Succession and Heritage
One of Dryden's frequent themes is succession, prominently discussed in Absalom and Achitophel, Marriage a-la-mode, and Mac Flecknoe. Succession is a metaphorical as well as a literal issue in Dryden's writing, applying to artistic influence as well as to the throne or the Church. Dryden's work expresses a consistent belief in the importance of proper succession as a means of carrying on tradition, and indeed, his work The Hind and the Panther paints the Catholic Church's traceable lines of succession as one reason for its validity. However, in Dryden's poetry, succession can easily become disrupted, corrupted, or worthless. Absalom and Achitophel, as well as the subsequent The Medall, describe the crisis that arises when a line of succession is prevented from following its proper course. In Marriage a-la-mode, similarly, a pretender to the throne very nearly becomes a monarch, though he is eventually ousted by the rightful heir. Meanwhile, Mac Flecknoe describes Shadwell's inherited status as legitimate but inescapably ridiculous. Because succession matters a great deal in Dryden's worldview and work, it can be a cause of tragedy when it goes wrong, as well as a sign of an heir's worthiness.
Passion and Reason
Dryden's critical work, in particular, is often praised for its objectivity, reason, and judiciousness. Works like An Essay Of Dramatick Poesie advocate for a middle ground, suggesting that dramas from the supposedly more restrained neoclassical tradition, as well as those from the more extravagant English one, are both worthy of praise. These conflicts between reason and passion are equally illustrated in Dryden's poetic and dramatic works. Among his dramas, All for Love offers perhaps the best illustration of the tensions between emotion and reason in Dryden's writing. Here, Antony and Cleopatra's passionate love is depicted with admiration, though its unmitigated emotional intensity ultimately leads to the characters' downfalls. Meanwhile, the power of music to inflame passions is depicted in "Alexander's Feast" as both exhilarating and dangerous, leading to impulsive revenge against Persia. Dryden takes a less generous attitude towards unchecked passion in Absalom and Achitophel, where an emotionally-driven, ill-considered thirst for power cause Absalom and Achitophel to rebel against the king.
Stability and Tradition
Throughout his writing career, Dryden expressed a strong allegiance towards consistency, stability, and authority as opposed to transformation, disruption, or innovation. This particular theme intersects with the theme of succession, since Dryden considered monarchy, with its unchanging and predictable lines of succession, to be superior to other forms of government—a stance expressed in works such as Absalom and Achitophel, in which an anti-monarchist rebellion is condemned, and in Annus Mirabilis, in which the king's response and symbolic importance in the wake of disaster is valorized. Meanwhile, even one of the greatest about-faces in Dryden's life and work—his conversion from Anglicanism to Catholicism—arguably offers evidence of a consistent allegiance to the traditional and tested. The pro-Anglican work Religio Laici praises Anglicanism for its reliability, consistency, and rationality. The later, pro-Catholic work The Hind and the Panther instead argues that Catholicism, with its long history and rich theological and ritual tradition, better exemplifies these virtues of consistency. Despite this change of allegiances, the fundamental preference for the stable and the long-lasting is consistent throughout.
Patriotism and National Power
Annus Mirabilis offers the most explicit instance of Dryden's rhetorical advocacy for English military and cultural power, both in Europe and globally. In this work, Dryden praises the successes of the English military against the Dutch, praising the strength and dedication of the English Navy. Meanwhile, Dryden presented his translations of classical works in a patriotic light, arguing in accompanying prose texts that the translation of these works into English represented a show of, and expansion of, English cultural power. His translations dealing with Roman imperialism—most notably his translation of The Aeneid—imply parallels between the power and impressiveness of ancient Rome and that of contemporary England. Meanwhile, Dryden's support of monarchical power was closely tied to these themes of English imperial power. For instance, the Astrea Redux, with its celebration of Charles II's return to power, praises the king not merely for his leadership, but for his role as a patriotic symbol and his unique power to consolidate and represent English national identity. Meanwhile, even Dryden's relatively tepid praise for Oliver Cromwell, in an early poem following Cromwell's death, focuses on the former statesman's expansion of English military and imperial might.
Grief
Dryden's work delves into both personal and societal grief, encompassing both the deaths of individuals and the widespread death and destruction of events like London's Great Fire. In fact, elegies bookended Dryden's career, appearing prominently in both the earliest and latest stages of his writing life. One of his early works, "Heroic Stanzas on the Death of Oliver Cromwell," is relatively distant in tone, with little expression of intense emotion—perhaps a reflection of Dryden's personal distaste for Cromwell, as some scholars have argued. It attends instead to the achievements of Cromwell's life and the public rites of his death. But other elegies, such as "To the Memory of Mr. Oldham" and Anne Killigrew, discuss grief in far more personal terms. In both of these works, which describe the early deaths of fellow poets, Dryden suggests that a writer's artistic influence and literary legacy can immortalize them and therefore offer a salve to the grieving. Meanwhile, Annus Mirabilis depicts intense loss as a cleansing or purifying, albeit devastating, force: in this work, the decimation of war, plague, and eventually fire allow England's people to rise anew from the ashes, in spite of their grief.
Love and Friendship
The theme of love is especially prominent in Dryden's dramatic works, where desire is viewed as an energizing and thrilling but non-rational force that can be destructive or painful even as it is irresistible. Antony and Cleopatra, in Dryden's All For Love, are so overcome with love for one another that they ultimately make destructive choices—in Cleopatra's case, even choosing death rather than life without Antony. Meanwhile, Marriage a-la-mode depicts competition, conquest, and unfulfilled desire as important elements of love: ironically, a love in which every desire is fulfilled is no longer compelling to Dryden's characters here. Indeed, in this play, the struggles and pains of unfulfilled love are more rewarding than the satisfaction of stability in marriage. These attitudes are echoed in the poem "Ah, How Sweet It Is To Love," where Dryden describes even painful experiences of love as "sweeter far / Than all other pleasures." Meanwhile, in much of Dryden's work, friendship is a process of artistic co-creation and mentorship: "To the Memory of Mr. Oldham" describes the speaker's affection for Oldham in terms of literary admiration and kinship.
The Value of Art
Whether in criticism or his poetry, Dryden consistently defends the value and importance of art. This stance can manifest as both cutting critique and joyful celebration. At times Dryden does not simply praise art he views as worthy, but instead attacks art that he views as unworthy. For instance, Mac Flecknoe mocks a practitioner of bad poetry, using ironic language to juxtapose this scorn-worthy art with great works of poetry. In contrast, the poem "Alexander's Feast, or the Power of Music," details the effects of great art, describing a skillful musician's power to influence not merely the moods of his listeners but also important political decisions. Similarly, Dryden's elegies for fellow poets, including John Oldham and Anne Killigrew, stress that these individuals deserve reverence in part because of their contributions to poetry. In other words, Dryden portrays art of all kinds as a serious and important pursuit, advocating for those who sufficiently revere the arts, but deriding those who seem to degrade or undermine the title of artist.
