Paper 3 assignment

Name : Gediya Disha Vijaybhai
Roll number:11
Department of English
Maharaja krishna kumar sinhji Bhavnagar University
Paper no :3
Subject: Dryden’s view on Three Unities . Essay on dramatic poesy  by Dryden .

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Introduction: Essay on dramatic poesy by John Dryden was published in 1668 . It was probably written during the plague year of 1666. Dryden is not prepared to accept any constant on the freedom of composition or judgement . For example he does not see any reason why comic and tragic situation should not mingle or why there should not be sub plot. In the essay on dramatic poesy according to him they bring variety. He stoutly opposed the servile observation of the three unites and challenge.

About the author: John Dryden was a British author who born in19th  August 1631 I England . Dryden was english poet , dramatist and literary critic who so dominated the literary scene of his day that it come to be known as the age of Dryden. The son of country gentlemen Dryden grew up in the country. When he was 11 year old the civil war broke out. Both his  mother's and father's families sides with Parliament again st the king but his   own sympathy in his youth are unknown. In may 1660 Charles 2 was restored to the throne Dryden joined the poets of the day  in welcoming him. Publishing in June “Astraea Redux “  a poem of more than 300 lines on rhymes couplets . For the coronation in1661 he wrote to his sacred majesty .
His notable work: “Absalom and Achitophel”,”Mac Fleckmoe “, Dramatic poesy an essay”, “The hind and panther “ ,”The Indian queen” etc…..
Dryden died in may 12 1700 aged of 68 London in England.

Dryden's view on Three Unities In  Essay of dramatic poesy:
In this essay  discussion between four contemporary writers of whom Dryden one . This work is a defense of English drama against the champion of both ancient classical drama and the neo classical French theatre. The treaties is a dialogue between four speakers Eugenius crites , Lisideius and Neander.

Three unities: In the essay of dramatic poesy the concept of three unities find a vivid expression through a debated discussion among crites , Eugenius and Neander. While Crites overrated the ancient for their adherence to three unities. He notes The Unity of Time  the comprehend in twenty four hours the compass of a natural day or as near as it can be contrive . The  play must be realistic since it is to be thought the nearest imitation of nature whose plot or action is confined within the time . According to him the ancient where also wise I  confirming to the Unity of Place. The stage being one place. It is unnatural to conceived it many and those far distant from one another. Following the Unity of Place if the  act begins in a garden a street or chamber. As the Unity of action equally driven on by the writer would  destroy the Unity of the play . There many under plots but should be subservient to the main plot.

  The Unity of Time: since therefore   all plays are acted on the theater in the space of time much within the compass of twenty four hours that play is to be thought the nearest imitation of nature. Whose plot or action is confined within the time and the same rules which concludes this general proportion of time . Unity of time follow that all the parts of it are to be equally subdivided namely that one act tack up not the supposed time of half a days which is out of proportion to the artist.since the other four are then to be straighten within the compass of the renaming half for it is unnatural one act which being  spoken or written is not longer than the rest. Sometimes should be supposed lo ger by the licence is therefore the poets duty to take care that no act should be imagined to exceed the time in which it is represent on stage and that the Intervals and inequality of time .
              Time be supposed to fall out between the acts . The rules of time how well it has been observed by the ancient most of their plays will witness. We see them their tragedies from the very beginning of their play. Falling  close of the principal of object it leaving the former parts to be delivered by narration . The set  the audience as it were at the past where the race is to be concludes. Saving them the tedious expectations of seeing the poet set out and rode the beginning of  the course.

The Unity of place: After the Unity of time the Unity of place which the ancient means by it that the scene ought to be continued  through the play . As the same place where it was laid in the beginning . In the stage on which it is represented being but one and the same place it is unnatural to conceived it many and those far distant from the one another. No one can deny but by the variation of painted scenes the fancy which in these cases will contribute to its own deceit. With sometimes imagine it several places with some appearance of probabilities yet it still carries the greater likelihood or truth. In it if those place supported so near each other as in the same town or city which mat all be comprehend under the larger denomination of one place . In the scene for a greater distance will bear no proportion to the shortness of time which is allotted in the acting to pass from one of them to another . The observation of this next to the ancient the French are to be most commended . They tie themselves so strictly to the Unity of place that you never see In any of their plays . Scene changed in the middle of an act if the  act begins in a garden ,high hill or office. In this place yet you may know it to be the same to the stage is so supplied with person that it is never empty all time. One who entered second has business with him who was on before and before tha second quit the stage.when third appears  who has business with him.  When all these persons are known to each other and everyo1 of them haa some affairs with all the rest. This comeille  calls 14 liasion des scene the good mark of well contrived play.

The unity of action :All of this third unity which is that of action the ancient meant no other by it than what the logicians do by their fi is the end or scope of any action. In which is the first in intention and last in execution now the poet is to aim at one great and complete action to the carrying on of which all this things is in the play. The obstacles are to be subservient and the reason of this is aa evident as any of the former. All of them there two action equally laboured and driven on by the weiter would destroy the Unity of the poem. As saying Ben Jonson has observed in  his discoveries Taut they must be all subservient to the great one which our language happily expressed in the name of under plots . Some of them Terences Eunuch is the difference and reconcilement of this and Phaedra which is not the chief business of the play. There ought to be but one action says Corneille that is one completed action . The mind of the audience In full repose but this cannot be brought to pass but by many other imperfect action.

Conclusion: so Dryden show this type of three unities in his essay on dramatic poesy. This unities are the epitomes of mans life and for one spot of ground. For all good work of Dryden all the  element are necessary you can get just and lively image in his dramatic cite.

Work cited:

http://wordweasel.tumblr.com/post/61613693552/aristotles-poetics-the-three-unities

http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2015/10/rubric-for-evaluation-of-written.html