Part C · Broad Questions — Absalom and Achitophel: A Poem

Satire is writing that shows human faults in a funny and sharp way. Its aim is to correct, not only to laugh. Dryden is the greatest English satirist of his age. He does not use rough abuse. He uses wit, a calm tone and polite words that still hurt. He praises a man's good points first. Then he shows his bad points. This makes the attack look fair and honest. Dryden himself liked fine and delicate satire. So in Absalom and Achitophel he makes his enemies look foolish without losing his own calm. This is his special art.

The poem was written during the Exclusion Crisis of 1681. At that time, Charles II had no lawful son. His brother James was a Catholic. The Whigs wanted to stop James from becoming king. They also wanted to make the Duke of Monmouth the heir. Dryden supported the King. He used the poem to turn public opinion against the Whig leader, Lord Shaftesbury. He warned the people about civil war and disorder. Dryden asks:
For who can be secure of private right,
If sovereign sway may be dissolved by might?
The idea is simple. If people can remove a king by force, nobody's property is safe.

Achitophel stands for the Earl of Shaftesbury. Dryden makes him the main villain. He is clever, proud and full of ambition. He leads the plot and tempts young Absalom to rebel. Dryden says he was
Resolved to ruin or to rule the state.
This line shows his wish for power at any cost. Dryden also writes:
Great wits are sure to madness near allied,
And thin partitions do their bounds divide.
Here Dryden says great cleverness can turn into madness. Achitophel works like Satan tempting Adam. Dryden's portrait is cruel but fair, because he admits Achitophel's great talent.

Zimri stands for the Duke of Buckingham. Dryden's portrait of him is a famous piece of satire. Buckingham was a rich man who changed his hobbies and friends all the time. Dryden says he was
A man so various that he seemed to be
Not one, but all mankind's epitome.
This means he had many natures but no firm character. Dryden also calls him
Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong.
He tried to be a chemist, fiddler, statesman and clown, yet he did none of them well. The portrait is funny, quick and cruel. It shows how Dryden can destroy a man in a few lines.

Dryden tells the Bible story of King David and his son Absalom. But every character stands for a real person. David is Charles II. Absalom is the Duke of Monmouth. Achitophel is Lord Shaftesbury. Israel is England and Jerusalem is London. The Jebusites are the Catholics. Corah is Titus Oates, and Zimri is Buckingham. This is a political allegory. The poem opens with the line
In pious times, ere priestcraft did begin,
The story starts in old Bible times but soon points to Charles's England. The allegory also protects Dryden from danger. It lets readers enjoy the satire as a story.

Dryden writes in the heroic couplet. This is a pair of rhyming lines in iambic pentameter. Each line has ten syllables. The couplet is neat and balanced. The second line often gives a sharp punch. This suits satire very well. See how he praises Absalom:
Whate'er he did was done with so much ease,
In him alone 'twas natural to please.
The praise sounds sweet. But it also shows that Absalom is weak and easily led. So the couplet carries both charm and criticism. Dryden's smooth verse makes his satire easy to remember.

Irony means saying one thing but meaning another. Dryden uses it again and again. He often praises a man in order to blame him. The rebels say they fight for the people's freedom. But Dryden shows they want power. He describes Shimei with these lines:
Shimei, whose youth did early promise bring
Of zeal to God and hatred to his king.
Shimei seems holy, but he only hates the King. Dryden also uses mock praise for Zimri's many talents. The reader smiles at first and then understands the attack. This quiet irony makes the satire sharp and clever.

Dryden's satire has a moral purpose. He wants the reader to see that rebellion brings ruin. He also wants people to respect law and order. The King is shown as kind, patient and chosen by God. At the end, David speaks firmly to the rebels. Then heaven agrees:
Th' Almighty, nodding, gave consent;
And peals of thunder shook the firmament.
This ending shows that the King's power is divine. The poem is typical because it speaks of 1681 politics. It is universal because it also warns every age about ambition and false leaders.