Question

John Dryden's "All for Love" is based on Shakespeare's :

• A. Troilus and Cresida
• B. Antony and Cleopatra
• C. Julias Caeser
• D. As You Like It

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Antony and Cleopatra

John Dryden's "All for Love" and Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra"

• "All for Love" (1677) is a tragedy by John Dryden, which is a reimagining of the story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
• Dryden himself stated that his play was an attempt to improve upon Shakespeare's treatment of the same subject in "Antony and Cleopatra" (c. 1607).
• Key Differences and Similarities:
  • Focus: Dryden's play concentrates on the final days of Antony and Cleopatra's love affair, emphasizing the destructive nature of their passion. Shakespeare's play covers a broader scope, including political and military conflicts.
  • Character Portrayal: Dryden's Antony is portrayed as a man completely enslaved by love, losing his political power and dignity due to his infatuation. Shakespeare's Antony is a more complex character, a great general and statesman whose downfall is caused by a combination of love, political misjudgment, and external pressures.
  • Dramatic Structure: "All for Love" adheres more strictly to the classical unities of time, place, and action, a common preference in Restoration theatre. Shakespeare's play is more expansive and less constrained by these unities.
  • Language and Style: Dryden's poetic style is often considered more polished and rhetorically controlled compared to Shakespeare's more vibrant and varied verse.
• Context of Restoration Drama: "All for Love" is a prime example of Restoration tragedy, reflecting the theatrical tastes and conventions of the period, which favored more psychological depth and dramatic intensity in the depiction of love and its consequences.
• Influence: While Dryden aimed to surpass Shakespeare, "Antony and Cleopatra" is generally considered the more enduring and artistically superior work by literary critics due to its complexity, character development, and poetic power.