Summary of the poem Alexander Feast or The Power of Music by John Dryden

-

 

Alexander Feast or The Power of Music

                                                  -John Dryden

Alexander Feast or The Power of Music poem was written by John Dryden in the year 1697. Alexander III, the Great is the King of Egypt, and he defeats Darius, the King of Persia. The king attacks the Persian army and captures Persepolis. The King gives a royal feast to rejoice this victory. This poem is about the power of music. He claims that music has got the power to influence human emotion and behavior. It can make you cry, laugh, feel, provoke and shift emotions.

         


   In this poem a bard named Timotheus attends the communal feast of Alexander. Timotheus commences the event with a song. In this song he lionizes Alexander the great. He addresses the King as the son of Olympia and Jove, and worships the king as deity and bloats his pride. The bard next invokes the God of Wine, Bacchus. He describes the beauty of this Roman God. The king gets stimulated by the song sung by the bard. This cheers the King’s pleasure for wine and encourages him to devour wine.

In the third stanza the bard alters the mood of the poem to a sadder note. He sings the tragic end of King Darius. The king hearing to the song becomes quiet and sad. He recalls the brutal murder of Darius, and contemplates his ruthless nature with remorse. The bard realizes the changes happening in the heart of the King. As a result of this the bard modifies his subject matter.

Timotheus chants the beauty of Thais, Alexander’s lover and heartens the King to be thankful to get such a beautiful lover. The King is emotionally moved by this song and his heart melts. Timotheus sings of revenge to conclude his song. He sings of vengeance and provokes the king, his lover and his followers. The furious King along with his lover Thais sets fire to Persepolis.  

This poem shows the magical power of music which has the ability to stir the human emotions. Thus, the poem concludes with a chorus, emphasizing the power of music. The poet compares Timotheus to the Catholic martyr St. Cecilia.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Summary for At the Church Door

-
Image
At the Church Door -         Guy De Maupassant Guy De Maupassant is a prolific French Writer. He was influenced by a French writer Flaubert. His short story “At the Church Door” reflects real life and real people. This story is about a worried couple who have lost their son 20yrs before. The theme of this story is parent love for their children. The story centers around a Wheelwright and his wife. Both are looking for a peaceful and happy life. The only comfort is Jean, their son. Jean was born to them after a long period. Their life gets scattered when they discover their son missing at the age of five. Unable to bear the loss of their son both gathered all their wealth and went in search of him. They travelled to different places for around twenty years in search of Jean. Hearing to the advice of an innkeeper both travel to the crowded city, Paris.  They often stood in front of a church door. The Parish priest appoin...
Read more

Like an Old Proud King in a Parable A. J.M. Smith, Summary for BA Students.

-
Image
  Like an Old Proud King in a Parable A. J.M. Smith The Poem Like an Old Proud King in a Parable was written by the Canadian Poet, A.J.M Smith. This poem appeared in McGill Fortnightly Review in the year 1926. In this poem Smith narrates the story of an Old King who abandons his Kingdom to become a poet. This poem depicts the poetic career of Smith. Smith breaks some of the old poetic conventions and brings novelty into the society. A king is bored to forego the pleasure of the Kingdom. He renounces his kingdom, and leave his flattering courtiers and adoring wife. The king readily sacrifices the existing kingly life and moves to a lonely land, “a meadow in the Northern Stone”. Northern Stone is in the northern parts of Canada, a land of mountain, snow and forest filled with nature. The King rejoices to live his life along the meadow. In the meadow he feels like an uncontrollable swan, “the heart that controlled liked swan”. The King desires to give up his worldly life and a...
Read more

Summary for the Play Strife by John Galsworthy

-
Image
                                                                                        Strife -        John Galsworthy Strife is a three-act play written by John Galsworthy. It is his third play and the play highlights the social issues. It was produced in the year 1909 at the Duke of York Theatre. The title “strife” has a biblical meaning which means bitter conflict. The theme in this play is capital and labour. The action takes place on 7 th february at the Trenartha Tin Plate Work. The factory workers involve in a prolonged strike. There arises a conflict between the company chairman John Anthony and the workers leader Roberts. Both are very stern and adamant to compromise. Anthony was the chairman for 32 years and he is determine...
Read more