John Dryden was a man of various trades and influenced the opinions of many
during the Restoration. He was a poet, a playwright, a critic, and a
translator of foreign works to English. Dryden was a prominent write from
the time he was twenty-nine years old to the time of his death, at
seventy-nine years (1660-1700). Many of his works were centered on politics
Dryden wrote about a dozen poems in the first decade of his literary career.
His poetry was "occasional", written for special events and occasions,
including Astraea Redux, celebrating the restoration of King Charles II to
the English throne in 1660, and Annus Mirabilis, in which he praised King
Charles' actions during the war between England and Holland and the Great
Fire of London. (Anderson 458) Dryden used poetry to express his opinions on
the government of England. He presented an argument, supporting evidence,
and convinced the readers to agree with him by using analogies and
metaphors. These poems were so highly praised by the government that, in
1668, Dryden was named Poet Laureate and Historiographer Royal in 1670.
Ultimately, he would be stripped of both titles in 1688, because he
Dryden's poetry did not support his lifestyle and his household (a wife and
three sons). To fill the financial gaps, Dryden turned to writing plays for
local theaters, where they became quite popular. In the beginning he wrote
heroic tragedies, but comedy and drama were also popular themes of his.
Despite the popularity of his plays during the Restoration, few have been
After 1680, Dryden changed the face of British poetry; he popularized a new
style called verse satires. The Encyclopædia Britannica goes so far to say
that he was the greatest English verse satirist to that point. He
"perfect[ed] the technique of English poetry, regularize[d] meter, and
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