John Dryden

John Dryden published Absalom and Achitophel: A Poem in 1681. It is an elaborate historical allegory using the political situation faced by King David (2 Samuel 14-18) to mirror that faced by Charles II. Each monarch had a son whom a high-ranking...

Throughout history there have been many creative artists whose fame depends largely on their association with a much greater artist. Such the case of Thomas Shadwell, poet and prolific writer of low brow comedies, who is today most famous as the butt...

The first of two volumes of collected poetry by this revered and highly influential English restoration poet and playwright. The poems, many quite long and elaborate, reflect the poet's role in contemporary society, as political and religious...

Poetry is often cited as our greatest use of words. The English language has well over a million of them and poets down the ages seem, at times, to make use of every single one. But often they use them in simple ways to describe anything and...

John Dryden was born on August 9th, 1631 in the village rectory of Aldwincle near Thrapston in Northamptonshire and grew up in a nearby village. In 1644 he was sent to Westminster School as a King's Scholar and then obtained his BA in 1654, graduating...