John Dryden

Question 1

When was Dryden born?

Answer 1

b.1631 - d.1700

Question 2

When was Dryden appointed as Poet Laureate?

Answer 2

1688

Question 3

What did Walter Scott call him?

Answer 3

Glorious John

Question 4

What is Astraea Redux?

Answer 4

300 lines in rhymed couplets to written in 1660 in welcome of Charles II restoration to the throne.

Question 5

What is Dryden’s longest poem?

Answer 5

Annus Mirabilis (1667). Celebrating the victory of English fleet over the Dutch and the Londoners’ survival of the great fire of 1666.

Question 6

Dryden’s first play?

Answer 6

The Wild Gallant (1663), a farcical comedy. It was a failure.

Question 7

Dryden’s first successful play?

Answer 7

The Indian Emperour (1665), a sequel to The Indian Queen (1664)

Question 8

Which play of Dryden did Nell Gwynn act in?

Answer 8

Secret Love, or The Maiden Queen (1667) appealed particularly to the king because his mistress Nell Gwynn acted in it as the character named Florimel.

Question 9

When was Of Dramatic Poesy, an Essay, published?

Answer 9

1668. A discussion between four contemporary writers.

Question 10

What are the four characters in Dramatic Poesy?

Answer 10

The four characters are Eugenius (Lord Buckhurst or Charles Sackville), Crites (Robert Howard), Lisideius (Charles Sedley) and Neander (Dryden).

Question 11

What is the main theme of Dramatic Poesy?

Answer 11

1. Dryden attempts to justify Drama as a legitimate form of ‘poetry’, comparable to the epic.
2. Defends English Drama against that of the ancients and the French.

Question 12

When was Defence of An Essay of Dramatic Poesy written?

Answer 12

1669, in which Dryden tries to convince Robert Howard his brother-in-law, that audiences expect a play to be an imitation of nature, not a surrogate for nature itself.

Question 13

What is the first substantial piece of modern dramatic criticism?

Answer 13

Dryden’s Dramatic Poesy written in 1668

Question 14

Dryden’s most famous heroic plays?

Answer 14

1. Tyrannick Love (1669)
2. The Conquest of Granada by the Spaniards (Part I and II) (1670)
3. Aureng-Zebe (1675, his last heroic play, written in blank verse instead of rhymed couplets).

Question 15

Which play cast Dryden as Mr.Bayes, a satirical victim?

Answer 15

The Rehearsal by George Villiers in 1671. It was a witty burlesque of heroic drama, marking the end of the popularity of heroic drama.

Question 16

When was Marriage A-la-Mode written?

Answer 16

1672, one of Dryden’s most famous comedies, in the vein of Restoration battle of the sexes.

Question 17

What is Marriage A-la-Mode about?

Answer 17

Two unrelated plots. 1. The story of Princess Palmyra of Sicily and her childhood sweetheart, Leonidas.
2. The story of a couple bored with each other, Doralice and Rodophil.

Question 18

What is a famous tragedy written by Dryden?

Answer 18

All for Love (1677), based on Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra.

Question 19

What was the aim of writing Absalom and Achitophel?

Answer 19

Written in 1681, as poet Laureate, Dryden was showing support to the King in the crisis regarding his heir.

Question 20

What is the title Absalom and Achitophel based on?

Answer 20

A biblical episode of King David’s favourite son Absalom and his fake friend Achitophel. In the poem, Absalom represents Monmouth, the king’s illegitimate son and Achitophel represents Shaftesbury, who encourages Monmouth to rebel against his father, the king.

Question 21

How did Dryden affect the reputation of contemporary poet and playwright Thomas Shadwell?

Answer 21

Mac Flecknoe (written in 1678, published in 1682), by Dryden was published without his authority. It was a mock-heroic satire directly attacking Thomas Shadwell.

Question 22

What is Dryden’s longest poem?

Answer 22

The Hind in the Panther (1687)

Question 23

What translation is Dryden most famous for?

Answer 23

Translation of Virgil published in 1697.

Question 24

What did Samuel Johnson have to say about him?

Answer 24

Samuel Johnson called him “the father of English criticism.”