Mac Flecknoe : structure
John Dryden’s satirical poem ” Mac Flecknoe” seeks to present the conflict between sense and nonsense by describing a trivial subject in glorious terms. It has an interesting structure which involves the juxtaposition of the serious and the ludicrous. The structure has the classical features of a beginning, middle and end whereby a problem is introduced, explained and finally solved. Dryden has described the virtues of Mac Flecknoe, his coronation and how that coronation ceremony comes to an end in a hilarious manner. This poem is also a personal lampoon directed against Dryden’s fellow poet Thomas Shadwell. In brief, the structure can be called a mock heroic frame – a set of high sounding words with degrading effect. The use of the serious and grand frame of an epic to describe an insignificant subject heightens the sense of irony. All the epic conventions like epic simile, epithet, allusion and grand diction are used to produce not reverence but laughter.
In his poem, the fate seems to be the source of inspiration. This emphasis on fate is typically a classical feature. The poem opens with the lines: “All human things are subject to decay, I And when fate summons, monarchs must obey.” It describes a choice of the successor to a kingdom and his coronation. The opening lines suggest grandeur but the irony is evident in the sixth line when the reader comes to know that the kingdom is of nonsense and the ceremony concerns “the prince of Dullness”. Flecknoe considers Shadwell, the “Mac Flecknoe”, to be the ablest candidate for the throne of dullness. All other sons of Flecknoe may sometimes waver into sense, but Shadwell’s ‘rising fogs’ ensures an eternal lack of wit.
Dryden compares Shadwell with Homeric heroes to elevate Shadwell like an epical protagonist. But Shadwell’s comparison to Ascanius, the great emperor of Rome, only serves to deflate his personality. He is compared to Hannibal, the hero of Carthage. But whereas Hannibal is known for his eternal hostility to Rome, Shadwell wages perpetual war against wit and intelligence. The Flecknoe – Shadwell relationship is a brilliant parody of the relationship between John Baptist and Christ. As John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the greatest advent of Christ, so Flecknoe came to prepare the world for the greater dullness of his son. Shadwell-Arion comparison is also ironical. Arion was a celebrated ancient musician whose music attracted dolphins but MacFlecknoe attracted only ‘little fishes’. The name Shadwell is sounded from several localities but the localities are inhabited by uncultured people. Mac Flecknoe is ironically called “prince of thy harmonious band”. His music excited the jealousy of the famous musician, John Singleton. He sails on the river Thames, has a huge bulk like the great Oak trees but cannot think.
The chief characteristic of Dryden’s poem is the ironic politeness. He uses no abusive words or insulting epithets. Instead he uses grand phrases to elevate Shadwell’s standard. But the meaning latent in those bombastic speech exposes Shadwell to be the more worthless and stupid. Dryden highlights the coronation ceremony by use of terms such as “empress fame”, “the renown of Shadwell’s coronation” and “the nations meet”. The place of the coronation is the dwelling place of prostitutes. Instead of ‘Persian carpets ‘ stock of dull books are spread over the way. Flecknoe is rightly called as ‘the hoary prince’ who appeared ‘in majesty, high on a throne’ and “His brows thick fogs instead of glories grace”. Shadwell holds a large mug of strong beer and a worthless book (Love’s Kingdom) written by Flecknoe instead of globe and sceptre – the symbols of king’s sovereignty. Twelve aged owls appeared over him to promise an empire of dullness. MacFlecknoe’s coronation speech is full of epical language which conveys mockery “… From Ireland let him reign I To far Barbadoes on the western main”.
Dryden doesn’t miss even a single opportunity to poke fun at Shadwell’s inefficiency. He attacks on Shadwell’s play ‘The Virtuoso’ and ‘Epsom Wells’ and links Shadwell with John Ogleby. He denies that there is any resemblance between the work of Shadwell and Ben Jonson. Thus the mockery continues till the end of the poem. Flecknoe says that Shadwell’s tragic scenes are amusing rather than pathetic and his comic scenes are so dull as to send an audience to sleep. Shadwell’s satire is utterly ineffective:” Thy inoffensive satires never bite.” At the end of the poem, Flecknoe slips and his mantle settles itself on the “young prophet”, Shadwell, giving him “double portion of his father’s art.” Flecknoe in his second speech, extols his worthy son to be ” a kilderkin of wit”.
To conclude, the technique of the mock-heroic genre consists in worshipping the characters for their trivial and vulgar behaviour. Thus, the poetic frame is mock epic and the inner structure is dramatic with its focus on characters and conflict between sense and nonsense. Dryden never directly attacks Shadwell; rather he understates him by exalting his ignorance and bad writing. That we sometimes sympathize and sometimes laugh at Flecknoe is the art of Dryden and the unique structure of the poem. A literary dictator, Dryden has no negative capability but he makes us believe about this scenario of sense and nonsense. In his world, every nonsense has something sensible to evoke and that evocation amuses the reader and proves the masterly art of the poet. T.S.Eliot rightly observes that it is the art transforming the ridiculous into heroic poetry that accounts for the success of Dryden as a mock – epic poet.
