1670) and All for Love (1677). He was rewarded for his Royalist sympathies with the Poet Laureateship, but lost the post at the accession of William and Mary in 1689.
Dryden was also author of important literary criticism, including An Essay of Dramatic Poesy, and translator of Virgil's Aeneid; he is also credited with translating Plutarch's Lives (though in fact he only supervised the translation). He was named a fellow of the Royal Society in 1663. His own life was written by Samuel Johnson.
|
|
Thanks! Your information was helpful.
|
|
Who the hell is this guy.
|
|
The new adaptation of John Dryden's "The Indian Emperor" play, a 1667 revision he did combined with his Essay On Defense of Dramatic Poesy has just been released by Signatures Books and screenwriter Suzanne Alexander. This play is now in modern format, with stage directions and can be performed by schools and theatre groups - although copyrighted as an adaptation, there are no royalties associated with performance. It was compiled in order to provide an easy format and access to Dryden's works.
|
|
I admire your work as volunteers of this literary website.Warmly,
Julius Williams Seattle/USA July 26th 2004 11:31 AM Pacific Time
|
|
|
