Thinking Activity- 'Absalom and Achitoplel'

This blog is written in response to the thinking activity on 'Absalom and Achitophel' given by Dilip Barad sir at the Department of English, MKBU

Thinking Activity- 'Absalom and Achitoplel'

John Dryden

John Dryden was born on 9 August 1631 at  Aldwincle, United Kingdom. He was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.

Dryden’s ‘Absalom and Achitophel’

John Dryden’s “Absalom and Achitophel” was first published in 1681, in direct response to a political crisis faced by King Charles II from 1679 to 1681. In what became known as the “Exclusion Crisis,” the king’s opponents in Parliament tried to exclude Charles’s brother James from the succession on the grounds that he was a Roman Catholic. “Absalom and Achitophel” is a satiric narrative poem in which Dryden uses a biblical allegory to discuss the events and main personalities involved in this crisis. The poem mocks the King’s opponents and openly reveals Dryden’s staunchly royalist sympathies. The poem is also notable for featuring one of Dryden’s literary trademarks: the “heroic couplet.” “Absalom and Achitophel” is one of Dryden’s major poetic works, displaying both the characteristic elements of his style and his political and religious sympathies at that time.

Characters of the poem ‘Absalom and Achitophel’

In the poem Absalom and Achitophel have so many characters. All the characters are from the biblical story of David but also allegorically represents the people who supported and rebelled against Charles 2nd.Those are divided in two groups. First group in which are the characters who supported the king David and in the other group are the characters who sided with Achitophel and Absalom.

Characters who supported King David

David

David was the  third king of Israel. He did not have a male heir so his throne was going to be inherited by his brother. David had many mistresses and through them had many illegitimate sons. From all of them he liked Absolam the most and the people of Israel also loved him and heralded him as the national hero. One of  David’s counsellors from court, Achitophel, begins to stir up resentment for David and encourages Absalom to rise up against his father so that David's brother will not ascend the throne. Both Absalom and Achitophel confuse David’s mild nature for weakness, David loses his  patience he is forced to exert his God-given power over the people of Israel and remind Absalom, Achitophel, and the people that he can strike them all down if he chooses. Dryden here represents David as Allegory to King Charles 2nd, and convinces that as David, King Charles also had Divine Right from God. Dryden argues that Charles has a divine right to the throne, which Charles’s son, the Duke of Monmouth tried to usurp in Dryden’s time, here he implies that Charles has been chosen by God to be the king of England, and that right cannot be appropriated by Parliament or the people.

David’s Brother

 He is the heir to the throne of Israel, after the death of David. He is not in the poem actively but Absalom and Achitophel mention him  in some passage. Achitophel hates David’s brother, and Absalom claims that David’s brother is “oppressed with vulgar spite.” David’s brother represents James II, the brother of King Charles II and the next heir to the throne of England. James was a Roman Catholic, and the Exclusion Bill before Parliament in Dryden’s time sought to exclude James from the throne.

The Pharaoh

The leader of Egypt and David’s ally. Like many of the Jews, however, the Pharaoh only pretends to be friendly with David but is really just looking for ways to exploit him and the Jews. In Dryden’s poem, the Pharaoh represents Louis XIV of France. Louis XIV was Catholic, as was most of France, and the Protestants of England saw Charles II’s relationship with Louis XIV as more proof that Charles was really a Catholic like his brother James and was going to force the Protestants to conform to the Catholic religion.

Ishbosheth

Saul’s son and the king of Israel briefly before David’s reign. Dryden mentions Ishbosheth’s short reign before David comes out of exile, but the finicky Jews don’t want Ishbosheth as their king, so they push for David. Ishbosheth represents Oliver Cromwell’s son Richard, who ruled England for a short time between Cromwell’s death and the restoration of Charles II to the throne.

Barzillai

David’s oldest and most trusted friend. Barzillai was with David when David was in exile after the death of Saul. He likely represents James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, who was likewise in exile with Charles II after the execution of Charles I. Ormond returned to England with Charles after the Restoration and was his close friend and ally.

Barzillai’s Eldest Son

The son of one of David’s trusted men, who has died and is forever mourned by the speaker of “Absalom and Achitophel.” Barzillai’s eldest son likely represents Thomas Butler, Earl of Ossory. Butler was the son of the 1st Duke of Ormond, who is represented in Dryden’s Barzillai. The Earl of Ossory died in 1680, and Dryden dedicated his book of poems called Fables to him.

Jotham

One of David’s trusted men. According to the Bible, Jotham is the king of Judah and the grandson of Zadock, but in Dryden’s poem he represents George Savile, the nephew of the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, the man allegorized in the character Achitophel. Savile was a stanch supporter of Charles II, and he is credited with being instrumental in defeating the Exclusion Bill in Parliament.

Amiel

One of King David’s trusted and loyal men. Amiel is an important member of the Sanhedrin and helps to quell the uprising against David within the government. There are several Amiels in the Bible, so it is unclear which one Dryden is referring to here, but Amiel is thought to represent Edward Seymour, the speaker of the House of Commons in Parliament during Dryden’s time and a famous supporter of King Charles II and an opponent of the Exclusion Bill.

Zadoc

David's friend who carried the Ark of the Covenant into the wilderness; he was then sent back to Jerusalem for God's judgement. He represents William Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury.

David's opponents or rebellions who supported Achitophel and Absalom

Absalom

Absalom is one of the illegitimate sons of David, he is loved by all the country and David sees his own reflection in him. Though David can not make him his heir. Achitophel believes that the Jews would accept Absalom as their king. Achitophel begins to encourage Absalom and herald his birth and blood as royal, and he tries to convince Absalom to rebel against David. Absalom, however, is not a malicious man, and he doesn’t initially believe he has a right to the crown, but he is eventually worn down by Achitophel’s flattery and his own growing desire for more power. Absalom metaphorically represents Charles II’s illegitimate son James Scott, the 1st Duke of Monmouth, who rebelled against Charles and the throne in Dryden’s time.

Achitophel

He is a deceitful counselor to King David and the antagonist of “Absalom and Achitophel.” Of all the men who oppose David within the government, Achitophel is the most influential. He is smart, ambitious, and morally flexible. He pretends to be David’s friend, but in actuality, he either wants to rule Israel or completely destroy it. Achitophel stokes the “malcontents” of the Jews and incites anti-Jebusite hysteria in an attempt to ruin David, and then he encourages David’s son Absalom to rebel against him. Achitophel hates David’s brother, the heir presumptive, and he wants to make sure that he never ascends the throne. Dryden’s Achitophel represents Anthony Ashley Cooper, the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, a Member of Parliament during Dryden’s time and the main supporter of the Exclusion Bill. Shaftesbury was the founder of the Whig party, which sought to exclude Charles II’s brother James from the throne, and he was a major opponent of Charles throughout his reign. What comes of Achitophel is never revealed in Dryden’s poem, but historically speaking, Shaftesbury was tried for treason after encouraging Charles’s son the Duke of Monmouth, to rebel against the crown, but he was later acquitted. Through Achitophel, Dryden suggests that Charles and James both have just claims to the throne and is not for Shaftesbury, Monmouth, or Parliament to infringe on that power.

Corah

He is a priest and a trusted man of Achitophel. He lies about his rabbinical degree, and he hatches the plot that helps Achitophel discredit David’s brother and ingratiate Absalom to the people of Israel.. In the Bible, Corah leads a rebellion against Moses, and in Dryden’s poem he represents Titus Oates, the Englishman who engineered the Popish Plot. Like Corah, Oates was a Puritan priest with a dubious rabbinical degree, and members of Parliament put stock into his unbelievable conspiracy because of his perfect memory and ability to tell and retell the plot without discrepancies.

Shimei

The most powerful of Achitophel’s men. Shimei is a dishonest crook who steals and cheats the Jews every chance he gets, but the Jews appoint him as their magistrate anyway. Shimei stacks juries to punish David’s supporters and set his enemies free, and during his tenure as magistrate, treason is not a crime. Shimei is one of David’s tormentors in the Bible, and in Dryden’s poem he represents Slingsby Bethel, the sheriff of London and a member of Parliament during Dryden’s time who also supported the Exclusion Bill.

Zimri

One of Achitophel’s men whom Dryden describes as a “buffoon” who has tried several professions. In the Bible, Zimri is king of Israel for seven days, but he is no real threat to David or the throne in “Absalom and Achitophel.” Zimri likely represents George Villiers, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, an English statesman and poet who had disgraced himself in war, organised an unsuccessful plot against the government, and was accused of treason. He played an active role within the Popish Plot.

Jonas

One of Achitophel’s more powerful men who has the ability to manipulate laws. Jonas is a prophet in the Bible, but in Dryden’s poem he represents Sir William Jones, a member of Parliament who prosecuted many of the Catholics falsely accused in the Popish Plot and also supported the Exclusion Bill.