Symbol Analysis
In case you missed it, "Mac Flecknoe" pretty much entirely consists just of John Dryden going really out of his way to call someone stupid. That being said, Dryden offers no shortage of hilarious jokes, jabs, japes, and jests at his archrival Thomas Shadwell's expense. He uses irony, metaphor, puns, and even Shadwell's own writing to cleverly skewer his victim, easily winning this battle of wits. Wallace Shawn's character in The Princess Bride should have taken notes.
- Lines 15-18: All the great epic heroes had a defining characteristic. Unfortunately for Shadwell, his is stupidity. Dryden cleverly uses this mock-heroic motif to make Shadwell appear as inept as possible.
- Lines 21-24: Dryden throws in the occasional metaphor to add some poetic depth to his complete and total evisceration of Shadwell. Dryden often describes Shadwell as if he is shrouded in a perpetual fog, so dense that not a single ray of intelligence can make it through. Ouch.
- Lines 181-182: Dryden uses a few of Shadwell's own lines to point out his shoddiness as a writer. He'll do anything for a cheap laugh, Dryden argues, at the expense of good taste and genuine cleverness. Thus, Shadwell's plays aren't really works of art, but merely farces.
- Lines 193-196: What's a diss-poem without a good old-fashioned fat joke? Okay, maybe it's a low blow, but at least Dryden is creative with his insult. Using more metaphors, he likens poor Shadwell's belly to a full barrel of booze, and his head to a barrel that's empty.
- Lines 199-202: Tucked away between all the fat and stupid jokes, Dryden actually shares some pretty astute insights concerning Shadwell's writing. Shadwell isn't merely dumb, Dryden argues, he's gutless; his satires are safe and bland, his writing innocuous and cheap.