MacFlecknoe

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MacFlecknoe is a verse mock-heroic satire written by John Dryden. Written after the English Restoration, when King Charles II came to power, MacFlecknoe is full of satire and criticism. It is a direct attack on Thomas Shadwell, another prominent poet at this time.

Written about 1676, but not published until 1682, "MacFlecknoe" is the outcome of a series of disagreements between Thomas Shadwell and Dryden. Shadwell fancied himself heir to Ben Jonson and to the variety of comedy which the latter had commonly written. Shadwell’s poetry was certainly not of the same standard as Jonson’s, and it is possible that Dryden wearied of Shadwell’s argument that Dryden undervalued Jonson. Shadwell and Dryden were separated not only by literary grounds but also by political ones as Shadwell was a Whig, while Dryden was an outspoken supporter of the Stuart monarchy.

The poem illustrates Shadwell as the heir to a kingdom of poetic dullness, represented by his association with Richard Flecknoe, an earlier poet Dryden disliked, but Dryden does not use belittling techniques to satirize him. Instead he elevates Shadwell to a position of greatness, and the obvious disparity between the Shadwell in the poem and the one in reality serves to make his point.

The multiplicity of allusions to 17th literary works and to classic Greek and Roman literature with which the poem is riddled, demonstrates Dryden’s complex approach to satire, and the fact that he satirizes his own work as well shows his mastery over and respect towards the mock-heroic style in which the poem is written.

The poem begins in the tone of an epic masterpiece, presenting Shadwell's defining characteristic as dullness, just as every epic hero has a defining characteristic: Odysseus's is cunning; Achilles's is Wroth; the hero of Spenser's Faerie Queene is of Holiness; whilst Satan in paradise Lost has the defining characteristic of pride. Thus, Dryden subverts the theme of the defining characteristic by giving Shadwell a negative characteristic as his only virtue.

Dryden uses the mock-heroic through his use of the heightened language of the epic to treat the trivial subjects such as poorly written and largely dismissible poetry. The juxtaposition of the lofty style with unexpected adjectives such as 'dullness' provides an ironic contrast and makes the satiric point by the obvious disparity. In this, it works at the verbal level, with the language being carried by strong compelling rhythms and rhymes.