John Dryden 1. Comparative analysis of the Ancients and the moderns 2. The relative merits of English and French Drama 3. The proper language for dramatic composition –rhyme or blank verse A just and lively image of human nature, representing its passions and humours, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the dekight and instruction of mankind. 1. The Moderns build upon the foundation and models of the ancients. 2. Poetry was held in higher esteem then than now. 3. The ancients imitated and observed nature perfectly. 4. Rules of drama were derived by aristotle from the works of the ancients. (The three unities) 5. The ancients strictly adhered to the unity of time, place and action of which the same cannot be said of the moderns. 6. Well structured and well-planned writing inadvertently means better writing. 7. Misgivings about the ancients’ wit is nothing but the lack of understanding of the language of their times. 8. Ben Jonson is a professed imitator of Horace and the ancients. 1. The moderns cannot simply imitate for they have the advantage of adding their own industry. 2. The moderns have hit those that the ancients have missed. 3. The ancients (Greeks) never did divide their plays into acts as claimed by Crites. The ancients were not uniform in their division of acts. 4. Aristotle delivered the image of a play (Protasis or entrance, Epitasis or working up of the plot, Catastasis or height of the play and Catastrophe or discovery). Not the division into five acts. 5. The ancients were limited in their plot. There was a constant rewriting of the same plot and characters. 6. The unity of place was first observed by the french and not the ancients. 7. The Italian acts were limited and only equivalent to an English scene. 8. The ancients misrepresented nature and therefore failed in delighting. 9. In teaching, they depicted a prosperous wickedness and an unhappy piety with a bloody image of revenge. 10. The ancients professed in one genre only and so any shortcomings are unpardonable. 11. Regarding their wit, a thing well said will be wit in all languages. Plautus and Cleveland examples of unwarranted word usage. 12. The ancients were lacking/not adept in depicting love. 1. The French excel in the observation of the unity of time, place and action. 2. Their plots are sans sub-plots and they do not mingle tragedy and comedy together as that digresses from begetting admiration, compassion or concernment (Aristotle) as the English have done. 3. The French plots are grounded in some known history. They interweave fact with fiction and have surpassed the ancients. 4. The English (Shakespeare) do not do justice to nature when they cramp 30-40 years of a king’s life to within 2 hours of performance. 5. The French do not overburden themselves with too much plot. They simply represent one whole and great action. 6. The singleness of plot allows the French to dwell more on verse, the subject and to represent the passions better. 7. The French plays focus on a central character and his concernments just as the ancients did. 8. Every character serves a purpose to further the plot. 9. The use of relations is more meticulously done by the French. (antecedent to the play and narrating actions which are tumultuous to be presented on stage, death being one such action). 10. The French conclude their plays better. 11. The French rhyme is superior to the English blank verse and the English playwrights write them so ill. 1. The French are technical in execution but lack the liveliness of the English plays. (“lively imitation of nature” being the definition). 2. The later French writers were imitating the English Tragi- comedy but their humour is much too “thin-sown”. 3. There is more variety in a single play of Ben Jonson than in all the French writers. 4. The French have overused their borrowed plots. 5. Neander defends the tragi-comedy: A continued gravity keeps the spirit bent and therefore requires relief. The tragi-comedy, invented by the English, serves that purpose. 6. The French plots are barren (Single plots). The sub plot offers variety (and more pleasure if well written) which is not contrary to the main plot. 7. The French verses are cold filled with long speeches and harangues. Short speeches are more apt. 8. The English are better in writing comedies and since short speeches are more preferred, comedy being replete with quick repartee, the English are far more superior to the French. 9. The more substantial characters are, the more variety is the plot if handled well. 10. The English audience prefer to see more of the action than the french would show. Ben Jonson uses relations(narrations) for death. 11. The French’s adherence to the three unities has made their plays scarce of plot and narrow in imagination. 12. The unity of place compels an absurdity whereby all characters will have to have their business in a single place. 13. The French plots are flat and easily found out before the end unlike the English plays which are fuller in variety. 14. There is more spirit in the irregular plays of Shakespeare and Fletcher than in any of the French plays. 1. Shakespeare had the largest and most comprehensive soul. 2. He was naturally learned. He looked inwards to find nature. 3. He is many times flat, insipid. 4. His comic wit breaks down into clenches. 5. His serious parts growing to bombast but he is always great when some great occasion is presented to him. 6. Beaumont and Fletcher have Shakespeare’s wit, great natural gifts improved by study. 7. Ben Jonson submitted all his writings to the censure of Beaumont. 8. Their plots were more regular than Shakespeare’s. 9. They understood and imitated the conversation of gentlemen much better. 10. No poet could paint the wild debaucheries and quickness of wit in repartees as they have done. 11. They represented all the passions very lively, but above all love. 12. The English language arrived to a perfection in them. 13. Their plays are the most pleasant and frequent entertainments of the stage. 14. Ben Jonson is the most learned and judicious writer theatre ever had. 15. He was frugal with wit. 16. He brought art in wit, language and humour which were wanting before he came. 17. He excelled in humour and borrowed boldly from the ancient Greeks and Latin. 18. Ben Jonson is the more correct poet and Shakespeare is the greater wit. 1. The entire play falls within three and a half hours. 2. The scene is limited to two houses in london. After the first act, the scene remains in one house. 3. The action of the play is entirely one. 4. The characters and their actions are suitable with adequate humour. 5. Unlike the ancient and the french whose humour is based not on the imitation of man but to highlight some odd conceit, the english humour focuses on some extravagant habit, passion and affection particular to one person that the oddness of it makes the character stand out from the rest. 6. The plot is well conceived that being elaborate, it is easy to comprehend. 7. This plot is even better because the characters are only of common rank and their business private unlike the high concernments of a serious play. 1. Rhyme is unnatural in a play which is supposed to present a dialogue of sudden thought. 2. Aristotle had opined that tragedy should be written in that language which is closest to prose, therefore the blank verse is the most suited as it is nearest nature. 3. Rhyme in quick repartees are improbable unless the persons are born poets. 4. Rhyme is incapable of expressing the greatest thoughts naturally, and the lowest it cannot with any grace. 5. “Rhyme checks fancy from extending too far.” but if a man lacks good judgement in verse, he will also lack it in rhyme. 1. Rhyme is the most proper in serious plays. 2. The criticism against rhyme is because of ill rhyme. If well chosen, rhyme itself becomes natural. 3. Rhyme has all the characteristics of verse besides a sweeter sound which the blank verse lacks. 4. Aristotle’s remark favours rhyme as blank verse is nothing but measured prose and measure alone does not constitute verse. 5. Blank verse is more fit for comedies since it incorporates pedestrian words. 6. Rhyme (heroic) in serious plays is befitting and close to nature as it is the nature of elevated characters (nobles) beyond common and ordinary persons. 7. Rhyme is proper in Epic poetry and epic poetry consists of dialogues and discoursive scenes, therefore, rhyme should also be admitted as being proper for tragedy. 8. There is always the hand of art in repartees be it in rhyme or blank verse. 9. Rhyme elevates these repartees to leave nothing by the audience to be desired. 10. Certain lines need not be written in rhyme, eg, asking the help to shut the door as pointed out by Crites. 11. A person with good judgement will always write well be it in blank verse or in rhyme.