Son of Dullness: Thomas Shadwell in Dryden's MacFlecknoe

John Dryden does little to cover the satirical target of his work, MacFlecknoe. John Shadwell, the self proclaimed successor to famed "comedy of humors" playwright Ben Jonson, is at once uplifted and mocked in the farcical epic that is Dryden’s examination of the "king of dullness". Although his works were no without their own merit (and are quite liked by many scholars for their homely quality), they did not approach the level on which Jonson wrote but fell far short of any such intended goal. Although a close friend of Dryden (at least until 1678 when political weal broke the two apart), the satire invoked easily covers this facet of the two writers’ lives.

The sense of mock epic used by Dryden becomes, at times, quite scathing in its false ascension of Shadwell before wittily smashing his name upon literary rocks. While the first few lines of Dryden’s poem all but echo the Homeric ballads, the true intention quickly becomes apparent in the text later one once more conventional satirical verse is undertaken. Indeed, even the full title of the work, MacFlecknoe: Or a Satire upon the True-Blue-Protestant Poet, T.S., drips with biting venom. Obviously the "true-Blue-Protestant" section of the title is a reference to Shadwell’s Tory politics. While the name within the title itself alludes to Richard Flecknoe, a rather untalented writer whom Dryden seems to also find ill-repute and claims passes on the tradition of dullness to Shadwell.

Building upon the sense of mock epic in MacFlecknoe, Dryden often alludes to classic literature. The devices of lordship, kingly quality and the resulting coronation of title are jokingly afflicted upon Shadwell to legitimize his claim to the "throne of dullness". Dryden also cites ancient Greek mythology in mentioning the poet Arion and the goddess Psyche among others. Even Roman history is utilized in his poem, namely by citing Augustus (the first emperor of Rome) in line three. Muses are also called upon in MacFlecknoe to further reinforce the aura of faux classical. Once again, the themes of the timeless epics are being used to lend a sardonic literary legitimacy to Shadwell.

What Dryden accomplished with MacFlecknoe, however, was more than a seemingly playful jab at Shadwell. Effectively, Dryden helped to define the genre of Satire itself and provide quite an exquisite example thereof. Shadwell may have been the "king of dullness" and thusly laid with laurels of sarcasm, but by utilizing not only classical convention, but contemporary wit, Dryden stole himself the literary throne.