Absalom and Achitophel Summary - John Dryden - Cyclopedia of Literary Places

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At a glance:

Author: John Dryden
First Published: 1681
Type of Work: Poetry
Type of Plot: Satire
Time of Work: Biblical antiquity
Genres: Satire, Poetry, Lyric sequence, Mock-heroic poetry
Subjects: England or English people, Seventeenth century, Kings, queens, or royalty, Biblical times, Israel or Israelis, Jews and Gentiles, Heads of state, Monarchy
Locales: Europe, Asia, London, England, Jerusalem, United Kingdom

Places Discussed

*Jerusalem

*Jerusalem. Capital city of the ancient Israelites (also called Sion), beginning with King David’s reign. Within the poem itself, Jerusalem is never described; its presence is merely assumed as the backdrop for the action, as dictated by history. What interests Dryden is not so much the location of the story, but the psychology of the characters involved in the rebellion. Insofar as he uses a biblical story to reflect political events in England, Jerusalem represents London. Dryden uses biblical events and characters in the poem to mirror...

(The entire page is 566 words.)

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External Links

Absalom and Achitophel (Wikipedia Reference)

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