Introduction to Mac Flecknoe

 

Literary trends of neoclassicism

Neoclassical writers were against the views of romantic lyricism of the Elizabethans. The spirit of the age was embodied the following trends.

1- Rise of rationality.

 Reason became the predominant factor. Imagination was often equated with madness. The  'Reason' and 'Good Sense' were the zeitgeist of the age. As a consequence, some kinds of poetry became difficult to write. The establishment of the Royal Society to encourage scientific study was one factor in the growth of reason. Thus, all their thoughts were logically mediated.

2 - Imitation of the ancients

The great classical writers of antiquity were the models to be imitated. The ultimate form of excellence according to pope was : " Learn for the ancient rules a just esteem. To copy nature is to copy them". Hence, the second coming of classicism is discernible in their works.

3- Realism and Insistence on Rigid Poetic Style.

The reaction against the imaginative exuberance of the Elizabethans and the Metaphysicals, resulted in a strict adherence to realism. The royal life of the elites was the subject matter for poetry.

There was also a tendency to adhere to rigid rules and metrical forms in poetry. intellectual display was more important than feelings. They developed a complete artificial style far removed from nature and emotions.

 4-  Growth of Satires.

The poetic form best suited to the age was the satire, which gained immense development. The purpose of poetry became to convince, not to inspire. Wit was inherent in satire.

DRYDEN: A VERSATILE GENIUS

 Dryden was the greatest poet of the Restoration period(The Restoration of Charles II brought about a revolutionary change in life and literature). Besides poetry, he showed his talent in a variety of other literary forms. Versatility marked his genius - he was a playwright, a critic, a prose writer and a poet. He ushered the literature of "reason and order." He stressed on clarity, precision and balance. He showed great "architectural instinct, a rare gift of logic, and a passion for symmetrical and distinct cadence (rhythmic flow of sounds)." He made the heroic couplet the staple verse-form of his time, to replace the previous era's blank verse. As a craftsman, he showed unmitigated excellence. He brought to the English language a flexibility and fluency which gave it a modern flavour.

DRYDEN'S THEORY OF POETRY

The aim of poetry, according to Dryden, was delight as well as instruction. But Dryden assigned first position to delight, and second place to instruction. The delight, however, was not to be hedonistic pleasure, but the delight of the soul. But both ends of poetry are important. Dryden merely means that poetry instructs through delight.

DRYDEN AS A DIDACTIC POET

 Dryden is well known as a satiric poet. He was also a didactic poet, ie, a poet whose aim was to propound some kind of instruction, moral or political. His didactic poems are unique in their own way. The didactic tone in his poetry is directly related to the theological controversies of the day. Religio Laici and The Hind and the Panther are Dryden's didactic poems. According to Dryden, a didactic poem should be plain, natural and majestic. In it, the poet is presumed to be kind of Law-giver. People are to be reasoned into Truth by didactic poems.

 
DRYDEN AS A SATIRIST

 Satire is a literary form which searches out the faults of men or institutions in order to hold them up to ridicule. Dryden was  considered as the final word  of satire. Dryden was a master of the classical form of satire. He shows the influence of classical writers of Rome like Horace and Juvenal. Dryden combines the urbane laughter of Horace with the vigorous contempt of Juvenal in his satire. A characteristic example of this combination is in the portrait of Zimri in Absalom and Achitophel: "It is not bloody, but it's ridiculous enough."

The important satirical works of Dryden are "Absalom and Achitophel", "The Medal", "Mac Flecknoe" and a contribution of 200 lines to Nahum Tate's "Absalom and Achitophel" Part II.

Political Satire

Dryden's political satire is manifested in Absalom and Achitophel, a brilliant piece of satirical allegory in which the cause of King Charles II is championed. It satirizes the attempt of Shaftesbury to overrule the succession of the Duke of York and set the Duke of Monmouth in his place. An allegorical version of a story from the Bible suits the purpose. Charles II is David and the Duke of Monmouth is Absalom, while Shaftesbury is the satanic, cunning and dangerous Achitophel. The series of satirical portraits in the poem is its chief attraction and strength. Careful selection of details, moderation and tolerance mark of satire.

Personal Satires

 Juvenalian vigour marks his personal satires. The supporters of Shaftesbury provoked Dryden to write The Medal, which is marked for bitter invective against Shaftesbury. As a result of The Medal, several hostile satiric works sprang up, one of which was Shadwell's The Medal of John Bayes. Dryden's reply was the severe personal satire of Mac Fleckne Flecknoe, whose successor is Shadwell, rules over an empire of dullness. He rules "through all the realms of Nonsense, absolute." Dryden's power at contemptuous humour is evident in his portraiture of Shadwell. Personal and witty attacks on Shadwell's corpulence (fat) and literary weaknesses are, however, combined with humour. Sharp wit and humour mingle in Mac Flecknoe.  Mac Flecknoe is a mock- heroic satire.

 
Mac Flecknoe's circumstances of composition

Mac Flecknoe is a highly entertaining satire on Thomas Shadwell. The historical background to Mac Flecknoe goes back to the publication of Absalom and Achitophel in which Dryden had attacked  Earl of Shaftesbury as an enemy and traitor to the nation. Shaftesbury though arrested and sent to the Tower, was later acquitted of treasonous charges, and his supporters struck a medal in his honour. Dryden now wrote the satire, The Medal, against Shaftesbury. It provoked a reply. The Medal of John Bayes, by Thomas Shadwell. Dryden was not a man to meekly accept the insult and he published Mac Flecknoe as a retaliation. Dryden and Shadwell had once been on friendly terms though they had argued with each other on literary matters.  It is not only a satire on Shadwell but also ridicules all literary dunces.

Significance of the Title

 Mac Flecknoe means 'the son of Flecknoe'. The choice of the name is not very difficult to understand. Richard Flecknoe, Shadwell's literary father in the poem, was in real life a Catholic priest and a versifier. Andrew Marvell had satirized him, playfully in Flecknoe, an English Priest in Rome. The wits of the day generally regarded Flecknoe as an object of ridicule. By the time Dryden chose him to be  the Prince of Dullness.  But in the context of Mac Flecknoe, the father's talents in dullness, though great, are not to be unique: the son is greater in the field of dullness than the father.

 
"Mac Flecknoe": A Personal Satire against Shadwell

Shadwell is attacked in Mac Flecknoe for being a literary dunce- indeed, the perfection of stupidity He is represented as a dull poetaster who lacks wit, sense and intelligence. Others might allow a dim ray of intelligence into the darkness of nonsense, but not so Shadwell.

Shadwell is a "grand failure" in poetry and drama. He is the master of 'tautology'. His tragedies evoke laughter, his comedies are soporific ( causing sleep ) and his satires are flat and devoid of any sting. He is thus fit to rule over the realm of Nonsense. Shadwell, in fact, was not a bad writer or even a poetaster as Dryden makes him out to be. In truth, we cannot deny that personal motives underlie the satire in Mac Flecknoe.

"Mac Flecknoe": Not Merely a Personal Lampoon, but also General Satire against Bad Art and Poetasters

While it is true that personal antipathy probably led Dryden to castigate Shadwell so mercilessly in Mac Flecknoe, we also note that he satirises only the literary qualities of his rival. The sub-title of the poem says: "A Satire upon the True-Blue Protestant Poet." It misleads one into thinking that Shadwell's religious opinions may be attacked. But the poem, however, deals exclusively with Shadwell as a master of dull writing. It does not make any reference to Shadwell's personal life or morals. Thus, though personal motives are not to be completely overruled, the poem is also to be seen in a wider context rather than as a vindictive personal lampoon. It certainly involves personal satire, but through the personal element, Dryden moves to the general sphere. This movement from particular to general and vice versa gives to the poem a quality of universal significance.

 The general theme of the satire is bad writing and low literary taste and standards. It is evoked through the particular satire against Shadwell. Shadwell is the representative of all poetasters, who lack genius and skill and are fit only for acrostics and the realm of Nonsense. The general aspect of the satire is closely intermingled with the personal element. The site of Shadwell's coronation is described not merely to ridicule Shadwell particulary, but also in order to expose the literary standards and the debased values of the society of those times. Dryden thus managed to kill two birds with one stone in Mac Flecknoe. He retaliated so successfully against a literary rival on personal grounds that now we remember Shadwell merely as the Prince of Fools in Mac Flecknoe. But at the same time, Dryden also satirised contemporary deterioration of literary taste. Through Shadwell, Dryden attacks all the would-be poets who lacked real talent.