One passage in John Dryden’s poem Absalom and
Achitophel, in which Achitophel definitely tries to poison Absalom’s mind,
consists of lines 230-302. In this speech, Achitophel begins by flattering Absalom,
calling him an “Auspicious prince” (230). He then claims that Absalom seemed destined
from his very birth to become a king. Next, he emphasizes Absalom’s present popularity,
calling him “Thy longing country’s darling and desire” (233). His praise of Absalom then
becomes almost idolatrous and blasphemous when says that Absalom is his
people’s
. .
. cloudy pillar and their guardian fire:Their second
Moses, whose extended wandDivides the seas and shows the
promised land;Whose dawning day [an allusion to Christ] in
every distant ageHas exercised the sacred prophet’s rage .
. . (232-37)
The implied
allusion to Christ in the passage just quoted then gives way to explicit praise of
Absalom as a “savior” (240), and in general the language of this section of the poem can
fairly be called sacrilegious.
However, having just given
Absalom extreme praise, Achitophel now shifts to playing on the young man’s fears. He
tells Absalom that the latter’s
readability="17">. . . fresh glories, which now shine so
bright,Grow stale and tarnish with our daily
sight.Believe me, royal youth, thy fruit must
beOr [that is, either] gathered ripe, or rot upon the
tree. (250-53)Achitophel’s
strategy, then, is double-edged: he plays to Absalom’s pride as well as to his
insecurities. He reminds Absalom that opportunities are often fleeting, and he also
reminds Absalom that David, once popular, has now lost much of the people’s love and
respect.Finally, having played to Absalom’s sense of
weakness, Achitophel now emphasizes David’s weakness as
well:What
strength can he to your designs oppose,Naked of friends,
and round beset with foes?
(279-80)As the speech
concludes, Achitophel once more reminds Absalom that the strength the latter now
possesses is a strength he may very well lose if he fails to take advantage of his
present opportunity (297-302).Dryden, in concocting this
speech, implies that Achitophel possesses shrewd insights into human psychology. At the
same time, Dryden shows that he himself possesses such insights as
well.
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