Dryden, John

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Dryden, John (1631–1700) English poet and playwright. He became known for his Heroic Stanzas on Oliver Cromwell's death (1658); diplomatically followed by Astraea Redux (1660), praising Charles II. He was poet laureate from 1668 to 1688, when James II was ousted in the Glorious Revolution. Other poems include Annus Mirabilis (1667), the satires Absalom and Achitophel (1681), the allegory The Hind and the Panther (1687), and the ode Alexander's Feast (1693). Dryden also wrote numerous fine plays, his best-known are All for Love (1678) and Marriage á la mode (1673).

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