Absalom and Achitophel, written by John Dryden, is one of the best political satires in English literature. In it, a particular time in the political situation of England was published, and it is assumed that the then King Charles II personally requested Dryden to write a poem in his favor. Accordingly, Dryden wrote it in favor of King Charles II and against his enemies. Enemies of King Charles II tried to overthrow him and put his illegitimate child, the Duke of Monmouth, in power. In this poem, Dryden tried to undermine the enemies of King Charles II and glorify the king. In this poem, he presented allegories resembling the Bible, and King Charles II is called King David.
In the last part of the Absalom and Achitophel poem, we mainly observe the speech of King David or King Charles II. In his speech, he explains his logic for why he will have to stop his illegitimate son and punish his enemies. Before that, Dryden mainly presented the political situation of that time, where on one side were the supporters of King David or King Charles II and on the other side were the enemies of King Charles II. The main leader of the enemies is the Earl of Shaftesbury, and in this story, he is known as the character named Achitophel. He tried to influence Absalom, or the Duke of Monmouth, to rebel against his father, King David.
King David said something about his illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth. He said that the Duke of Monmouth considers himself Samson, and he dreams that he will shake the foundation of the throne like Samson. Though the Duke of Monmouth was the illegitimate son of King David, he liked his son very much and felt that there was a limit to everything. The Duke of Monmouth is affectionate towards him, but he exceeds his limit. So the time has come to punish him.
Not only the Duke of Monmouth but much more than that, the Earl of Shaftesbury and other enemies who thought that the King had become old and had no strength like before, King David tried to explain his logic behind suppressing them with a strong hand in the last stanza of this poem. He said it was not fair for the country to consider him weak because the law-and-order situation as well as the dignity and power of the king should be protected. So, he is determined to punish state enemies, and he has explained this justification to his allies.
In the last part of this poem, from King David’s speech, we get Dryden’s semblance of thought about erstwhile government policy. At that time, the parliament was on one side and the king’s allies were on the other. Most of the parliament members wanted to reduce the power of the king and increase the power and scope of work of the parliament, especially in economic affairs and managing the country. On the contrary, the king was not willing to accept it because monarchy had prevailed for decades in England, and the power and honor of the king were the highest. Dryden was the king’s personnel, and he was suspicious of parliament members. So, he tried to express it through David’s mouth that the king must be strong and firm in need. If the king is not strong, there will be anarchy in the country. The king should remain in power for the betterment of the country.
In the last part of the poem, in David’s speech, we again see the statement that the king must be strong and suppress everyone with a strong hand. The enemies of the king had been plotting for a long time, and if the king was not strong then there would be some kind of unrest in the whole country. King David also said that he is kind-hearted and loves to forgive everyone. He forgave many people, and if it continues, it will not bode well for the future. So, the king must suppress this revolt with a strong hand. The orders and instructions of the king must be abided by his enemies and the people of the country because king is the most powerful person. A king’s duty is to rule the country, and while doing this, many things may be pleasant or unpleasant to somebody. But if obstacles come in every matter, then it will bring misfortune to the people. Dryden mainly tried to say this back and forth.
Though Dryden has written Absalom and Achitophel taking one side, it is one of the best political allegories in English literature and one of Dryden’s best works. This is because Dryden did not only write well but also tried to present beautiful logic for his side. From this, we get an idea of his talent and skill as a poet.
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