Absalom and Achitophel Summary

Absalom and Achitophel Background:

“Absalom and Achitophel” is a heroic satire written by John Dryden in 1681-1682. John Dryden is an English poet, playwright, translator, essayist, and literary theorist. Along with Shakespeare and Milton, he is considered as one of the most influential and greatest representatives of English Literature of the 17th century.

"Absalom and Achitophel" includes more than 1,000 poems. For all that, the poem is not finished: the second part was written by Nahum Tate, with Dryden himself writing no more than a few poems. These poems allegorically depict the political struggle in England at that time. For example, the biblical legend of the rebellious son of King David serves as an allegory for the history of the struggle of the Whigs, led by Lord Sheftsberri against the so-called "Catholic conspiracy."

Absalom and Achitophel Summary:

With a steady and mild hand, King David rules Israel in the time before polygamy is a sin and priest-craft begins. He spreads his seed throughout the land and has many offspring, though his true wife is Michal. Of his illegitimate children, none is more glorious and beloved than Absalom. Absalom wins renown in foreign fields and is pleasing in mind and countenance. David loves him and indulges his every whim.

David’s reign does not remain peaceful, however. The Jews are capricious, tempestuous people who often throw off their ruler for a new one. They mutter and complain, but nothing comes of it while they are disunited. However, old plots are revived, stoking the Jews’ fear of the heathen Jebusites, whose land they had taken long ago. Factions stir up and begin to threaten the government.

Achitophel, a wise and witty councilor of David’s, sees this as his moment. He is restless and desirous of fame, so he decides he must find a way to ruin David. He is aware of how easily swayed the people are, and he turns to the handsome Absalom into his pawn. Achitophel compliments and charms Absalom, telling him that it is a shame his low birth seemingly precludes him from taking the throne. His father’s legal successor is Absalom’s uncle, a wretched man. Achitophel fills Absalom’s head with praise; even though Absalom loves his father, Achitophel’s subtle comments about his father’s weaknesses begin to affect him. He sees himself as destined for greatness.

Achitophel devises his plan and sends Absalom out to the people to curry their favor and turn them against his father. He warns the young man of his uncle and tells him he must try for the crown while his father still lives. Achitophel begins to work within the populace, fomenting dissent and unrest. Absalom goes before the people and wins their love easily. His popularity and pomp distract from the plot at hand.

Dryden accounts for some of the most dangerous, corrupt men in the city, as well as the small but loyal band that stays with David as the tensions mount.

Finally, King David speaks, asserting his legitimacy and power in a manner that brooks no refutation or dissension. This secures his enemies’ downfall and his own long rule.

Absalom and Achitophel Character List

Corah

Corah led a rebellion against Moses. He stands for Titus Oates, who devised the Popish Plot and led the persecution of Catholics.

Barzillai

Barzillai lived beyond the Jordan River and sustained David during Absalom's rebellion. He stands for the Duke of Ormonde, a patron of Dryden and one of the most devoted servants of Charles. He accompanied Charles II during his exile and served him faithfully during his misfortunes.

Zadoc

David's friend who carried the Ark of the Covenant into the wilderness; he was then sent back to Jerusalem for God's judgment. He represents William Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Sagan of Jerusalem

The Sagan of Jerusalem represents the Bishop of London.

Adriel

Adriel was the son of Barzillai. Here he stands for John Sheffield, 3rd Earl of Mulgrave. He supported Dryden and opposed Monmouth.

Jotham

Jotham stands for George Savile, Marquis of Halifax, and nephew of Shaftesbury. The Marquis of Halifax had once supported Shaftsbury but, alarmed at his excess, became a supporter of the Court. It was entirely by his eloquence that the Exclusion Bill was defeated in the Lords in 1680.

Hushai

Hushai, David's friend, represents Lawrence Hyde, Earl of Rochester, Charles II's First Lord of the Treasury. He fought against the Exclusion Bill.

Amiel

Amiel traveled through the wilderness to bring David supplies. He represents Edward Seymour, speaker of the House of Commons and treasurer of the Navy.

Bathsheba

David committed adultery with Bathsheba and sent her husband Uriah into battle, where he was killed. David later married her. Here she stands for Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth, one of Charles's mistresses.

Michal

She was the daughter of Saul and the wife of King David. She stands for Catherine of Braganza, the daughter of John IV of Portugal and wife of Charles II.

Saul

Saul was the first king of Israel; he defeated the Philistines in their first battle. He represents Oliver Cromwell, who ruled England after Charles's execution as Lord Protector.

David

The king of Israel, representing Charles II of England.

Absalom

David's beloved son who rebelled against him; stands for James, the Duke of Monmouth, who sided with the Exclusionists against his father Charles II. He was executed for treason.

Annabel

She represents Monmouth's wife Anne.

Amnon

Absalom's half-brother. Absalom had him killed for raping his sister.

Achitophel

David's counselor who betrayed him and encouraged Absalom to rebel against his father. He hanged himself when he saw that the rebellion would not succeed. He represents Anthony Ashley Cooper, the first Earl of Shaftesbury.

Pharoah

Represents Louis XIV of France.

Zimri

Two biblical figures represent Zimri: a murderer in Numbers, and a usurping murderer in 1 Kings. He is an allegory of George Villiers, the second Duke of Buckingham.

Balaam

A prophet who ignored God. He represents Theophilus Hastings.

Caleb

Moses's servant who entered the Promised Land with Joshua. He represents Arthur Capel, Earl of Essex.

Nadab

Aaron's eldest son; he was an idolater. He represents William, Lord Howard of Esrick, a Puritan preacher.

Jonas

Or, Jonah; he represents Sir William Jones, the attorney general. He prosecuted Catholics in the early stages of the Popish plot, became a member of Parliament, and supported the Exclusion Bill.

Shimei

A man who curses David. He represents Slingsby Bethel, a sheriff of London and Middlesex.

Agag

King of the Amalekites. God wanted Saul to kill him, but when Saul took Agag prisoner, he warned him God was angry with him. He represents Lord Stafford, a Catholic whom Oates accused of treason.

Issachar

One of Jacob's sons; he is greedy and very rich. He stands for Thomas Thynne, a friend of Monmouth's.

 

Another summary

In holy times, before religion made polygamy a sin, one man was not confined to one woman. Law did not forbid a man from taking both a mistress and a wife, and Israel’s monarch, David, spread his royal seed across the land. Michal is his queen, but several women have “godlike David’s” sons. Theses sons, however, are not of royal birth and thus cannot legally ascend the throne. Of all David’s illegitimate sons, Absalom is the most loved and admired, by both the Jews and his father. Absalom is handsome and full of grace, and he has proven himself a hero fighting in foreign wars. David is filled with “secret joy” as he watches Absalom grow into a respected man, and in his son, David sees his own “youthful image.” David’s reign is peaceful and quiet, but the Jews, “a headstrong, moody, murmuring race,” begin to desire more liberty. It is not long before the Jews revive the Good Old Cause to “raise up commonwealths and ruin kings.”

The Jebusites, who are native to Israel, begin to lose their rights. Their taxes are increased, their land is seized, and their gods and religion are discredited. Their priests are incensed, and soon the plot, the “nation’s curse,” begins to circulate. The Jebusites, in a clandestine plan, infiltrate all areas of Israel, including the courts and brothels, looking for converts. The plot ultimately fails because it is lacking “common sense,” but it also has a “deep and dangerous consequence.” The Jebusite plot makes major waves within the government, and the people begin to rise up and rebel against David. Some even oppose David from within the government, and the most influential of these men is “false Achitophel.” Achitophel is smart and accomplished, ambitious of power, and has flexible morals. He wants to either completely take over the government or destroy it, and he pretends to befriend David to accomplish just that. Absalom stokes Israel’s discontent and tells everyone that David is a Jebusite. The Jews have a history of announcing a new king every 20 years or so, and Achitophel decides it is time to do just that. He knows that he can never be king, but if he must have one, he wants it to be Absalom.

Achitophel begins by publicly hailing Absalom’s birth as royal. He claims Absalom will be the Jews’ “savior,” and that he is the answer to their prayers. Absalom’s popularity soars, and even babies learn to say his name. Achitophel flatters Absalom with compliments of his superior virtue and reminds him that David, too, had to answer a call to the throne when he was in exile in Gath. The people are restless and crying for a new king, and Achitophel is sure if Absalom joins their cries with his royal blood, the people will choose him as their king. Absalom is flattered by Achitophel’s words, but David’s right to the crown is “unquestioned.” David is a good king, Absalom says, he is kind and merciful, and he rarely draws blood. Absalom is certain that if the people are turning against David, he should not fan the flames of dissention. Besides, David gives Absalom everything, except his crown, and he has already told Absalom that he would give it to him if he could. The crown is, however, “justly destined for a worthier head.”

After David, the crown moves down a “collateral line” to David’s brother, who, regardless of his “vulgar spite,” has a legitimate claim to the throne. Still, Absalom does wish he had been born into royalty, so he could rightfully assert his own claim to the crown. But to desire power that rightfully belongs to another, Absalom says, is a “godlike sin.” Achitophel can see that Absalom is not yet convinced, so he steps up his game. He tells the young prince that God has made him virtuous for a reason—because he is meant to be king. David is “weak,” Achitophel says, and now is the perfect time to challenge his power. Achitophel plans to wait until David has foolishly given the last of his money to the people, and then he will incite more public discord or bury David with expensive foreign wars. Achitophel admits that he despises David’s brother, and most of the Jews hate him, too. The people have a right to choose their own king, Achitophel says, and they do not want David’s brother. The time to claim the crown is now, if they wait until after David’s brother is on the throne, they might not be able to ensure that Absalom is king.

To realize his plan, Achitophel joins the various “malcontents” of Israel to one final end—to strip David of his power and give it to Absalom. Many men assist Achitophel in his quest, including Zimri, Balaam, and Caleb, but none are as powerful as Shimei. Shimei robs and cheats the Jews every chance he gets, so they decide to make him their magistrate. Under his tenure as magistrate, treason is legal and he stacks juries with “dissenting Jews” to guarantee that the king’s enemies are free and his supporters are imprisoned. Worse yet is Corah, who engineered the plot. He is a priest, and his memory is impeccable. Thus, the people fail to see his deceit. Surrounded by such men, Absalom addresses the people. He claims he is outraged by their troubles, and he wishes he could suffer on their behalf. Absalom tells the people that he loves his father, but their liberty is at stake. Then he wipes a tear from his eye and tells the people his tears are all he has to give. As the people raise their arms to Absalom in praise, he departs with Achitophel and his men in a royal procession, visiting the people of Israel. Everywhere they go, Absalom is received with love and admiration, and Achitophel is easily able to identify any possible enemies to their cause.

“O foolish Israel!” the speaker of the poem cries. Absalom’s procession is a charade, and is merely “war in masquerade.” No one is safe if kings can be “dissolved by might.” Plus, the speaker says, people are often wrong and a “faultless king” could be ruined. No sensible man would disrupt the government and dethrone their king, which will surely make their grievances worse. Despite this public opposition, however, there are still loyal men who stand by David, including Barzillani, who was in exile with David, as well as Zadock and Sagan of Jerusalem. Perhaps most loyal is Amiel, a government official who tirelessly subdues David’s opposition from inside the ranks. These loyal men inform David of Absalom’s ambition and Achitophel’s deceit, and finally, having grown impatient, David addresses the people of Israel.

David tells the people that he has allowed his role as a father to cloud his judgement as a king, but he will now show them that he is “not good by force.” Absalom’s attempt to “shake” up the kingdom and seize the crown is not a threat to David, and if Absalom wants to continue his efforts, he must be prepared to “fall.” David is the king, he says, and God will not allow such treason to come to pass. David is not afraid to draw his sword if he must, and he reminds the Jews to “beware the fury of a patient man.” If the Jews want a fight, David is ready, and while they are “breathless” and exhausted, he will strike them down. As David speaks, thunder rocks the sky, and every Jew knows their rightful king.

One of the themes--  Politics Allegory and Satire:

On the surface, John Dryden’s poem “Absalom and Achitophel” is a rehashing of the story of David, the third king of Israel, and his illegitimate son Absalom, who rebels against his father and tries to usurp his throne. However, this biblical story is merely an allegory, a form of extended metaphor, for the political events that unfolded in Dryden’s time. In 1678, an alleged Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II, known as the Popish Plot, swept across England, creating mass anti-Catholic hysteria and prompting the Exclusion Crisis of 1679. The Exclusion Crisis lasted until 1681 and consisted of three Parliamentary bills which attempted to exclude James, King Charles’s brother, from royal succession because he was a Roman Catholic rather than a Protestant. Dryden’s poem is a thinly veiled satirical roast of the political drama that pervaded English society in the late 1670s and early 1680s, and no one is spared his wit. According to Dryden, “the true end of satire is the amendment of vices by correction,” and “Absalom and Achitophel” is an attempt to that end. Through the use of satire and allegory in “Absalom and Achitophel,” Dryden ultimately argues that the Popish Plot and the Exclusion Crisis were devious ploys to divert the rightful order of succession and prevent James II from ascending the throne.

Through the deceit of Achitophel, a politician who sows dissention among the Jews, Dryden allegorizes the Popish Plot and implies the fabricated plot is merely an attempt to breed strife between David and the government, or, figuratively, between Parliament and Charles II of England. In Israel, metaphorically England, the “Good Old Cause revive[s] a plot” to “raise up commonwealths and ruin kings.” The “Good Old Cause” is a reference to the Puritan Rebellions of the English Civil War (1642–1651), which pitted King Charles I, who was supported by the Catholics, against Parliament, which was supported by the Puritans, a form of Protestantism. The war was a victory for Parliament; Charles I was executed, and the Commonwealth of England was created. The monarchy was restored in 1660, and Charles II ascended the throne. With this reference, Dryden implies that the Popish Plot is little more than a revival of the Good Old Cause and an attempt to dethrone a king. In the poem, rumor begins to spread that King David’s life is “Endangered by a brother and wife. / Thus in a pageant show, a plot is made, / And peace itself is war in masquerade.” Titus Oates, a priest of the Church of England and the mastermind of the Popish Plot, accused Charles’s brother James and Charles’s wife, Queen Catherine, of involvement in the plot against Charles. Dryden suggests that Oates’s claims are nonsense—the plot is a “pageant show,” a charade—and such claims amount to a “war in masquerade,” as the desired outcome, to remove a man who is destined to be king out of royal succession, is similar to that of the English Civil War. Ultimately, the plot fails “for want of common sense,” but it has a “deep and dangerous consequence.” The Popish Plot, Dryden implies, was destined to fail because it completely lacked wisdom. However, the paranoia and anti-Catholic sentiments the plot churned up led directly to the Exclusion Crisis, which again pitted Parliament against the king. Members of Parliament pushed for James to be removed from royal succession, and Charles adamantly supported his brother.

In the poem, Dryden discusses many of the men who support Achitophel and his plan to strip David of his power. In this way, Dryden also satirizes the politicians who supported the Exclusion Bill, portraying them as despicable men “who think too little and who talk too much.” Thus, Dryden implies that their proposed law—to keep Roman Catholics from the throne—is likewise foolish and dangerous. Achitophel, who encourages Absalom to rebel against his father, is a contemptable man who resolves “to ruin or to rule the state.” Achitophel is a representation of Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, a Member of Parliament and founder of the Whig party, who opposed absolute monarchy in favor of a more democratic approach. Cooper was a major proponent of the Exclusion Bill, and Dryden implies Cooper intended to use the bill to either take the government over, or completely take it down. Achitophel has several supporters, “whom kings no titles gave, and God no grace,” including the “well-hung Balaam and cold Caleb free.” Balaam and Caleb represent Theophilus Hastings and Arthur Capel respectively, both politicians and members of the Whig party who supported the Exclusion Bill. Dryden therefore implies these men are low-level politicians who have little sense and no influence. While Balaam and Caleb may have little sense, “not bull-faced Jonas,” Dryden says, “who could statutes draw / To mean rebellion and make treason law.” Jonas represents Sir William Jones, a Member of Parliament who supported the Exclusion Bill. As Attorney General, Jones prosecuted several Catholics who were falsely accused and executed during the Popish Plot. In this way, Dryden implies that Jones, especially teamed with Cooper, can do real and lasting damage to the country and to the monarchy.

Achitophel and his supporters begin to stoke “the malcontents of all the Israelites” and sway public opinion, and the Sanhedrins, the Jewish high council, becomes “infected with this public lunacy” as well. The Sanhedrins, of course, are a metaphor for the English Parliament, and the “public lunacy” is the Exclusion Crisis. Through his satirical poem, Dryden had hoped the people of England and Parliament would see the Popish Plot and Exclusion Crisis for what they really were—plots devised to keep James II, a Roman Catholic, out of royal succession.