Absalom and Achitophel by John Dryden
"Absalom and Achitophel" is a political poem by John Dryden that serves as an allegory for the political turmoil in England during the late 17th century. Utilizing the biblical story of King David, Absalom, and Achitophel, Dryden critiques the political factions of his time, particularly the Whigs and Tories. In the poem, David represents King Charles II, while Absalom symbolizes the Duke of Monmouth, Charles's illegitimate son, and Achitophel stands for the Earl of Shaftesbury, a Whig leader seeking to incite rebellion against the king.
The narrative explores themes of ambition, loyalty, and the consequences of political strife, portraying Achitophel as a manipulative figure who persuades Absalom to challenge his father's authority. As Absalom embarks on a campaign to garner public support, Dryden reflects on the dangers of rebellion and the potential chaos that could ensue from undermining established governance. The poem ultimately emphasizes the importance of lawful succession and the perils of political ambition, portraying David's response to the rebellion as a necessary reaffirmation of royal authority to maintain order in society. Through its complex characters and political commentary, "Absalom and Achitophel" remains a significant work in understanding the interplay of power and rebellion in political history.
Absalom and Achitophel by John Dryden
First published: 1681
Type of work: Poetry
Type of plot: Satire
Time of plot: Late seventeenth century
Locale: London
Principal Characters
David , king of IsraelAbsalom , his illegitimate sonAchitophel , chief of the rebels
The Poem
The political situation in Israel (England) had much to do with David’s (Charles II’s) virility, which, though wasted on a barren queen, produced a host of illegitimate progeny, of which by far the fairest and noblest is Absalom (duke of Monmouth). David’s kingly virtues are equally strong but unappreciated by a great number of Jews (Whigs), who, because of a perverse native temperament, want to rebel. Although David provides no cause for rebellion, as the wiser Jews (Tories) point out, a cause is found in the alleged Jebusite (Catholic) plot to convert the nation to the Egyptian (French) religion. The plot miscarries, but it does create factions whose leaders are jealous of David and oppose his reign.
Achitophel (the Earl of Shaftesbury, leader of the Whigs) is the chief of these leaders, and he makes efforts to persuade Absalom to seize the throne. Achitophel is a brilliant wit touched by the madness of ambition. Unwilling to be remembered only for his distinguished career as a judge, he resolves “to ruin or to rule the State,” using the king’s alleged sympathy for the Jebusites as an excuse for rebellion. Achitophel first uses flattery to win over Absalom, proclaiming that the nation is clamoring for him—a “second Moses.” At first Absalom resists, pointing out that David is a wise and just king, and that David’s brother (the duke of York) is the legal heir. These halfhearted objections Achitophel meets with sophistry. David’s mildness, he claims, deteriorated into weakness; the public good demands Absalom’s strength; the rightful heir is planning to murder Absalom; David secretly wants Absalom to be king and will support his claim as heir to the throne. To these specious arguments Absalom succumbs, whereupon Achitophel proceeds to organize all the Jewish malcontents into a single seditious party.
Among these misguided patriots are opportunists, republicans, and religious fanatics. Zimri embodies the fickleness and “extremity” of Buckingham, Shaftesbury’s lieutenant in the Whig Party. Shimei represents the Sheriff of London, who betrays the king’s interests, and Corah, the notorious Titus Oates, who fabricates many of the details of the Catholic plot.
Absalom makes a tour of the nation, planned by Achitophel to gauge the extent of the people’s support for their plan to exclude the legal heir from the throne and to establish Absalom’s right to the succession by law. Traveling up and down the land, Absalom craftily represents himself as the people’s friend, opposed to Egyptian domination, the Jebusite plot, and a senile king, but powerless to act because of his loyalty to the crown and the lawful succession. The Jews, always easy to delude, proclaim Absalom a new messiah.
The speaker of the poem attacks the Jews’ naïve support of Absalom and their willingness to overthrow legally instituted authority. He fears that the government will quickly deteriorate into anarchy if the people are given the power to make and break kings at will by changing the order of the succession.
Next are portraits of David’s supporters—the Tory leaders. Barzillai (the duke of Ormond) is lavishly praised as the noblest adherent to David’s cause and one of Israel’s true heroes. Two members of the clergy, namely Zadoc (the Archbishop of Canterbury) and the Sagan of Jerusalem (the Bishop of London), are commended for their services to the crown. Other loyalists, praised for their services in Sanhedrin (Parliament), include Adriel (the Earl of Mulgrave), Jotham (the Marquis of Halifax), Hushai (Laurence Hyde), and Amiel (Edward Seymour). These loyal chieftains who defy the powerful rebel faction ultimately convince David that concessions to the people will but feed their leaders’ ambition, and that Absalom is being used as a tool by the treacherous Achitophel.
David finally reasserts the royal prerogative. Realizing that his enemies interpret his moderation and clemency as signs of weakness and fear, he resolves to show his strength. David, regretting that Absalom will be compelled to suffer, expresses his willingness to forgive at the sign of repentance, but he refuses to condone disloyalty. David denounces the Sanhedrin’s attempt to change the line of succession, scorning their deceitful claim that they are trying to protect him from a scheming brother. Finally David states his reluctance to resort to force but declares his readiness to use it to defend the supremacy of established law over both Sanhedrin and king. Heaven claps its thunder in approval of David’s words and the new era that they herald.
Bibliography
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