John Dryden, England’s first Poet Laureate, is considered the archetypal literary figure of the English Restoration. Born in the East Midlands, Dryden was educated at London’s Westminster School and Cambridge University.

Dryden wrote several long poems praising Charles II and the new regime, including Astrea Redux and To His Sacred Majesty, and in 1668 he was appointed Poet Laureate, meaning that he was officially employed by the king to write poems in celebration or commemoration of national events. Many of these works, and his later satires and translations, were written in heroic couplets, a form he would bequeath to Alexander Pope, and which, at the time, signified symmetry, harmony and social order restored.

Dramatic Poesie:

Dryden's “ An Essay on Dramatic poesy” presents a brief discussion on Neo-classical theory of literature. An Essay on Dramatic poesy is written in the form of dialogues among four gentlemen : Eugenics, Crites, Lisideius and Neander. Neander speaks for Dryden himself. Eugenius favors modern English dramatists by attacking the classical playwrights. Crites opposes rhyme in plays and argues that though the moderns excel in Science, the ancient age was the true age of poetry. Lisideius defends the French playwrights and attacks the English tendency to mix genres. Neander speaks in favor of the modern English plays , but does not disparage the ancient. He argues that tragic – comedy is the best form for a play. Neander gives his palm to the violation of the three units because it leads to variety in the English plays. He supports the use of blank verse in drama and says that the use of rhyme in serious plays is justifiable in place of the blank verse. He defends the classical theory of drama saying that it is an imitation of life and reflects human nature clearly.

His definition of the play:

“ A play ought to be a just and lively image of human nature, representing its passion and humours, and the change of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind”.

Throughout, 'The Essay of Dramatic poesy' Dryden treats drama as a form of imagination literature and hence his remarks on drama apply to poetry as well. His definition first line word, "A play ought to be a just and lively image"

Aristotle's definition of Tregedy:

In chapter 6 of Poetics Aristotle embarks upon the most important subject of Poetics- the tragic drama. And in the following chapters he discusses the nature of tragedy and its constituent parts such as plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle and song. He also draws distinctions between various kinds of plots and introduces us to some technical terms namely reversal, discovery and calamity. Chapters 13 and 14 contain Aristotle’s well known discussion of what he means by his association of pity and fear with tragedy.According to Aristotle tragedy is a representation of an action that is worth serious attention, complete in itself, and of some amplitude. By the expression “representation of an action” Aristotle means the representation of a plot for in his language action and plot are synonymous. By ‘serious’ he means something that matters. Serious is concerned with important values as opposed to what is slight, trivial, transitory or of the surface. The action of tragedy must be complete. By ‘complete’ he means the action which has a beginning, a middle and an end which are causally connected. The action of tragedy must be long enough for the catastrophe to occur and on the other hand short enough to be grasped as a single artistic whole and not like a creature a thousand miles long.