The Rover Summary of Article

This thinking activity is assigned by our profesor dr. Dilip barad sir about "The Rover". Here I'm going to discuss about the summary of the play "The Rover", based on two article. Here is this two articles: 


  1. Aphra Behn's The Rover engages with the social, political and sexual conditions of the 17th century, as well as with theatrical traditions of carnival and misrule. Elaine Hobby introduces Behn's play and explores how it was first performed and received

  2. Rape and the Female Subject in Aphra Behn's "The Rover" Published By: The Johns Hopkins University Press


Aphra Behn was the first professional female playwright. When The Rover appeared her career as a professional playwright was already well established. "The Forc’d Marriage" is her first play, and it had been followed by The Amorous Prince, The Dutch Lover, Abdelazer (her only tragedy) and The Town-Fopp, all with her name on their title pages.

◆The Rover : plot, character, theme analysis video



After the great success of "The Rover", Behn continued to write regularly for the Duke’s Company, and she was one of the few playwrights still having new plays performed in the 1680s after London audiences fell off as political tensions rose. At the same time she also established herself as a respected poet, translator and author of prose fiction (her most famous work, Oroonoko, which tells of a slave uprising, was published in 1688).




That success was not without its gender-specific challenges. Behn’s postscript to The Rover suggests that it was partly because she was a woman that critics were quick to accuse her.


Behn as the first professional female playwright :-



(Portrait of Aphra Behn by Sir Peter Lely)



Aphra Behn demarcates a set of faulty interpretive practices and directs the audience to the proper reading of her play by negative example. Aphra Behn's The Rover engages with the social, political and sexual conditions of the 17th century, as well as with theatrical traditions of carnival and misrule. Elaine Hobby introduces Behn's play and explores how it was first performed and received. It is in keeping with these sorts of cuts that by 1760, The Rover had fallen out of fashion; we know of no further performances until the 20th century. 


Marriage and Libertinism :-

In late seventeenth-century London, Aphra Behn was the first woman to earn her living as a writer. As a playwright, she wrote plays that reflected historical and cultural aspects of the Restoration from a female perspective. In 1677, she penned one of her most notable plays, The Rover; or The Banished Cavaliers. Behn’s play debuted during the height of the Restoration period, which for theater meant more female agency on the stage because women were allowed to take on female roles for the first time. Behn places the action of her play in Spanish Naples, just before Lent in the midst of carnival, which is a setting fit for emphasizing the urge to break free from societal constraints. Through the stories of Florinda, Hellena, and Angellica, Behn integrates strong elements of feminism and libertinism by focusing on issues of marriage, self-identity and representation. Each of these character types represents a different aspect of a woman’s struggle to define herself during the Restoration. Within this Naples framework, Behn explores the roles available to Restoration women and men, and the implications of the libertine idea that marriage was an outmoded institution. Here, the play’s most powerful voice is that of Angellica, who sees prostitution as a better choice than marriage. When the rakish Willmore remonstrates with her for charging for sex, she points out to him that men routinely have sex for money: when a man marries he gets his wife’s dowry.


The Spanish sisters Florinda and Hellena (and their cousin Valeria) are dominated by their brother Pedro. Pedro is confident that he can force Florinda to marry his powerful friend Antonio, and save the cost of a dowry for Hellena by sending her back to her nunnery. 


Restoration masculinity :-

The hypocrisy of the libertine men in The Rover leaves space for Behn's criticism of their behavior. Restoration comedies often begin with a scene between male characters in which they show their friendly devotion for each other and proceed to discuss their amorous pursuits. 



The lack of scholarly attention that Behn’s male characters receive can be explained by the fact that her protagonists like the male characters of other Restoration comedies written by men rape, scheme, lie, seduce, threaten, and connive. Indeed, the gratuitous sexual violence that takes place in The Rover can be deeply disturbing for a contemporary audience. Behn’s depiction of male characters as unapologetic libertines men who pursue sexual pleasure and have few moral restraints seems to function as an obstacle to the argument that Behn is an early advocate for women’s rights. Susan Staves, a feminist critic, responds to this difficulty and suggests that Behn was forced to appeal to a mass audience and, therefore, was unable to “imagine alternative, less misogynist constructions”. Certainly, Behn had limited space to critique libertinism when her audience would have contained male spectators who aspired to libertine values, not the least of whom was the monarchy, Charles II. However, I believe that the ironizing and mocking of male sexual aggression throughout The Rover suggests that Behn is in fact critical of sexual violence towards women. Consequently, this essay will deal heavily with the issue of sexual assault as depicted on the Restoration stage and it will investigate Behn’s motives and limitations in depicting sexual violence.


Carnival, disguise and misrule :-




The idea of the carnivalesque was developed by the Russian critic Mikhail Bakhtin in his study of the seventeenth - century prose satirist, Francois Rabelais. The carnival for Bakhtin was an event in which all rules, inhibitions, restrictions and regulations which determine the course of everyday life are suspended, and especially all form of hierarchy in society. The concept is derived from the practice of medieval carnival when the people would enjoy a holiday from their labours and in the process ridicule the authorities of church and state. Carnival was also considered a period of indulgence focusing on the pleasures of the body vis-à-vis eating, drinking and promiscuous sexual activity. Aphra Behn constructs The Rover in the Carnival preceding Lent where masquerades, costumes, disguises, overindulgence and theatricality are commonplace, allowing an exploration and subversion of social ideals and realities. A reversal, or rather an outright rejection of social roles is most apparent in the character of Hellena. As per her family’s expectations, Hellena is to join a nunnery, thus saving her father of a second dowry. 


A darker, grimmer side of the Carnival is exposed when the women in the play enter a different system of domination, outside the captivity of their homes. Willmore, a self-proclaimed “rampant lion of the forest”, assumes that any woman out on the streets during the Carnival is available for sex. He attempts to rape Florinda whilst he is drunk. Later on in the play, Florinda is also nearly raped by Blunt and Frederick. Here, Aphra Behn seems to critique how women who don’t adhere to their predefined social roles are automatically assumed to be prostitutes available for sexual domination. Behn speaks through Hellena who boldly questions,

“Why must we be either guilty of fornication or murder if we converse with you men?”

Behn also shows how chastity and prostitution are the only two alternatives available to women. The odds of having a happy ending are tipped in favour of Hellena who is chaste and untouched. Angellica Bianca, who is also in pursuit of Willmore as a lover, is forced to come to terms with the fact her profession would never allow her lead a normal married life. Her social identity would forever be that of a commodity, a means to an end. The Carnival thus also becomes a means to assess the sexual double standards by which women are judged by men. 



(This painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicts the opposing, balanced forces of carnival and Lent)


Dressed as a gypsy a member of a society living at the edges of Restoration culture or as a man, a young woman can attempt to forge her own destiny. Willmore, meanwhile, tells his fellow Cavaliers that he has left the Prince (James, Duke of York) on his ship in the Bay of Naples and come ashore to ‘enjoy my self a little this Carnival’, setting the scene for his drunken assault on Florinda. 


We see the general themes in the play are : 

  • Gender and sexuality, 

  • Theatre and entertainment, 

  • Politics and religion, 

  • Satire and humour

I find one interesting video of this play , like seeing the eyes (with use of cartoon),






To conclude we can say that as feminist critics have established, Behn often portrays libertinism in a negative way. However, it is not only through her female characters that Behn portrays certain libertine behaviors in an unfavorable manner, but through her construction of masculinity. Yet, such an argument is complicated by the complexity of Behn’s loyalties. Certainly, Behn has a concern for female agency that is not only explicit in many of her plays, but also in her prefaces to them. In the preface to The Lucky Chance (1686), Behn begs for the same freedom of expression that is given to her male counterparts, calling her “masculine part the poet in [her]” (Behn 2001, 1428). On the other hand, Behn is limited in her ability to express her opinions publicly for a number of reasons. Willmore, is not only a romantic and comic hero, but he is also a reflection of Charles the II. Behn, a staunch royalist, is faced with the political imperative to not insult her monarch by casting such a protagonist in an unfavorable way. From an economic perspective, the plays must attract a paying audience and Behn, therefore, must portray her libertine hero in a desirable fashion according to the expectations of the time. Thus, Behn offers what appears to be a very conventional treatment of Restoration masculinity. However, if it is true that Behn faces obvious limitations in her criticism of libertinism, but that this criticism can be found in her plays, one must ask what portrayal of the libertine rake emerges from her comedies. Behn subscribes to the customary standards of royalism and libertinism; yet, within the necessary conventional forms that she adopts, one can perceive a subtle strain of critique of libertine masculinity. Without explicitly attacking libertinism, Behn reveals its limitations and contradictions. Libertinism is a crumbling edifice that, though still standing, is exposed by the plays of Behn to be ridden with 

cracks, flaws, and imperfections. 


1743 words

Character of Cecily in the importance of being earnest

Hello learners,

Today i want to discuss about character sketch of Cecily Cardew of the play "The Importance of Being Earnest". "The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Some contemporary reviews praised the play's humour and the culmination of Wilde's artistic career, while others were cautious about its lack of social messages. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play. 



Here I'm going to share some v points about character of CECILY CARDEW. There are four female character in this play :

  • Lady Augusta Bracknell, 

  • Gwendolen Fairfax, 

  • Cecily Cardew, 

  • Miss Prism


The female character which is the most attractive to me among this all is Cecily Cardew. Because she is portrayed as realistic character among all the women in "The Importance of Being Earnest".




She is of a very nice age; she is 18. She has a governess Miss Prism who tutors her for a long time. She is a very romantic, imaginative, kind, sensitive girl who feels the repression of Prism's rules. Cecily is a little bit silly and naïve girl, and we understand it after she declares that she wants to meet a "wicked man." Also, she is described as less sophisticated than Gwendolen.


◆Dreaming Lady:-

She is known as “dreaming lady” for the reason that she always remains in dreams. “Earnest” is unknown to her yet she is engaged to him. She even writes him letters. She deeply in love with the name of Ernest, the younger brother of uncle jack ( in reality there isn't any character name Ernest, it's imaginative character by her uncle jack ). But she don't know about that. Even she once tell to uncle jack that she wants to meet his younger brother Ernest. If we think about today's generation some of us are living in dream world, they aren't think what is real, but they were like to live in that dreamy world. And sometimes they are fail to accept the reality which can hurt them a lot.


◆Habit of Writing Diary:-

She writes a diary on regular basis with the logic that she would forget everything if she does not write a diary. Furthermore, she is a keen observer. This is very good habit to write diary, if we forgot anything so we can see in it and take it advantage. If we see it with today's perspective we find that in day to day life we forget many things which is important for us. In ancient time people write diarys for their to remember. Some people still uses diary for their better convenient, but many of us uses mobile phone for saving and writing anything which is important and useful. The blog is one of the part of them. Cecily is clever and cunning with her exchanges with Gwendolen. 


◆Satire through Cecily :-

It is also matter of fact that most of the satirical dialogues are uttered from the mouth of Cecily Cardew. It seems that Oscar Wilde has created her for the purpose of satire. As compared to other characters of “The Importance of Being Earnest”,  she is sensible. We find many examples of satire through Cecily. Let's see some of them:


CECILY: Algy, would you wait for me till I was thirty-five? ALGERNON: Of course I could, Cecily. You know I could. 

CECILY: Yes, I felt it instinctively, but I couldn’t wait all that time. I hate waiting even five minutes for anybody. It always makes me rather cross. I am not punctual, myself, I know, but I do like punctuality in others, and waiting, even to be married, is quite out of the question. ALGERNON: Then what is to be done, Cecily? 

CECILY: I don’t know, Mr. Moncrieff. 

---●Cecily consults Algernon about the new requirement set down by her guardian, Jack: She can’t be married without Jack’s permission until she reaches the age of thirty-five. Algernon’s willingness to wait years confirms Cecily’s suspicion of his ambivalence about marriage. Here we see dominance of parents are upon to their children and children have to be performed like them. Here I'm sharing one video of the original play for understand the real conversation and dialogue.

* Video of Original Play :-



Gwendolen and Cecily meet in Act II of The Importance of Being Ernest. Gwendolen has traveled to Jack's country house to surprise him, but he is out when she arrives, so she meets Cecily. When the women first meet, Gwendolen finds out that Cecily is Jack's ward and feels somewhat threatened by Cecily's good looks. She says to her:

''. . .I wish that you were fully forty-two, and more than usually plain for your age. Ernest has a strong upright nature. He is the very soul of truth and honour. Disloyalty would be as impossible to him as deception. But even men of the noblest possible moral character are extremely susceptible to the influence of the physical charm of others.''

---●Here we can see the jealously between two womens. They think that they both are fall in love with same person named Ernest.  


Cecily may be younger, less fashionable, and less sophisticated than Gwendolen, but she can give as good as she gets. We can see it in this conversation:


Gwendolen: Are there many interesting walks in the vicinity, Miss Cardew?

Cecily: Oh! yes! a great many. From the top of one of the hills quite close one can see five counties.

Gwendolen: Five counties! I don't think I should like that; I hate crowds.

Cecily: [Sweetly] I suppose that is why you live in town? [Gwendolen bites her lip, and beats her foot nervously with her parasol.]

Gwendolen: [Looking round] Quite a well-kept garden this is, Miss Cardew.

Cecily: So glad you like it, Miss Fairfax.

Gwendolen: I had no idea there were any flowers in the country.

Cecily: Oh, flowers are as common here, Miss Fairfax, as people are in London.


---● Here we can see that Cecily is gives an answer to Gwendolen. Here she makes satire on this. 





◆Realistic Character :-

She is the most realistic character of the play “The Importance of Being Earnest”. Crcily is second most realistic character after jack. As we know that all characters are living double life for their benefits, like Jack (who make story of his elder brother Ernest) but jack is very reasonable man. He never do bad thing with the help of his imaginative character, and Algernon (who make story of his friend Banbury) moreover he become Ernest for Cecily. Thus we talk about the female characters we can see that lady Bracknell who is firstly won't agree with the engagement of Algernon and Cecily but after knowing the wealthiness of Cecily Cardew she agreed with the engagement of Algernon and Cecily. How selfish she is ! Cecily won't wear any mask for her personal ambition and desire. She speaks truth despite its bitter. 


If we talk about  present time,

"Real are Rare"

People live multiple lifes. They have lots of masks for hiding their truth, reality and relations. 


◆Jolly Nature:-

Like other characters of “Importance of Being Earnest”, Cecily has a good sense of humor but her nature is “jolly”. She does not like Uncle Jack’s seriousness. She has very good level of understanding. Furthermore, she is a keen observer. She knows that Dr. Chasuble is in love with Miss Prism. She develops link between them. If go through the play we can see that Cecily is very beautiful.


◆The Country Girl :-

Part of what makes Cecily attractive to Algernon is her seeming simplicity. She’s not intellectual like Gwendolen, who very early on scolds Jack, "Ah! that is clearly a metaphysical speculation, and like most metaphysical speculations has very little reference at all to the actual facts of real life, as we know them".


We can’t really imagine Cecily talking about metaphysics or facts, for that matter. Cecily does everything she can to vigorously avoid Miss Prism’s attempts to educate her. She’s innocent Gwendolen might say ignorant. She waters the plants, writes in her diary, and waits for the day that Ernest will come and propose.


In conclusion, The Importance of Being Earnest strongly focuses on those of the upper class society and the vanity of the aristocrats who place emphasis on trivial matters concerning marriage. Both Algernon and Jack assume the identity of “Ernest” yet ironically, they both are beginning their marital lives based on deception and lies. Lady Bracknell represents the archetypal aristocrat who forces the concept of a marriage based on wealth or status rather than love. Cecily and Gwendolyn are one type of women who loves the name ERNEST without knowing anything about him. Through farce and exaggeration, Wilde satirically reveals the foolish and trivial matters that the upper class society looks upon as being important. As said earlier, a satiric piece usually has a didactic side to it. In this case, Lady Bracknell learns that the same person she was criticising is actually her own flesh and blood.


1569 words


Analysis of Belinda's character

This task is assigned by vaidehi madam and here I'm going to share my points about the charecter of Belinda. If Belinda was born in this century what she will do. 


"The Rape of the Lock" was a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope and first published in 1712, then reworked and published again in 1714.

It was one of the most commonly cited examples of high burlesque, it was first published anonymously in Lintot's Miscellaneous Poems and Translations (May 1712) in two cantos a revised edition "Written by Mr. Pope" followed in March 1714 as a five-canto version accompanied by six engravings. Pope boasted that this sold more than three thousand copies in its first four days. The final form of the poem appeared in 1717 with the addition of Clarissa's speech on good humour. The poem was much translated and contributed to the growing popularity of mock-heroic in Europe.


◆Analysis of Belinda's Character in 17th century◆ 


The protagonist of the poem, Belinda is a wealthy and beautiful young woman who travels to Hampton Court for a day of socializing and leisure. Her remarkable beauty attracts the attention of the Baron, who snips off a lock of her hair in his infatuation. At the beginning of the narrative, Ariel explains to Belinda through the medium of a dream that as she is a both beautiful and a virgin, it is his task to watch over her and protect her virtue though as the poem unfolds, it’s unclear if Belinda is really as virtuous as she seems. Despite the fact that Belinda is Pope’s protagonist, she’s actually a bit of a slippery character to come to terms with, as the reader is provided with relatively little access to her inner thoughts, and her actions are often governed by supernatural forces. For instance, it is unclear how much influence Ariel, a sylph, is able to exert over her, and there is some suggestion that he actively toys with her morality. He claims it is her virginity which makes her worthy of guarding but sends her a dream of a handsome young man, “A youth more glitt'ring than a birthnight beau,” tempting her sexuality. Similarly, at the end of the poem, Umbriel, throws over her and Thalestris a bag of “Sighs, sobs and passions” and also empties a vial of “sorrows” over her too, meaning the rage she flies into is not entirely of her own volition. Fundamentally, as her name suggests with its literal meaning of “beautiful”, all readers can really know about Belinda is that she is attractive.

Belinda is based on the real-life figure of Arabella Fermor, who also had a lock of her hair cut off by a suitor.


◆Analysis of Belinda's character with today's perspective◆


If we think about Belinda's character in today's perspective we find lot many changes in the character. Some of i want to discuss here:


Nowadays beauty is considered as costly clothes, beautiful faces filled with makeup. People judge everyone with their look ! As we know that hair is part of beauty, not for only girls but also for boys. And cutting down of hair is big thing for girls. If we cut hair without their permission it becomes  cause of fight also ! Everything is change with the change of time. So if Belinda is present today and the same thing is happened she will do FRI against Baron also. If Belinda is poor in present time then this matter is not affect to her and everybody but, if she is rich then it become spices for social media. They put headlines ,

  •  Belinda's hair was cut !!!

  • Was this a deliberate conspiracy? 

  • What made Belinda so famous?  

  • Belinda have secret affair with Baron !!!

  • She is doing show-off with the help of her hair ?

  • Has Belinda adopted this new style? Blah blah blah.. 


There is number of list for this topic. If we talk with other perspective we can see that cutting down of the hair is one type of insult. Girls can't tolerate her insult. Even they are very confuse about their hair and style, if they have long hair they want to cut their hair, and after haircut they feel like they want her hair back. 


Mood of girls are changing in 5 minutes ( not minutes but in seconds ! ). They mood is like that of China and they gets upset at any moment.



Girls are more conscious about their beauty and hair is one of the most important part of her beauty.

We know that womens are jealous with other womens. This is one thing that remain true since ancient time. And I think it will continue in future also ! Because some womens are can't see that another women can have more beautiful face, more money, good virtue and good family. They feel very jealous when some other guys praising other women.

Yes here we can't forget that Belinda's attitude is i think the same thing which Belinda refer in this 21st century. Belinda continue her Attitude in front of everyone. Then she share her beauty with the help of different medium of application.


Quote about life

It's true fact of my life, when I am happy i never notice any particular voice of anything but when I'm sad i think that these all sounds give some message, it reflects my emotion. I see it in some deeper meaning. 

"When we are happy we never notice any sound around us,

But when we are sad, in pain, in trouble we take every sound as a meaning"

                 -Latta Baraiya

(My own experience)

Absalom and Achitophel as satire

 Absalom and Achitophel 


Hello everyone, today I would like to discuss about Absalom & Achitophel as a satire. It's a very long poem by John Dryden. Now the first thing is arrive in our mind that what is satire ? Why poets and authors use satire ? So here is answer that;


"the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues"


Poets and authors uses it for showing the harsh reality of society through some other event or examples. Satire is a form of literature, the proclaimed purpose of which is the reform of human weaknesses or vices through laughter or disgust. Satire is different from scolding and sheer abuse, though it is prompted by indignation. Its aim is generally constructive, and need not arise from cynicism or misanthropy. The satirist applies the test of certain ethical, intellectual and social standards to men and women, and determines their degree of criminality or culpability. Satire naturally has a wide range; it can involve an attack on the vices of an age, or the defects of an individual or the follies common to the very species of mankind. Absalom and Achitophel is "generally acknowledged as the finest political satire in the English language". It is also described as an allegory regarding contemporary political events, and a mock heroic narrative. On the title page, Dryden himself describes it simply as "a poem". In the prologue, "To the Reader", Dryden states that 

"the true end of satire is the amendment of vices by correction".

Dryden marks his satire with a concentrated and convincing poetic style. His satiric verse is majestic, what Pope calls: 

“The long majestic march and energy divine”




Absalom and Achitophel has inspired a great deal of discussion regarding satire: how satire was defined when Dryden wrote, and how this poem contrasts with the ancient models of Horace, Virgil, and Juvenal.


There are many topics in which Dryden make satire on. Some of i want to discuss here:


●Dark side of king :-

In this poem we can see that King David has so many affairs with so many womens. He has so many illegitimate childrens also. Absalom is one of them. But the thing is that it is common for king, they have right to do anything what they want !  Here Dryden make satire on king Charles || (the king of England) with the allegorical representation of king David (the king of Israel). This is the polygamy of king David. Dryden make satire on this term. We find this type of examples in Indian literature, in RAMAYANA King Dasharatha, who has three wifes. And another example is lord krishna who have 1600 wife's. It's example of the polygamy of king's.





●Divine Power :-


"All empire is no more than power in trust."


In this quotation, Dryden explains the nature of authority and this authority only king have. Authority is granted to those in power by those who are subject. In other words, those in power only have as much authority as the people will give to them; it's borrowed power. Thus an empire is a large collection of power which is concentrated in the hands of a few but which at any second can be taken back by the people. Another implication here is that empires are temporary establishments because none will last forever, as if they are merely loans. King David of Israel has all the power in theory, but in practice, he has little ambition. According to Achitophel, the King’s deceitful counselor, David is lacking “manly force,” and he gives in too easily to the people. The King is “mild” and hesitant to draw blood, and Achitophel, in his own ambition for increasing power, sees David as weak. Dryden's poem suggests that the desire for power is a common one in the hearts of men. Almost all men want it in some fashion or another, and they are easily swayed from their rightful place and beliefs if given the opportunity to amass it. Absalom is generally a good, loving, and moral son, but he cannot help himself when Achitophel comes calling with whispers of the throne. Achitophel also holds a significant position, but it is not enough for him. Whether one is in politics, the law, or religion, one still has these desires. Dryden doesn't condemn ambition outright, but he asserts that one must know his place and that, if it is not moral or legitimate to seek a specific office or position, then the one who occupies it has the right to resist with force.



●Divine Right:- 

In the poem "Absalom & Achitophel" Dryden make satire on this system. This system has been running since ancient time that king's son become the next king. Only the legitimate blood of king is become king. People are believe that the king is choose by God and they only have right to rule the country. So they believe that the king is angel of God. So they worship king like god !


●The Spirit of Revenge:-

We find the spirit of revenge in this poem through the character of Achitophel. Achitophel tries to take revenge against king David with the help of Absalom. He didn't do anything but he used Absalom as his wapen against king and provoke Absalom  for rebel against his father.


●Religious sectarian:-

As we know that religious topics are also causes for any fight and any arguments.   At the center of John Dryden’s poem “Absalom and Achitophel” is God and religion. The poem is a satirical critique of contemporary politics, but Dryden couches his argument in a biblical story from the Book of Samuel. That time state is divided into two team the Jews and the Jebusites. And some are wants to continue that system. In present time politicians are also trying to make against the people of country. This is what the politicians doing nowadays. Religion is enough matter for any fight ! People are divided into the path of many religion and it's also cause of inside breaking of Our nation. Politicians tame advantage of it. They keep people busy in this type of religious matters and people miss the true topics of discussion about the country which is very pivotal. There is nobody who understand what humanity is trying to do. This video can give idea about this ,




●Conspiracy theory :-

Here in the poem "Absalom & Achitophel" we can see conspiracy theory of Achitophel. He is  provoking Absalom to doing rebel against his father. There are lots of examples of people who prepare conspiracy for their personal ambition and benefits. We can connect it with our life also. There are many people, relatives and friends also who doing conspiracy against us with the help of our other close friends and relatives.


●Malleability and Malcontentedness of The People :-

Dryden does not have a lot of positive things to say about the people of England (who are the Jews in the poem). They are fickle, self-interested, foolish, and easily swayed. Dryden make satire on this also about people. As Achitophel knows well, "Weak arguments! which yet he knew full well, and Were strong with people easy to rebel". They are a "Solymaean rout" who are "In godly faction, and in treason bold; and Cow'ring and quaking at a conqu'ror's sword" . They fall for weak and specious arguments, they are swayed by emotion and sentimentality, and, ultimately, "the most may err as grossly as the few". The strong, legitimate ruler should use his power to quell their unrest and punish those who step out of line.


●Paternity and Patriarchy :-

There are numerous evocations of fathers and sons in this poem. David is the father of Absalom, but God is his Father. David is the patriarch of the land and must put aside his earthly fatherly feelings for Absalom in order to do his own Father's bidding. Absalom loves his father and wishes to emulate him, but whereas David is god-like, Absalom is purely a man. A parallel to Absalom is Barzillai's son, who remains untarnished in his reputation because he served his post faithfully (and even died for it). If David is to be the father to the people and to retain his paternal authority bestowed from God, then he must set his earthly son in his place. Dryden  made satire of this patriarchy system.


●Women Helplessness :-

As we see in the poem "Absalom and Achitophel" Dryden explore Michal (King David's wife) as a women without son. She is not able to give birth of any child to king. If we think with today's perspective  theory people believe that the women is only a baby feeding machine, They have to do all housework, taking care of babies etc. And women feel it very seriously. They broke down inside.


Dryden chose the well known Biblical story of Absalom revolting against his father David, at the wicked instigation of Achitophel, in order to satirise the contemporary political situation. The choice of a Biblical allegory is not original on dryden’s part, but his general treatment of the subject is beyond comparison, as Courthope points out. But all the while Dryden takes care to see that the political satire in not lost in the confusion of a too intricate Biblical parallelism. The advantage of setting the story in pre-Christian times is obvious as it gave Dryden had at once to praise the King and satirise the King’s opponents. To discredit the opponents he had to emphasise on Monmouth’s illegitimacy; but at the same time he had to see that Charles (who was Monmouth’s father) was not adversely affected by his criticism.


To wind up Dryden is correctly regarded as the most vigorous and polished of English satirists combining refinement with fervour. Dryden is unequalled at debating in rhyme and Absalom and Achitophel displays his power of arguing in verse. It may be said that Absalom and Achitophel has no rival in the field of political satire. Apart from the contemporary interest of the poem and its historical value, it appeal to the modern reader lies in its observations on English character and on the weaknesses of man in general. His generalisations on human nature have a perennial interest. Dryden triumphed over the peculiar difficulties of his chosen theme. He had to give, not abuse or politics,but the poetry of abuse and politics. He had to criticise a son whom the father still liked; he had to make Shaftesbury denounce the King but he had to see to it that the King’s susceptibilities were not wounded. He had to praise without sounding servile and he had to criticise artistically. Dryden achieves all this cleverly and skilfully. Achitophel’s denunciation of the king assumes the shades of a eulogy in Charles’ eyes. Absalom is a misguided instrument in Achitophel’s hands. The poem is certainly a political satire, but it is a blend of dignity with incisive and effective satire.


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