Essay Questions

Why is the medal described as being a “polish” one?

After the Earl was declared not guilty of treason and released, the political party of which he was a member of created a medal or rather a coin to show their happiness and also to prove their righteousness to the other political parties. The coin was engraved with the word “Lætamur” and when the coin got into the hands of the common people, they believed the word to be a Polish one, not a Latin one. From that point one, the coin was then referred to as the “Polish coin” by the opposition as well, their purpose being making fun of the Earl and those who showed their support for him. The fact that the narrator included this description in the poem shows just how much this description stuck with the population and also with the opposing party.

Who is the person criticized by the narrator in the poem?

The person criticized in this poem is the Earl of Shaftesbury, a man mentioned by Dryden in other satirical poems as well. When this poem was written, in the middle of the 17th century, the Earl of Shaftesbury was accused of treason and as such we can deduce that the person mentioned here was the first Earl of Shaftsbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper. During the Civil War, the Earl was a firm royalist believer and even fought in the war. After he returned home he became a parliamentarian, a person who believed the British monarch should not have absolute power and who supported the British parliament. The Earl was also concerned with the King’s growing fondness for the Catholic Church and his refusal to support the Anglican Church. Because of his ideas and because of the rising political tensions, the Earl was arrested and held in the Tower of London from which he was later released. The reason why the Earl was so frequently criticized by Dryden is because the latter was a fierce loyalist and was trying to use his influence to make sure the monarchy was not going to be overthrown.

How did the political events which took place during the time when the author wrote the poem influence the creation of the poem?

The poem was written during a time of intense political turmoil. In the beginning of the century, the American Civil War was underway and Britain was fighting for supremacy. The royal ideologies which were generally accepted in Britain were questioned and many wondered if the monarchy was necessary and if the country would have had a better chance of maintaining its supremacy if it were to be led by a democratically chosen government. Faced with these problems, the monarchy tried to do everything in its power to stifle to growing discontent and to silence every person who might have opposing ideas. In this context, two different political groups emerged and the literature written in that time has political undertones supporting one of the two political ideologies.