Dryden Blog Post #2

Unlike the satire of today, Dryden’s satire follows strict rules of meter, rhyme, and form as seen in “Mac Fleknoe.” Considering that he greatly admires the likes of Ben Jonson and Shakespeare, it shouldn’t be surprise that his work is replete with subtle wit. Perhaps it is because the target of “Mac Fleknoe” is also a poet that doubles Dryden’s efforts in not only writing a piece that is poetically sound but that the piece be better than any work published by Shadwell. If the piece were to fail in the latter sense, it would be a self-defeat. By likening Shadwell to an heir of a dunderheaded throne, Dryden uses the loftiness of that position of power and inverses it’s significance. The audience of that time, having grown up with Jonson’s, Fletcher’s, Beaumont’s and Shakespeare’s plays, likely favored wit above all adornments and so Dryden’s satirical style was likely very appealing to them. Satire nowadays can be found in the form of political cartoons and sketches in comedy shows. These are visual mediums (though there is some writing in the political cartoons) as oppose to Dryden’s written form, however, a form of wit it still present likely coupled with dramatic irony (the audience tend to be in the know of the events being depicted in the satire.) A good example of this are the Saturday Night Live sketches based on Donald Trump’s presidency. The Saturday Night Live sketches follow Dryden's form of indirect attack. Trump's blunders are done on his own volition; never is an insult thrown at him; he himself is the insult to himself.