Analysis of The Essay of Dramatic Poesy part 17

Neander defends the mingling of the tragic and comic elements by the English playwrights unlike the separated genres of the French dramatists. According to Neander, gaiety and sadness can be enjoyed together. It actually resembles the nature. A comic scene in a tragedy refreshes the mood of the audience. Compassion and mirth do not destroy each other. Tragi-comedy is a new form of writing not known to the ancients or the moderns of any other nation. The English have invented it, worked on it and perfected it. The English plots are copious and varied while the French plots are barren and narrow. There is only a single plot in the French plays while there are sub plots in the English plays which add to the charm of the play. These sub plots move with the action of the play. They add variety to the play provided they are related to the main plot of the play. The pre-occupation of the French dramatists with a single theme does not give them advantage in the expression of passion. Their verses are cold and their long speeches are tiresome. Long speeches may suit the French but not so the English. The English plays use short speeches because they are better in conveying the scenes of comedy. The more the characters in the play, the more will be the variety. Ben Johnson used various characters in his play. Neander commends the French use of narrative to do away with the scenes of violence. However the English plays showed such scenes of violence on the stage. The English plays have been charged of showing too much action on the stage while the French plays were guilty of showing too little action. Hence the right thing would be to present the actions in a moderate manner. This will not make the audience disappointed who wanted to see more of the beautiful action or it will provide relief to the audience who is getting weary of the action. The French playwrights are too much concerned about the rules of drama. Their adherence to the unity of time and place and the coherence of various scenes have limited the variety in their plots. The English plays are not regular in structure because they are not too much concerned about the rules and unities and hence they have a lot of variety in their plots. As far as rhyme is concerned, the English used it as well as blank verse before the French adopted it. Neander tries his level best to prove the superiority of English dramatists over French dramatists. He says that many English plays are as regular as the French. They show immense variety in plot and character. He also says that many irregular plays written by Shakespeare and Fletcher are better than any of the French plays. In order to prove himself, Neander gives the example of Ben Johnson’s ‘The Silent Women’. Eugenius asks Neander to give a general critical opinion about the author whom both the French and the English consider great and worthy of honour.