Hello.

Today I'll be talking to you about John Dryden's mock epic poem MacFlecknoe.

John Dryden lived from 1631,

that is in the 17th century and died in 1700.

He was the most influential writer of the Restoration, of the Restoration period, which is from 1660 onwards.

Dryden wrote in every form important to the period.

He did not leave any genre untouched.

He wrote occasional verse, that means verses on certain occasions.

He wrote tragedies, comedies, criticism and prose, mock epics, heroic plays as well as translated classical
works.

Dryden was also a major satirist of his time.

He produced critical essays concerning how to write these forms.

Dryden's major critical essays are Of Dramatic Poesy and Preface to the Fables.

Dryden was also the first neoclassical critic, because he followed classical principles of writing and

he's called neoclassical because he just did not blindly follow classical rules,

he also upheld English practices such as those of Chaucer and Shakespeare.

Dryden was also the first comparative critic. Dryden compared English plays and French plays as well as

ancient and moderns.

That happened in Of Dramatic Poesy. As a neoclassicist, Dryden was liberal and he had Tory views or

conservative views. In the Restoration period,

there were Tories and Whigs, two political parties.

In his early career, Dryden started with some poetry, such as Heroic Stanzas on the Death of Oliver Cromwell,

Astrea Redux which is on Restoration, glorifying Restoration, and Annus Mirabilis, which is about the year

1666. After this, in the 60s and 70s,

Dryden turned to Heroic drama, starting with The Wild Gallant. His most famous drama of the early

period was The Indian Emperor, and he ended his dramatic career with All for Love which is the story
of Antony and Cleopatra. The greatest period in Dryden's career was the period of satire.

He has written three original satires -- Absalom and Achitophel, The Medal and MacFlecknoe.

Other satires he wrote were translations. He wrote translations and prose as well.

And in 1700, just before he died, his Fables: Ancient and Modern was published with a preface,

called Preface to the Fables.

Dryden lived during the Restoration period, which was the reign of Charles II. Charles II

did not have a legitimate heir. His wife did not bear children.

So his brother James was the apparent heir. There was a Whig agitation against Charles's brother James

succeeding to the throne. A Whig agitation to exclude from succession to the throne

James on the grounds that he's a Roman Catholic.

The Whigs did not want a Catholic on the throne, whereas the Tories wanted only royal blood on the throne.

When the Whigs suggested Charles's illegitimate son Duke of Monmouth to claim the throne, the Tories

resisted. Dryden was a Tory.

So, based on this issue there was the fight between the Whigs and the Tories. Absalom and Achitophel

attacked the Duke of Monmouth and the Earl of Shaftesbury.

They were both Whigs. Shaftesbury was also the founder of the Whig party. Dryden supported monarchy

against the Whigs. When Dryden wrote Absalom and Achitophel in 1681,

Shaftesbury was arrested and later released. When Shaftesbury

was released, all his followers wore a medal

in honor of Shaftesbury, and Dryden made fun of the medal in the satire The Medal: Satire upon Sedition.

The Medal attacked the Earl of Shaftesbury. Shaftesbury's disciple Thomas Shadwell replied to Dryden's

Medal with the Medal of John Bays, attacking Dryden. Bays means Poet Laureate. Dryden was Poet Laureate

at that time.

This is in 1681.

Dryden was Poet Laureate from 1668. And before this, there had

been a play,
an anonymous play called The Rehearsal, attacking Dryden's use of Heroic drama. This anonymous play

Rehearsal has a protagonist called Bayes, meaning Dryden. So Shadwell uses the same name from The
Rehearsal

and calls Dryden "John Bays". Shadwell's reply was called The Medal of John Bays, and it had the prologue An
Epistle to the Tories.

Dryden's Medal had An Epistle to the Whigs at the beginning. Shadwell's reply had An Epistle to

the Tories as the prologue. To Shadwell's attack, Dryden wrote a reply, that is MacFlecknoe, the text

we're going to look into it today.

MacFlecknoe came in 1682.

A satiric poem of 217 lines written in heroic couplets. Remember, Dryden established

the heroic couplet as the main vehicle of poetry during the neoclassical period. MacFlecknoe is considered

the first English mock heroic poem, and this poem uses the elevated style of the classical epic to

satirize human follies. He makes fun of human follies, attacks human follies, and this poem MacFlecknoe

became the model for Pope's mock epic The Dunciad. The subtitle of MacFlecknoe: A Satire upon

the True Blue Protestant Poet T.S.

True blue means staunchly loyal. Oh, Shadwell is staunchly loyal to Protestantism -- Dryden is making

fun. Even though Dryden is also a Protestant at this time, he was supporting James the brother of Charles,

and James was a Catholic, pro-Catholic. Dryden would eventually, in 1686, convert to Catholicism.

So Dryden makes fun of Shadwell, playwright and poet, in MacFlecknoe.

Dryden presents him as Mac, or son of Richard Flecknoe.

Richard Flecknoe

is from Ireland.

Mac is a prefix, Irish prefix, meaning son. So English people used to despise the Irish people.

MacFlecknoe means Irish,

son of the bad poet Flecknoe.

People laughed. Because already they knew Richard Flecknoe, a bad boy who had died at that time, because

Andrew Marvell had already written a poem on Richard Flecknoe,

the bad poet, at that time.

So, MacFlecknoe -- even the title was hilarious for those people. It connected Shadwell to Flecknoe

and to Ireland, and it meant that Shadwell is uncivilized like the Irish. Today, in the 21st century,

we have to question the political correctness of these satires very much, but in those days it was accepted.

The theme is the choice of Shadwell by Richard Flecknoe as the heir to the Kingdom of Nonsense and Dullness

in both prose and verse.

Shadwell is the dullest poet as well as prose writer, and he's choosing Shadwell who is even

duller than Flecknoe himself. Dryden disagreed with Shadwell over the merits

of Jonson's wit.

Ben Jonson was a major poet at that time.

Shadwell blindly hero worshipped Jonson, which Dryden did not. Remember, earlier,

in "Of Dramatic Poesy",

Dryden had said that certainly Jonson is the more correct poet, "but I love Shakespeare."

"I admire Johnson but I love Shakespeare."

Neander had said in "Of Dramatic Poesy" by Dryden, which was written earlier than this, in 1668.

Shadwell and Dryden also disagreed on religious matters.

Shadwell was staunchly Protestant, and Dryden, even though he was Protestant, was supporting Catholicism

at this time (going to support rather).

And Dryden was

a Tory, Shadwell was a Whig. So literary disagreement, religious disagreement and political disagreement.

Now let us take a look at the poem itself.

"All human things are subject to decay, and, when fate summons, monarchs must obey." "All human things" --
it is

very cosmic beginning, true to an epic.

"All human things are subject to decay" -- everything human is mortal, will decay and die. "When fate
summons" --

when it's time to die,

"even monarchs must obey. This Flecknoe found" -- Flecknoe is the king of dullness. Flecknoe, also, is

aging. And this Flecknoe, "who like Augustus" -- Augustus was Augustus Caesar. Flecknoe, like Augustus
Caesar,

the first emperor of Rome, was called to empire when he was young. He became an emperor when he was
young.

Flecknoe became the king of the dunces at a very young age. From a very young age,

he was very dull.

That is the meaning. "This Flecknoe found, who like Augustus, young

was called to empire." And Flecknoe had governed long.

He had governed for a long time as the king of dunces. For a long time he had been unparalleled in his

dullness.

Nobody was as dull as him -- "in prose and verse (both) was found without dispute."

It was found that he was the dullest, without dispute.

Nobody questioned his supremacy and dullness "through all the realms of nonsense absolute." Whatever
nonsense

writing is there,

Flecknoe excelled in it.

He was so bad as a writer. "This aged prince" --

now he is very old -- "now flourished in peace" (means without rivals, no rivals. He is the only greatest

dull poet). So "this aged Prince now flourished in peace and blessed with issue of a large increase."

"Issue" means children.

Increasing children, he had an increasing number of children.

That means the number of dull poets like Flecknoe is increasing. All poets are very dull these days.

Flecknoe is the dullest. All these bad poets are described as the children of Flecknoe.

And then Dryden says, "Worn out with business."

Immediately after talking about children, "worn out with business" -- it's definitely a sexual insult. Dryden

says Flecknoe is now worn out, tired.

"Did at length debate to settle the succession of the state."

At last he decided to give up his throne to one heir. There should be an heir to the kingdom of dullness

on his "state".

So Flecknoe is going to settle that question.

"And pondering which of all his sons was fit" -- he is considering, he's thinking, Flecknoe: Of all his many

children in England at that time,

who is the most appropriate to rule the kingdom of dullness?

Most appropriate to reign? "To reign and wage immortal war with wit." Wherever there is intelligence or

wisdom or sense,

this king of dullness should go and fight intelligence.

He should not let any intelligence prevail.

So he is looking around him.

"Cried:

It is resolved."

He has found Shadwell. Flecknoe cried,

It's resolved! It's decided! "For nature pleads" that he, he alone should rule, "he should only rule" -- because

Shadwell is so naturally dull

So nature is pleading that Shadwell should rule, "who most resembles me." Shadwell most resembles Flecknoe

and Flecknoe thinks,

yea, it is resolved, Shadwell should rule. Because Shadwell is "mature in dullness from his tender years"

-- mature in dullness from his tender years, from childhood itself, from a very young age itself,

he is very maturely dull, exceptionally dull.

You don't find children like that. Shadwell, from very tender years, was very dull. "Shadwell alone,

of all my sons, is he who stands confirmed in full stupidity. Shadwell, of all my sons, is confirmed

in full stupidity. So Shadwell should be the king. Flecknoe is resolved. The rest --

that means the other poets, the other sons. "The rest to some faint meaning make pretence" -- the rest of
the poets at least sometimes pretend to have some meaning. Some meaning is there in all poets, "but

Shadwell never deviates into sense" -- in Shadwell's writing, no meaning is even pretended. Nothing

is there. Complete nonsense. Shadwell is the best person to be the king of dullness. Our Flecknoe has decided.

And then he continues. "Some beams of wit on other souls may fall" -- at least some ray of light,

some beams of intelligence, rays of intelligence, may fall on the other poets, occasionally at least.

"Strike through" -- they will be engulfed in the darkness of ignorance, but some light will shine through

at least occasionally and make a "lucid interval." That means something they will write clearly and
meaningfully

at least in intervals, or occasionally. "Lucid interval" means the rays of intelligence, at least occasionally,

will enable them to write well. "But Shadwell's genuine night" -- Shadwell's is genuine ignorance, genuine
darkness.

"Shadwell's genuine night admits no ray" -- absolutely no intelligence, no brilliance is there in Shadwell's

writing. "His rising fogs prevail upon the day" -- there is no light. The daylight is completely hidden by

his rising fogs.

Fog, here, means thick dullness. Like rising fog, prevents daylight. Shadwell's dullness is preventing any

intelligence or meaning from shining forth in his works. "Besides his goodly fabric fills the eye" --

besides that, his big body, his fat body (Shadwell was very fat) -- he attacks Shadwell in the second part

of Absalom and Achitophel as Og. Drunkard and fat Og -- Dryden attacked him.

So, here he says "besides his goodly fabric fills the eye and seems designed for thoughtless majesty" --

when you even look at him, his body will feel your eye, because it is so big. And it seems like he is carefully

made, specially made, for "thoughtless majesty" -- that means he is made to be a stupid king. Here Dryden is

attacking as well as praising. That is Dryden's

exceptional style. Dryden praises, and through praising, attacks.

And in case you missed out this word "thoughtless" -- Dryden is repeating it. "Thoughtless as

monarch oaks" --

There are huge oaks that spread their branches and give tremendous shade, in England. Huge monarch oaks

are there.
These oaks will not let any light pass through their branches and leaves, and these oaks are thoughtless.

Like "thoughtless monarch oaks that shade the plain," Shadwell is huge and dark, "and spread in solemn state,

supinely reign" -- "spread in solemn state" because Shadwell as well as these oaks let no light enter.

They just supinely reign. "Supinely" means lay on your back, like some kings. He is lying on his back

and reigning his kingdom, ruling his kingdom, with ease because there is no work to do, no one to punish.

Shadwell is the undisputed king of dullness. Heywood and Shirley were but types of thee, says Dryden.

Heywood is Thomas Haywood. John Heywood was the man who wrote interludes.

and James Shirley. Very bad playwrights at that time. "Haywood and Shirley were but types of thee" --

they were just like harbingers of thee.

They came to pave the way for you. They were like you, they are types of you. You are the original, they are the
types.

"Thou last great prophet of tautology" -- tautology means meaningless, repetitive writing, redundant

repetition or superfluity. You are the last great prophet of tautology, of all meaningless writing.

You are the last great prophet because nobody can write like you. Nobody will excel you, even in future.

And Flecknoe says, "Even I" -- I am such a bad poet, Flecknoe."

I am such a bad writer, but even I see a dunce of more renown than they. More than Haywood and Shirley,

I am famous as a dunce. But even I "was sent before but to prepare thy way" -- only to prepare thy way,

I was sent. I am just like John the Baptist coming to prepare the way for Christ. How did I come? "And coarsely

clad in Norwich drugget came" -- drugget is a coarse, woollen clothing he is wearing like a king.

He is wearing Norwich drugget of reddish brown colour, woollen clothing, "to teach the nations in thy

greater name" -- I taught all the nations. This is humorously exaggerated. He taught the nations. Who?
Flecknoe.

Flecknoe taught the nations that one great man is coming. One greater name is coming. That is...

Shadwell! Remember

now in this poem today, Shadwell, the name, is mentioned. But in those days, in Dryden's days,

only S- or Shad- etc was written. "My warbling lute" -- "warbling" is trembling lute. When I am playing
too much, too fast, without any proper control, my lute is warbling... trembling... like in an opera! "My warbling
lute,

the lute I whilom strung" -- "whilom" means before some time ago. I used to play my warbling lute.

He's talking about Flecknoe. Flecknoe used to play the lute, that means sing. And once Flecknoe

went to meet the King John of Portugal. He had visited Lisbon, capital of Portugal.

And "when to King John of Portugal I sung, was but the prelude to that glorious day"

of your coming. You came, and my singing, even when I went to Portugal, was only a prelude to your coming.

After this, Flecknoe is describing the coming of Shadwell. After this you have the coming of

Shadwell. How is it described? "When thou on silver Thames didst cut thy way" -- imagine Shadwell coming

on a big barge through the Thames, cutting his way "with well-timed oars before the royal barge" --

the oars are plying before the royal barge, "swelled with the pride of thy celestial charge."

You are sitting on the barge, and the oars are swollen with pride. "And big with hymn, commander of an host."

"Big with hymn" means full of praise. The whole procession is described, of Shadwell's coming to be the king.

It is full of praise, songs of praise. "The like was never in Epsom blankets tossed" -- "the like was never" means

such a great scene like Shadwell's coming was never there in any of Shadwell's books.

Shadwell's books are all full of heroic scenes, artificial scenes. And Shadwell's books include Epsom Wells,
Virtuoso,

Psyche... In none of these plays

was there such a grand scene. "And Epsom blankets tossed" --

that is a phrase from Shadwell's play The Virtuoso itself. Dryden is quoting from Shadwell,

mentioning Shadwell's Epsom Wells, and saying such a grand scene like your coming was never there even in

your own bombastic writing, artificial writing. Looking at Shadwell, Flecknoe thinks, "Methinks

I see the new Arion sail" -- Arion is a legendary character. Greek singer. He was going to be killed

in a ship, and he jumped off the ship into the sea, and he was saved by dolphins. He carried his lute and sang.

That grand mythological scene I thought I was seeing when you came. Methinks I see the new

Arion sail." "The lute still trembling underneath thy nail". Shadwell with his lute is trembling and

he's playing the lute in a very very fast and artificial and passionate and excited manner...
the lute is trembling, warbling, under Shadwell's nail, and with constant playing which is useless, what
happened

to Shadwell's fingers? That he comes next. "At thy well-sharpened thumb" -- Shadwell's fingers

have become well-sharpened. "From shore to shore

your song" that you are playing on the lute is reverberating from shore to shore. "The treble squeaks

for fear." The treble is the high pitch, and "the basses roar" on the low pitch is roaring, the treble

is squeaking.... like that he is playing, very artificially, hilariously. This is not great poetry, not great

music. And, oh my god, Dryden says "Echoes from pissing alley"!

Those are some back alleys in London where people used to urinate. All this song that Shadwell is playing

on his lute is reverberating in all the pissing alleys. "Shadwell call", and Shadwell!...

the names of Shadwell, "they resound from Aston Hall, which is the house of one Lord Aston. Everywhere

in London this name is resounding because of its stupidity. "About thy boat"

"the little fishes throng" -- instead of Arion's dolphins, little fishes throng.

What are the little fishes?

The bad poets, the bad critics who did not know how to judge Shadwell's poetry.

They thought Shadwell is a great poet or something, and they are thronging around him and praising him.

Dryden is making fun of all of them. "About thy boat"

"the little fishes throng"

"As at the morning toast that floats along."

Oh my God!

You won't believe this.

This line is actually edited out in some versions, you don't even see this line.

You won't believe this!

"Morning toast" is human waste or human excreta

that is floating along Thames. Dryden is saying, like the fishes feast on the morning toast

that floats along, the little fishes or the bad poets

and critics are thinking that Shadwell is a great writer.

Shadwell's writing is compared to human waste.

This is too much. Let us change the topic.

"Sometimes as prince of thy harmonious band" -- When he says "harmonious", actually Dryden means there is

no harmony. All the followers of Shadwell

are quarreling among themselves, the Whigs. And there is no harmony in their poetry either.

And Shadwell is the bandmaster of this disharmonious band. "Sometimes as prince of this harmonious

band, thou wieldest thy papers" in thy threshing hand" -- He is conducting or leading

the music. He is holding a roll of paper and conducting the music, and his hands are moving in some bizarre,

chaotic manner.

There is no method, there is rhythm in his hand movement. Dryden says, "St Andre's feet never

kept more equal time."

St Andre is a French choreographer of that time.

He is making fun of St Andre also. St Andre's feet never kept such a rhythm as the rhythm of that

paper in your hand.

That means all of this is out of tune. "Not even the feet of thy own Psyche's rhyme."

Shadwell has written Psyche. Even Psyche's rhyme cannot be so disharmonious. Shadwell's

Psyche is so bad. It is so out of tune. Even that is better, compared to the way in which you conduct your

band. "Though they in number as in sense excel" -- in number as well as in sense

they are even better than your hand motions.

The wild emotions you make with your paper are as rhythmic (or unrhythmic,

that is the meaning) -- unrhythmic as your tautology. "So just, so like tautology they fell." So much like

your bad poetry, your tautology, your hand-paper makes rhyme. So much that, seeing all this, what

happened? "That, pale with envy, Singleton forswore" -- who is Singleton? Singleton is a court

musician of that time, and poet. Singleton saw all this, and

he is scared.
Singleton is envious and scared, probably, he is pale and swore that he will never sing again.

"The lute and sword which he in triumph bore and vowed he never would act Villerius more" -- Villerius is

the character in Siege of Rhodes by D'Avenant. Villerius wears a lute and sword in the play.

Singleton swore that he will never play Villerius again.

He'll never carry the lute and sword in triumph. Like this,

Shadwell's coming is described. Here stopped the good old sire.

Even I am tired, you are tired, even Flecknoe is tired.

Here stopped Flecknoe to take some breath. "Here stopped Flecknoe and wept for joy in silent

raptures of the hopeful boy." Shadwell gives so much hope to Flecknoe -- he is so dull, he will be such a

wonderful king of the dunces. Flecknoe is weeping for joy. "All arguments, but most his plays, persuade, that

for anointed dullness Shadwell was made." Every argument will prove that Shadwell is made to

be the king of the dunces.

But more than any argument, the proof is in his plays. Shadwell's plays are the best proof that he will

be the king of dunces, because all his plays, oh my God, are so dull.

That is why Dryden is saying. Are you enjoying?

I am enjoying anyway, as you might see. Now, let us continue. "Close to the walls which fair Augusta bind" --

Augusta sounds like a big name. Augusta is a majestic named Dryden uses for London, and it is

an epic convention. "Close to the walls of London", close to the walls that bind London or surround London...

There is an aside: "The fair Augusta much to fears inclined." At this time,

London is very scared.

Fears regarding the Popish Plot are there at that time.

The Popish plot was supposed to be a Catholic plot hatched by Titus Oates to kill the king and

cause trouble in London.

All the Protestants of London are scared.

There is a mass hysteria against the Catholics at this time.

Dryden is referring to that. And "(The fair Augusta much to fears inclined), an ancient fabric raised
to inform the sight" -- an ancient fabric is an ancient building.

Dryden is going to describe that building as if it is something great.

But, actually, the meaning is it is an old dilapidated building, good for nothing building. "An ancient building

raised to inform the sight."

"There stood of yore" -- "yore" means from ancient times.

This ancient building stood and Barbican

it was called, "it hight."

"It hight" means it was called. It was called Barbican.

"A watch tower once" -- once upon a time it was a watch tower "but now, so fate ordains."

That is destiny.

Now it is nothing.

Now, Barbican is nothing. "Of all the pile, an empty name remains."

That is the destiny of the building. Of all the construction,

nothing remains, just an empty name remains. In that old, dilapidated building, which is described by Dryden

as if it is something great, in that building,

Shadwell is going to be crowned king.

And what kind of place is this building situated in? "From its old ruins

brothel-houses rise" --

This is a very bad place. "Brothel-houses rise."

"Scenes of lewd loves,and of polluted joys" -- very bad place, not a respectable place, where

"their vast courts"

"the mother strumpets keep" -- mother strumpets are old prostitutes who are now out of job. And because

they don't have a job, they're like watchdogs. "Undisturbed by watch, in silence sleep." They are lying
undisturbed,

sleeping, because they have no other work. In such a bad place is this Barbican. "Near these a nursery"

erects its head" -- "Nursery" is acting school for brothel-children. The brothel children are
learning acting there. "Near these a nursery erects its head, where queens are formed and future heroes bred."

These are the characters -- they are trained to be queens, thay are trained to play heroes.

"Where unfledged actors learn to laugh and cry" -- "unfledged" means unfeathered. That is a very bad image.

He uses that for Shaftesbury also in Absalom and Achitophel. Where unfledged actors, actors that are

no good, they are effeminate, they do not know anything. "Unfledged actors learn to laugh and cry" -- they are

not good at acting also, to laugh and cry also they have to be taught. "When infant punks their tender

voices try" -- some prostitutes, infant punks, are training their voices to act in these plays. When all these

stupid things are happening, in the midst of all that, our Shadwell is going to be crowned

king of the dunces. What else is happening? "And little Maximins the gods defy." "Maximin is a character

in Dryden's own Tyrannic Love, who makes speeches defying gods. Heretic, God-defying things

are happening here. In this place, "Great Fletcher never treads in buskins here" -- Fletcher's plays are

never acted here. Great plays do not come to this place, great Fletcher never treads in buskins here. Buskins

means high-heeled shoes worn by actors in tragedy. No great tragedy is never enacted here.

"Nor greater Jonson dares in socks appear" -- "socks" means low heeled shoes worn by actors in comedy.

Great tragedy is not acted here, great comedy is not acted here, Fletcher and Jonson are not acted here. But then

what is acted? Very minor plays, bad plays. "But gentle Simkin just reception finds." Simkin is

a cobbler from some interlude, some stupid play. Stupid characters only are acted here. "Amidst this

monument of vanished minds" -- that means idiots. Amidst these idiots, phrase from Gondibert,

by William D'Avenant. "Monument of vanished minds" is a phrase from D'Avenant. D'Avenant was a friend
and

contemporary of Dryden.

So, such idiots are there, such bad characters are there. "Pure clinches" -- only punning is there, no intelligent
wit

is there in this nursery. "Pure clinches, the suburbian muse affords" -- they don't afford intellect

because these poetasters who write plays for this nursery, there are people who live in the suburbs

outside London, because they are poor. They can't afford to live in London. So these poor suburban poets

write pure puns only, they don't afford any better plays or any better writing. "And Panton waging harmless
war wit" -- Panton is a famous punster of that time. Very cheap punsters, etc are working

for this nursery. "Waging harmless war" means here meaningless war.

So in this nursery nothing great is happening, and "here Flecknoe has a place to fame well known."

This place is famous for dullards and bad activities. In that place, in that nursery, Flecknoe has a place

to fame well-known." Well-known for dullards, well-known for bad activities. There Flecknoe "ambitiously

designed his Shadwell's throne." Ambitiously is an ironic statement there. It is very low. "For ancient Dekker

prophesied long since" -- Dryden is saying, Thomas Dekker,

he had written a lot about London, about lower class, criminal classes in London, Dekker had written.

Dekker wrote city comedies, for the amusement of common people and that "ancient Dekker", says Dryden,
prophesied long ago

Hey did, really, Dekkey say something like that? We don't know! Maybe it's Dryden's own invention. Or,

maybe referring to Dekker's attack on Ben Jonson, because Dekker and Marston had fought with Ben Jonson

in the War of the Theatres. There was a literary feud or war -- on one side Ben Jonson, on the other side

Dekker and Marston. Probably Dryden is refering to that. What is Dryden saying?

Ancient Dekker prophesied that "in this pile should reign a mighty prince." Some mighty prince will reign

in this building. "Born for a scourge of wit, and flail of sense" -- "scourge" means whip, flail means stick

for thrashing.

So, there will be a mighty prince who will whip and beat wit and sense, wherever there is wisdom or sense,

this mighty prince will come and beat. Such a mighty prince will rule, Dekker had prophesied.

To that mighty prince,

"to whom

true dullness should some Psyches owe" -- that means that Mighty prince, like Shadwell, would write some

Psyches. Psyche is a play by Shadwell.

Some plays like Psyches

he would write, and in all those plays dullness would thrive. Hence dullness would owe it to that mighty

prince for survival.

So to whom?

To that Prince true dullness should some Psyches owe. "But worlds of Misers from his pen should flow."

Miser was a play by Shadwell. Shadwell adapted Moliere's play The Miser. So a whole world of misers will

flow from that mighty prince's pen, says Dryden. "Humorists and hypocrites

it should produce" -- this might be referring to Shadwell's characters, and Humorist is also the name of a

play by Shadwell.

So, that mighty prince will write plays from which humorists and hypocrites will show. "Whole Raymond
families and

tribes of Bruce" -- Raymond and Bruce are characters, absurd characters, good for nothing characters created

by Shadwell. And whole families of Raymond and tribes of Bruce will flow, will be created, by that mighty

prince.

All these things Dekker prophesied,

it seems.

Now, it is decided that Shadwell will be crowned. So the next section begins.

Now Empress Fame had published the renown -- the good news was published by Empress Fame everywhere

that Shadwell is going to be crowned. "Of Shadwell's coronation through the town roused by report of pomp,

the nations meet."

Everybody heard that there is going to be some celebration, some revelry... so whole nations (again, humorous

exaggeration) --

Whole nations meet "from near Bun-Hill, and distant Watling Street."

These are real places in London. From all these places people came. "No Persian carpets

spread thy imperial way" --

Usually when a king is crowned, there will be red Perrsian carpets that are spread.

Here, no Persian carpets spread the imperial way, "but scattered limbs of mangled poets lay." "Scattered limbs"

refer to the torn books of the bad poets.

From where did these books come? "From dusty shops neglected authors come" -- authors who nobody reads,
their books have come from dusty shops. "Martyrs of pies and reliques of the bum."

These books are unsold books because they are badly printed. Printer's pie means messy printing. "Martyrs

of pies" means the unsold, badly printed books.

These unsold books are sometimes torn and used as toilet paper also. So, "reliques of the bum" -- that also

refers to all the bad books, which include the books by Shadwell also. See what Dryden

is saying: "Much Heywood, Shirley, Ogleby there lay" -- a lot of bad poets lay there. Heywood, Shirley,
Ogleby...

"but loads of Shadwell almost choked the way." More than all these bad poets, Shadwell's books choked the
way,

because his were the worst books.

Then what do you see? "Bilked stationers" -- "Bilked" means cheated publishers. Publishers have paid

money but people did not write books for them. The authors cheated them. They are standing like guards, like

yeomen. Yeomen are guards of kings and knights. "Bilked stationers for guards stood prepared, and
Herringman

was Captain of the Guard." Herringman is none other than our own Shadwell's publisher. Shadwell's

publisher is commander of the guards, he is the leader of the guards. All the publishers are standing there,

the bad publishers who were cheated by poetasters, and their leader is Shadwell's publisher. While all these

people are standing, "the hoary prince in majesty appeared." First the old prince, that is, Flecknoe.

"Hoary-headed swain" --

Haven't you heard? In Gray's Elegy. "Hoary" means gray-haired. Hoary prince Flecknoe, he appeared,

"high on a throne of his own labours reared" -- he has done a lot of hard work, and produced bad books. All
those

books are lying in a heap, and Flecknoe is sitting on top of it. "High on a throne

of his own labours reared, at his right hand our young Ascanius sat" -- Ascanius is the legendary

son of Aeneas. Aeneas is the founder of Rome. Ascanius is the son of Aeneas. At the right side of

Flecknoe, who is sitting? Our Shadwell, who is compared to Ascanius. He is "Rome's other hope" -- that means,

first hope is Aeneas, second hope is Ascanius. And our Shadwell or Ascanius is the "pillar of the state."

The entire kingdom of Dullness stands upon Shadwell's works because he is the pillar of the state. And how
is he sitting?

"His brows thick fogs" -- around his head, like fog, there is his wig. Hey, remember this is 17th-18th century.

People wore wigs only. And the thick locks of his wig are thronging around his head like darkness of

ignorance. Instead of the halo of Gods, instead of the ring of light, he has thick fogs and

"lambent dullness played around his face." "Lambent" means glowing, like the fog. Glowing dullness played
around

his face. He is sitting in full dullness, confirmed in full stupidity, remember. Then, "as Hannibal did to

the altars come, sworn by his sire a mortal foe to Rome" -- so Shadwell swore." Shadwell swore

that he will protect dullness, he will wage war against wit. How? Like Hannibal swore

at the altars. Who is Hannibal? Hannibal is a mythical enemy of Rome. What happened to Hannibal? His father

made him swear at the altar, where sheep was sacrificed, that the boy Hannibal will never be a friend

of Rome. In Roman mythology, Hannibal swore because of his father's insistence that he will never be

a friend of Rome. Like that, our Shadwell swore that he will never be a friend of intelligence. "Nor should

his vow be vain," says Dryden, because his pledge or vow will never be vain, because he never showed any
intelligence anyway.

"That he till death true dullness would maintain" -- he will maintain true dullness till death.

"And in his father's right,

and realm's defense" --

wow, so epic, so majestic. He saying, "in his father's right, and realm's defense never to have peace with wit,

nor truce with sense" -- he will never have peace with intelligence.

He will never have truce with sense.

He has sworn, Shadwell has sworn. And now let us go on to the next slide.

"The King himself the sacred unction made" -- "unction" means

the holy anointing of the successor, the sacred ceremony of anointing the successor.

The King himself made the holy unction. "As King by office" -- because by office he was king, but by trade

he was priest. Because Richard Flecknoe was a clergyman. "In his sinister hand, instead of ball" --

"sinister" is Latin for "left".

"Dexter" is Latin for "right". "Dextrous" means very clever,

done with the right hand.

So, "in his sinister hand, instead of ball" -- ball is the symbol of sovereignty that the king or the queen bears

in the left hand.

So, "in his sinister hand instead of ball" --

What is our Shadwell bearing?

"He placed a mighty mug of potent ale", of strong beer. From Absalom and Achitophel itself

we know, the second part where Shadwell is caricatured as Og, from there itself we know that Shadwell

is a drunkard! And in his left hand he is holding

a mug of mighty ale, or potent ale. In his right hand what he is holding? "Love's Kingdom

to his right

he did convey." Love's Kingdom is a play by Flecknoe.

It is a tragicomedy by Flecknoe. Pastoral tragicomedy which was originally called Love's Dominion.

So Shadwell is bearing in his right hand

one of the dullest books, Love's Kingdom. At once his sceptre and his rule of sway." This Love's Kingdom is

acting as the royal staff.

And about all this, about kingship, from a very young age Shadwell had practised. "Whose righteous lore,

the tradition and knowledge of kingship Shadwell had practised from a young age. What kingship?

The kingship of dullness. Shadwell, from a very young age, has been practising dullness.

"And from whose loins recorded Psyche sprung" -- "recorded" means put to music. Psyche that is sung and put
to music

somehow, sprung from the loins of Shadwell who practised dullness, the traditions of dullness,

from a very young age.

"His temples last with poppies were over spread" -- at last,

what is being done on Shadwell?

He's got ready for coronation.

The last thing, a crown of poppies or a wreath of poppies, is put on his head.

Poppies are a plant which gives opium seeds. Opium is what? It's soporific.

That means it induces sleep.

And when the poppy wreath is put on his head, Shadwell starts nodding, he is sleeping off.

Hey hey hey hey

students!

Some of you are sleeping off I can see! v

Wake up wake up!

Do you have a wreath of poppies on your head?

Okay.

So, what was he saying?

"His temples last with poppies were over spread" -- that nodding, when his head started falling and nodding,

the poppies also started nodding, and they seemed to consecrate his head, sanctify his head.

Wow, what a majestic scene, isn't it? Just at that point of time,

oh my God,

you wouldn't believe it!

What happened at that point of time?

"If fame not lie", that means if reports are not false, what happened? "On his left hand", that means on his

left side, twelve reverend owls did fly" -- twelve old owls, symbols of stupidity, owls are the

symbols of stupidity,

they started flying.

Oh, this is reminiscent of what happened when Rome was founded.

So, "Romulus, it is sung", in this way "Romulus, it is sung, by Tiber's brook" -- Tiber is a river

in Rome.

What happened?

Twin brothers, Romulus and Remus settled a dispute about the site of Rome, where they should build Rome.
Romulus said, Rome should be built on the mountain of Palatinus. Remus said,

it should be built on some other mountain. But then they decided that they will settle the dispute by

observing the flight of birds as the omen.

Remus saw six vultures, and Romulus saw twelve,

which is the epic number.

It is a very auspicious number. So Romulus became the founder of Rome.

"So Romulus, it is sung, by Tiber's brook, presage of sway from twice six vultures took" -- "presage" means

prophecy, of his reign till he took from seeing twelve vultures."

Like that, just as Shadwell was crowned,

twelve vultures started flying. "The admiring throng loud acclamations make" -- seeing this all, the people,

the admiring bad poets, began to make acclamations. Acclamation are cheers.

They began to cheer. "Admiring throng" is also a reference to the echoes of the devils entering Pandemonium

in Paradise Lost. So the cheering of the poets is compared to the cheering of the devils.

"And omens of his future empire take."

So, from this Shadwell took the omen

or the suggestion of his future sovereignty. "The sire then shook the honours of his head."

His locks Flecknoe shook, his head Flecknoe shook. "Shook the honours" is a reference to the epics of Virgil,

and Abraham Cowley also, because there had also people shake heads like that.

"The sire then shook the honours of his head, and from his brows damps of Oblivion shed." "Damp" means
sweat.

Drops of sweat fell on our son, Shadwell. "Full on the filial dullness" -- "filial" means of son or daughter.

Upon the dull son, the sweat fell ill, and "long he stood." When he looked

at his son after his coronation, he is full of inspiration to speak. Who? Flecknoe. Flecknoe is full of

inspiration, but this inspiration, the rush of inspiration is making him speechless.

"Repelling from his breast the raging god."

He is becoming speechless because of inspiration.

But "at length burst out in this prophetic mood" -- at last Flecknoe

began speaking. That is a very major part of MacFlecknoe -- Flecknoe's speech.

But before we come to that, let us have a quick overview of what happened until now.

Analysis. The first line of the poem creates the illusion of its being an epic poem of vast dimensions about

a great hero. Flecknoe is presented as being the king of the realm of Dullness or Nonsense.

His kingdom extends all the way up and down the empty Atlantic Ocean. He dwells in the pompous city

of Augusta, or London. The old king Flecknoe determines to give up his throne and to choose the

dullest of his children as his successor. Quickly he determines upon Shadwell.

He decides Shadwell, a man with no talent whatsoever, and who is so stupid and is always at war with it.

Let Shadwell be the heir. Shadwell's writings are bad enough to make him the appropriate heir to the kingdom

of Dullness. Shadwell is described as a fat man, a dunce, and the last great prophet of tautology.

Next, the poet describes Shadwell's coronation scene.

The coronation happens in a neighborhood of brothels and inferior theatres, where real drama does not exist.

Nothing really great is existing in the whereabouts of Barbican.

Crowds of third-rate poets and hack authors throng to his ceremonial inauguration. Dryden also

alludes to some of the plays written by the originasl Shadwell, like Epsom Wells and Psyche and Virtuoso.

He also makes fun of another contemporary writer, Singleton, who is envious that he was not chosen as
successor

to the throne, and he decides never to write again.

Dryden connects Shadwell's writing with human waste, and compares him with the historical military
commander,

Hannibal, to suggest that Shadwell's purpose is to destroy wit and to replace it with dullness. Shadwell

arrives in Augusta, dressed like a king. Instead of Persian carpets, a stock of dull books

were spread over the way along which poetasters lead a procession to the throne. Instead of the ball

and sceptre, Shadwell holds a mug of ale or beer in his left hand, and a copy of Flecknoe's play

Love's kingdom in his right.

Are you following everyone? If you are tired pause, and take a break, okay?
Any time.

Listen to this video, watch this video several times.

Read the play on your own also.

Okay, so we come back to where we were.

Shadwell swears to maintain true dullness and to wage perpetual war with truth and sense. A wreath

featuring sleep-inducing opium seeds or poppies crowns his head.

And at the conclusion of the ceremony, twelve owls, symbols of stupidity, are released to fly aloft.

Now, let us continue with Flecknoe's speech. "Heavens bless my son" -- Flecknoe is speaking. "Heavens bless

my son, from Ireland

let him reign" -- actually Flecknoe is from Ireland, and Irish people are despised by the English people,

as I told you. So,

he means that Shadwell is a despicable man. "To far Barbadoes on the Western main" -- east and west
everywhere

his fame will spread. "Of his dominion or kingdom may no end be known, and greater than his father's

be his throne." Even greater than Flecknoe's may Shadwell's throne be. "Beyond love's kingdom let him stretch

his pen; he paused and all the people cried Amen." When Flecknoe paused, everybody cried Amen, as if in

agreement to Flecknoe. "Then thus continued he,

my son advance" -- Flecknoe is saying, may my son grow "still in new impudence" -- new ignorance, in
shamelessness

and ignorance let Shadwell grow. "Success let others teach" -- Shadwell, you have nothing to do with

success. You will never be successful.

So let other people teach success. Learn thou from me" -- I am Flecknoe. I am a failure. I will teach you

failure.

You can't learn success. "Pangs without birth, and fruitless industry" -- that means painful efforts without

result. I will teach you. You write painfully, but nothing comes out of it. Like that I am also a bad writer.

"Let virtuosos in five years be writ" -- Dryden is blaming Shadwell, or accusing Shadwell of being a slow

writer. To write a bad play, Shadwell took five years. Actually, Shadwell, in the Preface to Virtuoso,
has said that he wrote that play in haste. And Dryden is accusing Shadwell for having written bad

plays and long long years. "Yet no one thought accuse thy toil of wit" -- even though you are working hard,
nobody

will accuse you of intelligent writing, because you never wrote anything intelligent, says Flecknoe.

"Let gentle George in triumph tread the stage" -- George is none other than our George Etherege. He was the
most

successful writer at that time, in Shadwell's and Dryden's time. So let gentle Etherege in triumph

tread the stage. You don't compete with Eherege. Let Etherege make Dorimant betray and Loveit rage.

Dorimant is the protagonist of The Man of Mode,or Sir Fopling Flutter, Etgherege's play. Loveit is the character

in Love in a Tub. Let George Etherege create all these characters on stage. Let Cully, Cockwood, Fopling

-- they are all Etherege's characters. Let all of them "charm the pit." You don't compete with

any of them. "And in their folly show the writer's wit." When all these stupid characters in Restoration

comedies make follies, they are actually showing the writer's wit. In these Restoration comedies, the

writers cleverly depicted the characters' folly. Yet you don't try to do that. Still thy fools shall

stand in thy defense. The fools that you create will stand in your defense, "and justify their author's

want of sense." You, Shadwell, have lack of intelligence. Your fools will justify your lack of intelligence.

Your characters will never show your intelligence, because you have none. Let them be all by thy own model

made. Hey Shadwell,

make all your characters according to your own model.

Model them on yourself.

"Of dullness, and desire no foreign aid" -- of dullness, they should be modelled on you. Don't desire any foreign
aid

or don't borrow from anybody else. That they to future ages may be known, not copies drawn, but

issue of thy own" -- in all future ages,

may your characters be known as your own children, not somebody's copy.

"Nay let thy men of wit too be the same" -- not only fools, but even your intelligent characters should be
modelled

on you. "All full of thee, and differing but in name."

Let them all be you, your model, modelled on you.

Only names should be different, because you are not capable of anything else,

that is why. "Let no alien Sedley interpose" --

Charles Sedley was

the great playwright of that time.

He appears in "Of Dramatic Poesy" also, Dryden's critical essay.

"Let no alien Sedley" -- "alien" because Sedley is unlike Shadwell.

Sedley was a good writer, Shadwell was a bad writer. Don't let any Sedley interpose, that means he had

written the prologue to Epsom Wells. And in that bad play Epsom Wells,

the only good element was Sedley's prologue.

Don't let any good writer interpose in your writing like that, to lard with wit thy hungry Epsom prose" --

in those days, lean meat (meat without fat)

if you bought, you would cut it and insert fat into it and then cook it and roast it, etc.

"To lard with wit" -- "to lard" means inserting fat into hungry or lean meat. So to lard with wit thy hungry
Epsom prose" --

Your writing is like lean meat, bad, without fat.

Don't let any Sedley insert to some sense into it. "And when false flowers of rhetoric

thou wouldst cull" --

You will collect from somewhere bad writing, bad words, bad rhetoric.

When you do, that, trust nature. Naturally you are good at it.

Trust nature, don't copy from anybody.

Do not labor to be dull.

Don't take any effort to be dull.

You are so good at it naturally.

"But write

thy best, and top; in each line Sir Formal's oratory will be thine."
Sir Formal Triffle is a vain character and Shadwell's play Virtuoso.

When you write, in each line Sir Formal's stupid language will come.

"Sir Formal,

though unsought, attends thy quill."

You are being blessed by Sir Formal Triffle's language. "Unsought" means Shadwell is unconsciously

evoking Sir Formal. That means he's unconsciously, naturally, writing badly. "And does thy Northern

Dedications fill." Shadwell had made dedications to the Northern nobleman Duke of Newcastle, whom

Dryden does not appreciate.

So, when Shadwell writes, he is full of Sir Formal's oratory, and northern dedications, all of which

are indications of stupidity. Flecknoe says,

"Nor let false friends seduce thy mind to fame."

Some bad friends, false friends, will say, copy Jonson, write like Etherege... they will tell you, but don't listen

to them. Because they are trying to mislead you.

You can never write like Jonson or Etherege. You will write only very dull books -- you are best

at that! So don't let "false friends seduce thy mind to fame, by arrogating Jonson's hostile name" -- "arrogating"

means presuming to claim. By telling you that you should be like Jonson -- but Johnson is hostile to you,

alien to you, he is unlike you. You can never be like Jonson, Ben Jonson. So, don't try to be like

Jonson. "Let Father Flecknoe -- I am your father -- let Father Flecknoe fire thy mind with praise, and Uncle

Ogleby thy envy raise." We are bad poets, and we will be your fit advisers. And then Flecknoe says, "Thou

art my blood, where Jonson has no part." Johnson has no part in your writing. He is very much unlike you.

"What share have we in Nature, or in Art?" We, Flecknoe and Shadwell, we have nothing to do with Nature

or Art. There is nothing of Nature or Art in our writing. Why do you try to write like Jonson, who is very

natural, and who has great art in his writing? Don't write like them, because we, you and I, son, we have

nothing to do with Art or Nature. "Where did his wit and learning fixa brand? Do you know any work by

Jonson where he cast a stigma on learning, where he brought shame upon learning? Jonson never brought

shadow upon learning, like you and I do, my dear son Shadwell. So, don't copy Johnson. Where did his wit
on learning fix a brand, and rail at arts he did not understand"? Shadwell, you should understand

that you and I always rail at arts that we do not understand. We are like that, but Jonson is never like that.

He never did that. So why do you copy Jonson? "Where made Johnson love in Prince Nicander's vein"?

Prince Nicander, in the play Psyche, is a man who professes love in an absurd manner to Psyche,

the character. Did ever Johnson write an absurd love scene like you did in Psyche, with Prince Nicander?

No, right? Johnson never did that, right? Then why do you copy Jonson? "Or swept the dust in Psyche's humble

strain." "Swept the dust" -- Psyche, in Shadwell's play, is made to do inappropriate things, such

as sweeping the dust. Jonson never wrote in an absurd manner like that. So why do you copy Jonson?

"Where sold he bargains" -- he did he ever bargain with other writers and copy from them, plagiarize from
them,

and sell his plagiarized verses in his plays? No, right?

Jonson never plagiarized. Johnson, Dryden himself has said in "Of Dramatic Poesy",

Johnson invades authors like a monarch. He doesn't plagiarize. When he copies from other authors,

he invades them like a monarch. Dryden has said. So Jonson never bargained and plagiarized. What did

we do? You Shadwell have written foul plagiarized language, like "whip-stitch, kiss my arse," etc.

Such bad language

Jonson never wrote! "Promised the play and dwindled to a farce" --

Did Johnson ever promise a play, promise to write a play, but that play dwindled to a farce?"

Did that ever happen with Johnson?

No.

It always happens with you, Shadwell. So why do you copy Jonson?

"When did his muse from Fletcher scenes purloin"?

Did Johnson ever borrow from his contemporary Fletcher, like you borrow from your contemporary

Etherege? "As thou whole Etherege dost transfuse to thine" -- you copy completely from Etherege. Shadwell

copies completely from Etherege. Jonson never copied from his contemporaries like that. "But so

transfused as oil on waters flow" -- his always floats above, thine sinks below.
If both of you got inspired, one by Fletcher and the other by Etherege, his floats above, for

he will never copy completely, his writing will float above, but yours will sink below. Nothing of you

will be seen in that writing. Only Etherege will be seen in that writing. You will sink below.

"This is thy province." My dear Shadwell, leave Jonson, don't try to copy Jonson.

"This is the province" -- I will tell you what is your province. "This thy wondrous way, new humours to invent

for each new play" -- invent one new humour for each play. That is what you have been doing. That is
something

absurd. That is what you are good at. "This is that boasted bias of thy mind."

This is your inclination, this is your talent, my dear Shadwell. Do that. "By which one way, to dullness,

it is inclined." Your mind is inclined to dullness, which makes your writings lean on one side still.

They are always lopsided, your writings, because of dullness. "And in all changes that way bends thy will."

In whatever kind of writing you do, you know, all changes, it is towards dullness that your writing bends.

"Nor let thy mountain belly make pretence." Shadwell had a huge body, like Jonson also had. Because

you have a huge body, don't pretend that you are Jonson. "Of likeness, thine is a tympany of sense."

"Tympany" is a disease of swelling. Your body is a disease. A tun of man in thy large bulk is writ" --

A tun is a huge barrel of wine. In your bulk you are huge, "but sure thou art but

a kilderkin of wit." In your wit, in your intelligence, you are a small barrel. Even though in your body,

you are a big barrel. Did you understand? "Like mine thy gender numbers feebly creep" -- your gentle

writing, it has no power. It feebly creeps. Like mine, like Flecknoe's. "Thy tragic muse gives smiles" --

your tragedy creates smiles, your comedy creates sleep. "Thy comic sleep." The plays of Shadwell

did not have their desired effect. "With whatever gall thou settest thy self to write" -- with whatever

bitterness you try to write, your satires are always inoffensive. Remember, Shadwell's satire "The Medal

of John Bayes" -- it never bites. Thy inoffensive satires never bite. In thy felonious heart, though venom lies" --

"Felonious" means eager to sin or commit crimes.

You want to commit that crime of attacking me.

But even though your heart has venom, "it does

but touch thy Irish pen and dies." You pen is so ineffectual that when your venom touches your pen,

that venom just dies.

"It does but touch thy Irish pen, and dies."

"Thy genius calls thee not to purchase fame" -- your genius tells you, don't to try to get fame in great poetry,

in "keen iambics", but "mild anagram" or cheap kind of poetry.

Please try to get fame through cheap poetry,

not through

iambics. Leave writing, please.

He is telling Shadwell, Flecknoe is telling his son, leave,

give up writing plays, don't write plays. "And choose for thy command some peaceful province in acrostic
land."

In this world of satire, Shadwell, you cannot survive. Go to acrostic land. Some bad poetry,

some cheap wordplay, you can do. Go do that, stop writing plays. "There thou mayst wings display and altars
raise"

-- there you can spread your wings.

It also means write cheap pattern poetry.

At that time people created wings and altars in pattern poetry.

Poetry was written in the shape of a wing or altar.

So there, Shadwell, go make wings and altars, rather than write plays. "And torture one

poor word

ten thousand ways."

Shadwell, take one word, distort it in wild play, use puns and wordplays, and torture poor words

in ten thousand ways.

That is what you are good at.

All these are examples of bad writing. "Or if thou wouldst thy

different talents suit",

you are a very versatile genius. You can not only write poetry and plays, you can do many things.
My dear Shadwell, if your versatile genius wants it, set thy own songs and sing them to thy lute."

"Set thy own songs."

Put music to your songs, because no one else can set music to such bad poetry.

Only Shadwell, you can do it, no one else can do it, he says.

And then he continues,

We are almost ending... this is the last part. "He said, but his last words were scarcely heard."

Flecknoe's last words

nobody heard. What happened? "For Bruce and Longvil had a trap prepared" --

Bruce and Longvil are two characters from The Virtuoso. While Sir Formal Triffle was making a speech,

these two characters in Virtuoso opened the trap door through which Sir Formal disappeared.

So this scene is one of great artificiality.

And like that,

exactly like that, here also a trap door is opened by Bruce and Longvil, "and down they sent the yet declaiming
bard" --

the bard is still declaiming, or still making a speech, and making the speech he falls down the trap door.

The last words are heard no more, did you understand? "Sinking

he left his drugget robe behind", while he sank into the trap door.

Only his mantle remained, his drugget robe remained. "Borne upwards

by a subterranean wind" -- blowing from underground, some wind came,

and this "mantle fell to the young prophet's part", on Shadwell, Flecknoe's mantle alighted,

descended, "like the Prophet Elijah's mantle descended on Elisha in the Old Testament.

"With double portion of his father's art" -- that is the

Last line. It brought Shadwell double his father's art.

Flecknoe,

like an ancient priest, becomes inspired and oracular, and gives a vast seventy-one line speech, and

he gives advice on writing.

He urges Shadwell to trust his own gifts.

Do not labour to be dull. In his plays,

both wits and fops should be modelled on himself, for there won't be any difference between

the two.

Instead of imitating great playwrights like Jonson, e should make his own characters based on himself.

Unlike Jonson or Sedley, he indulges too much in farce, and he should even give up drama and turn to

cheap genres.

Please pause and read the slide. Now about the Mock-heroic conventions in MacFlecknoe.

MacFlecknoe uses the elevated style of the classical epic poem to satirize human follies.

It blends the grandeur of heroic poetry and triviality of low comedy. There is an ironic juxtaposition of

Shadwell with legendary figures, like Arion, Ascanius, Hannibal and even Christ.

Please read all these slides carefully.

The ending shows that Flecknoe does not complete his oration. In the middle of his speech, a trap door

opens and he falls, but the wind bears his mantle aloft, and it descends on Shadwell, like Elijah's mantle on

Elisha.

Thus the poem comes to a sudden disruptive halt by the introduction of deus ex machina. The introduction

of deus ex machina is a cheap device.

It is bad, it should not be done, even according to Aristotle. So it is an anti-classical ending.

The new king has never received a proper coronation and is appropriately left speechless by this ill omen.

That is how the coronation ends. Dryden considered MacFlecknoe primarily a satire rather than an epic.

He called both MacFlecknoe and Medal Varronian satires. Varronian satire is a kind of satire

that attacks mental attitudes rather than individuals. Dryden is actually attacking individuals.

His is Juvenalian satire, but he's saying, no, I did not attack anybody,

this is only an attack on attitudes. It is Varronian satire.

He is simply saying that. It is not true.

And this poem is a typical neoclassical poem, and it is a reaction against the overuse and stereotyping
of the epic style.

It is written in mock-heroic style and this mock-heroic poetry began with the pseudo-Homeric

"Battle of Frogs and Mice." "Battle of Frogs and Mice" came from the time of Homer, and it continued in Pope.
Fielding

wrote comic epics in prose --

His Joseph Andrews is a comic epic in prose.

What you mean by that? It means mock heroic novel. Dryden's satires are characterized by the force of

subtlety. He will not directly attack, he will praise, and through the praise, attack. He himself said in

"A Discourse Concerning Satire" that is his critical essay prefixed to his translation of a Juvenal:

he said,

"How easy is it to call rogue and villain, and that wittily!" If somebody is a rogue, to call him a rogue

is easy.

But how hard it is to make a man appear a fool or a rogue or a blockhead, or a knave, without using any of those

opprobrious terms!" Without calling a man a villain,

you should make him appear a villain.

That is the challenge.

So that brings us to the end of this long video on MacFlecknoe.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Please watch the video again and read the poem.

Thank you.