An epic is a
narrative in poetry of some heroic action of a heroic character, written in a
language which corresponds to the elevated theme. A mock-epic parodies the
style and conventions and characters of a serious epic. The parody is not meant
as a mockery of the epic, but is a mean to ridicule some object which the poet
wishes to satirize. Seriousness of style forces one's attention all the more on
the triviality of subject. The manner is exalted but the thing described is
insignificant.
How is Dryden's Mac Flecknoe as mock heroic
poem?
One can assign
to Dryden's Mac Flecknoe the position of heralding mock-heroic tradition in English poetry. Dryden considered the
mock-heroic technique as a very suitable form for satiric purposes. He took
inspiration from the French poet Boileu's Le Lutrin in which he found a fine
mixture of the majesty of the heroic and the bite of the satire. Mac Flecknoe is thus a satire in the
mock-heroic technique. Finding himself with the task of having to demolish
Thomas Shadwell, Dryden could not have chosen a better method of satire.
Form of "Mac Flecknoe" is
Mock-heroic
Mac Flecknoe has a mock-heroic form. The basic
action, though it is not a great complex one, could easily fit heroic poetry.
It deals with the choice of a successor to a kingdom and a coronation. The
"mockery" is evident when we realise that the Kingdom is that of
Nonsense and the coronation is that of a Prince of Dullness.
Epic Opening
The very opening
of Mac Flecknoe is characterized by epic exaltation with the resulting comic
effect:
“All human things
are subject to decay
And, when Fate
summons monarchs must obey.”
The opening
lines have the ponderous ring of noble heroic poetry. It is the sixth line that
the deflation comes. Flecknoe had ruled unopposed - in the "realms of
Nonsense absolute." An aged monarch now sought to abdicate and find a
suitable heir to his throne. The exalted tone contrasts ludicrously with the
fact that Flecknoe was a symbol of inferior versifiers.
Serious Diction for Trivial Matters
Dryden was a
great master at mixing and balancing the majesty poetry and the venom of
satiric verse. What high-flown words are used to achieve the very opposite
effect, i.e. the deflation of the Mac Flecknoe. He shows ability at using
"magnificent abuse". Flecknoe speech is fraught with ironical praise:
"Success
let others teach, learn thou from me
Pangs without
birth, and fruitless industry."
The direct abuse
is couched' in notes of smooth politeness with the help of the polished heroic
idiom. Terms such as "Empress Fame," "the nations meet",
"the renown of Shadwell's coronation" sound dignified and solemn.
Dryden makes a clever use of words. This is especially so in the lines which
describe "the hoary prince" sitting majestically on a throne built of
his own efforts, i.e., his own worthless books, and the loads of Shadwell
"almost choking" the way to the throne. The mock-heroic idiom makes
use of irony in an effective manner.
Devastating Weapon of the Mock-Heroic
Ironical
politeness is the basic aspect of the
mock-heroic technique and is used with telling effect in Mac Flecknoe. Mac
Flecknoe is Thomas Shady Nonsense.
The polite tone of praise is devastating in its satiric effect when Flecknoe
declares that Shadwell alone of all his sons was "mature in s from his
tender years and stood confirmed in stupidity. Others sometimes allow a ray of
intelligence into the darkness of their stupidity, but not so Shadwell. He was
supreme in his dullness and ‘rising fogs’ ensured an eternal lack of wit. The
manner is often like Milton's, but the effect is satirical.
Deflation through the Process of Elevation
The aim of the mock-heroic form is to deflate a
victim by enhancing him. Dryden never belittles Shadwell. He constantly
enhances his victim - he calls him Prince, monarch, mature, etc. By using
Elevated words, ideas and images for Shadwell, Dryden reduces him to a
helplessly ridiculous level.
Creation of a Pseudo-hero
Mac Flecknoe is
a "pseduo-hero", heroic only in bulk. The comparison of Shadwell with
the "monarch oaks" which "shade the plain and supinely
reign" is intended to expose the hollowness of Shadwell. Like the heroes
of the genuine epic, Shadwell is "stamped" on his surroundings: the
low quarters London form a fitting background, or universe for our
"hero." He is fit for the place,
“Where their
vast courts the mother strumpets keep,
And, undisturbed
by watch, in silence sleep.”
The hero's
hollowness seems to echo from the corners of "Pissing alley" and
"Aston-hall" - the sordid places of London.
Comparison with Heroic Figures for Deflation
Much of the
deflation in mock-heroic poetry is
achieved through the clever device of drawing parallels between the satiric
object and legendary heroes. It is the "joyful business of comparing small
men to giants and making pigmies of them in the process," as Ian Jack
comments.
Flecknoe is
solemnly compared to Augustus, the great Emperor of Rome. The comparison does
not enhance Flecknoe; it deflates him. Similar is the effect when Shadwell is
compared to Arion, the legendary Greek musician. Arion jumped out of his ship
when threatened by murderous sailors. His music charmed even the dolphins, one
of which carried him on its back safely to the shore. Shadwell, however, can
only attract "little fishes" as he travels along the Thames in a
barge.
Shadwell is
compared to Ascanius, Rome's other hope and pillar of the state. He is compared
to Hannibal, the hero of Carthage. But whereas Hannibal swore eternal hostility
to Rome at the early age of nine, Shadwell swears to wage perpetual war on wit
and intelligence. If Romulus, the great founder of Rome, saw twelve vultures as
an omen, Shadwell's coronation is marked by the portentous flight of twelve owls.
Ludicrous Setting for Coronation
Mock-heroic style is exemplified in the lines
which describe the setting of Shadwell's coronation. Pomp and show mark the
scene. London is termed "fair Augusta" where "an ancient
fabric" rose to the sight.
The Ending of the Poem : Culmination of Mock-Heroic
The speech of
Flecknoe comes to an abrupt end and a miraculous disappearance of the speaker
takes place. Two heroes from Shadwell's The Virtuoso pull a trap-door beneath
Flecknoe and he disappears. The scene is an obvious travesty of the Biblical
story of Elijah and Elisha.
Mac Flecknoe : Not Strictly Mock-Heroic
It is true that Mac Flecknoe is
not a mock-heroic poem in the complete sense of the term, as Pope's The
Rape of the Lock or The Dunciad are. In Pope’s work, all the epic devices are
used in burlesque form. To
that extent, we can call Mac Flecknoe mock-heroic only in a very loose sense.
But we must remember that Mac Flecknoe was a beginning of the mock-heroic
tradition in English literature.
Conclusion
Mac Flecknoe,
though not a mock-epic in the strict sense of the term, uses the mock-heroic
technique very effectively for satirical purposes. The elegant diction
contributes to Shadwell's caricature. The absurdity of the inflated speeches is
obvious. We have solemn descriptions of omens, ponderous genuflections to the
bad writers, and the empty ring of rhetorical gesture:
He paused, and
all the people cried "Amen."
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