An Essay on Dramatic Poesy

    John Dryden’s present essay “An essay on Dramatic Poesy” gives an explicit account of neo – classical theory of art in general. He defends the classical drama standing on the line of Aristotle saying it is an imitation of life, and reflects human nature clearly.He also discusses the three unities, rules that require a play take place in one place, during one day, and that it develops one single action or plot.

    The essay is written in the form of dialogue concerned to four gentlemen: Eugenius, Crites, Lisideius and Neander. Neander seems to speak for Dryden himself.Eugenius takes the side of the modern English dramatists by criticizing the faults of the classical playwright, who did not themselves observe the unity of place. But Crites defended the ancient and pointed out that they invited the principles of dramatic art enunciated by Aristotle and Horace. Crites opposed to rhyme in plays and argues that through the moderns excel in science; the ancient age was the true age of poetry. Lesideius defends the French playwrights and attacks the English tendency to mix genres. He defines a play as a just and lively image of human and the change of fortune to which it is subject for the delight and instruction of mankind.

    Neander favours the moderns, respects the ancients, critical to rigid rules of dramas and he favours rhyme if it is in proper place like in grand subject matter.Neander a spokesperson of Dryden argues that tragic comedy is the best form for a play; because it is the closest to life in which emotions are heightened by both mirth and sadness.He also finds subplots as an integral part to enrich a play. He finds the French drama, with its single action.

    Neander favors the violation of the unities because it leads to the variety to the English plays. The unities have a narrowing and crumpling effect on the French plays, which are often betrayed in to absurdities from which the English plays are free. The violation of unities helps the English play Wright to present a mere, just and lively image of human nature.

    In his comparison of French and English drama, Neander characterizes the best proofs of the Elizabethan playwrights. He praises Shakespeare ancients and moderns.Neander comes to the end for the superiority of the Elizabethans with a close examination of a play by Johnson which Neander believes a perfect demonstration that the English were capable of following classical rules. In this way, Dryden’s commitment to the neoclassical tradition is displayed.

    Dryden rebukes against the critics, who attack the use of rhyme both in tragedy and comedy. Since nobody speaks in rhyme in real life, he supports the use of blank verse in drama and says that the use of rhyme is serious plays is justifiable than the blank verse.

Plato    Plato is the first major figure in the history of western philosophy. He is an idealist, moralist and a rationalist. He locates reality in what he calls ideas or forms rather than the world of appearance that we locate with our senses. Plato believes in the idea that is form which itself is formless but it is fixed. Idea is archetype and always remains the same. Read More...

Aristotle    Aristotle’s poetics is a reply to Plato’s Republic. Plato believes in two word but Aristotle believes in only one word, therefore he is monoist not a dualist for him it is nature that contains truth. He defines art is perfecting the imperfect nature. For him art is an imitation with beautification. Art is the imitation of object beautifying nature. No matter artist imitate but they make better world than what it is so artist is not merely imitator but also creator.Aristotle avoids the idea that the world of appearance is merely an ephemeral copy of the changeless ideas. Read More..

Plotinus    Plotinus, neo- platonic philosopher believes in two worlds, two part of the same world, one part is helpful to go to another world. Plotinus challenges Plato’s theory that art imitates nature and is thus twice removed from the essence or reality. He gives a higher position to art in his system. Plotinus believes that everything emanates from the one and strives to return to it. Read More...

Lodovico Castelverto    Castelvetro is a good commentator on Aristotle’s poetics. In his treatment of the unity of time, his ideas are more rigid than Aristotle later followed by many neo- classical critics.Aristotle holds that the science, the art and history are not subject of poetry. Read More...

Thomas Love Peacock       The essay “The Four Ages of Poetry” exposes the deficiencies of modern poetry by positing the theory that in its development poetry passed through four ages: Age of Iron, Age of Gold, Age of Silver, and Age of Brass. Read More...

Oscar Wilde    Oscar Wilde believes that art does not copy life and nature rather constitutes its own world reality independent in to a new and perfect form. Therefore, art is not a mere copy of nature rather it is the creative force of humanity. Read More...

Emile Zola     Emile Zola is a French theorist and an advocator of naturalism; a scientific study of human nature, behaviour and psychology. Naturalism is an artistic movement emerged in the reaction of subjectivism of Romanticism. Read More...