Hello! I am divya parmar. Hear i am writting blog to complete task on "Absalom and Achitophel"
_ summary of "ABSALOM AND ACHITOPHEL"
Absalom and Achitophel is a mock heroic epic by John Dryden that satirizes the British Whig Party, which sought to prevent the succession of James, Duke of York, to the English throne. The Whigs, a political party, tried to break the traditional line of succession and prevent James, Duke of York, from ascending to the throne.
With a gentle and mild hand, King David rules Israel within the time before polygamy may be a sin and priest-craft begins. He spreads his seed throughout the land and has many offspring, though his true wife is Michal. Of his illegitimate children, none is more glorious and beloved than Absalom. Absalom wins renown in foreign fields and is agreeable in mind and countenance. David loves him and indulges his every whim.
David’s reign doesn’t remain peaceful, however. The Jews are capricious, tempestuous people that often throw off their ruler for a replacement one. They mutter and complain, but nothing comes of it while they’re disunited. However, old plots are revived, stoking the Jews’ fear of the heathen Jebusites, whose land that they had taken way back. Factions fire up and start to threaten the govt.
Achitophel, a wise and witty councilor of David’s, sees this as his moment. he’s restless and desirous of fame, so he decides he must find how to ruin David. he’s conscious of how easily swayed the people are, and he turns to the handsome Absalom into his pawn. Achitophel compliments and charms Absalom, telling him that it’s a shame his low birth seemingly precludes him from taking the throne.
His father’s legal successor is Absalom’s uncle, a wretched man. Achitophel fills Absalom’s head with praise; albeit Absalom loves his father, Achitophel’s subtle comments about his father’s weaknesses begin to affect him. He sees himself as destined for greatness.
Achitophel devises his plan and sends Absalom bent the people to curry their favor and switch them against his father. He warns the young man of his uncle and tells him he must go for the crown while his father still lives. Achitophel begins to figure within the populace, fomenting dissent and unrest. Absalom goes before the people and wins their love easily. His popularity and pomp distract from the plot at hand. Finally, King David speaks, asserting his legitimacy and power during a manner that brooks no refutation or dissension. This secures his enemies’ downfall and his own long rule.
question : make a list of characters who favoured King David (Charles 2) and those who were against him.
Answer: In 'Absalom and Achitophel' we found so many characters. But hear protogonist is Absalom. these charcters also relate with biblical characters. John drydon's character makes very good heroic satire.
- charcters in favour of king Devid
- character of king Devid
The third king of Israel. David is a merciful and kind king who does not have a male heir to inherit the throne. As such, the crown will ascend down a “collateral line” after David’s death to his brother. As he has many mistresses, David also has several illegitimate sons, but he loves Absalom the most, and the people of Israel likewise love Absalom and herald him as a national hero. David gives Absalom everything he wants, and he would give him the crown, too, if he could. Over time, however, David’s dishonest counselor, Achitophel, begins to stir up resentment for David and encourages Absalom to rise up against his father to ensure that David’s brother will not ascend the throne. Both Absalom and Achitophel confuse David’s mild nature for weakness, and after David runs out of 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.
As David speaks to the Jews, a massive crack of thunder is heard through the land, and all of Israel knows David is their rightful king. Dryden’s David is an allegory for King Charles II of England, and like David, 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. Dryden was an ardent supporter of the monarchy and Charles II, and his portrayal of David in “Absalom and Achitophel” reflects this support, but he does not depict David as perfect. On the contrary, Dryden is critical of Charles’s leniency and even pokes fun at his rumored promiscuity, but Dryden nevertheless 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.
- characters who were against king Devid
- Absalom as the protoganist of the satire
David’s illegitimate son and the protagonist of “Absalom and Achitophel.” David does not have any legitimate heirs to the throne, but Absalom is his favorite child. Absalom is handsome and ambitious, and he has made himself a hero at war. The people of Israel love Absalom almost as much as David does, and 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 agrees to rebel against David, and as he travels Israel in a procession with Achitophel, Absalom conforms to Achitophel’s deceitful ways. Absalom and Achitophel mistake David’s mercy and good nature for weakness, but David soon loses patience with both Absalom and Achitophel. David asserts his power as king before the people of Israel and effectively shuts down Absalom’s rebellion, but Dryden never does say what becomes of Absalom. 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. Through the character of Absalom, Dryden ultimately argues that Charles and his brother James both have a divine right to the crown that is not extended to Monmouth.
Dryden’s depiction of Absalom implies that Dryden does not think Monmouth a wholly terrible person, but someone who is merely tempted and blinded by power; however, Dryden also suggests that Monmouth’s common birth automatically excludes him from ascending the throne. Dryden argues through Absalom that Monmouth’s play to power, specifically his attempt to seize a position of power that rightfully belongs to another, is a sin against God. Dryden doesn’t entirely denounce Absalom’s ambition (he even celebrates his exploits at war), but he does argue that usurping the throne is completely unethical.
- Achitophel as the antagonist of the satire
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. Achitophel begins his plan to ruin David by claiming David is a Jebusite, and while he knows that his argument is “weak,” he also knows the Jews fear the Jebusites, and his approach proves very effective. As Achitophel works on Absalom, Achitophel’s trusted men wreak havoc with the Sanhedrin and try to bring David down from inside the government.
Achitophel finally convinces Absalom to rebel, and they embark on a procession through Israel to further ingratiate Absalom with the people and identify enemies to their cause. However, Achitophel has mistaken David’s mercy and mild temper for signs of weakness, and when David finally loses his patience, Achitophel is reminded of David’s divine power. 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.
Hear I discussed brief about characters. the well wishers and suppoters of the king devid were always honest to him. even when we analysis the characters of Absalom we found that till end he wants to support kind devid. he was the illegitimate son of King but he give him everything which he want. so in starting Absalom don't want to stand against king devid but Achitophel's misguide make him against to his father.
words: 1565
Image : 3
paragraph : 21
resources : litcharts.com, super summary
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