All for Love (John Dryden)

 About the Author:

John Dryden (1631 – 1700) was one of the most important literary figures of the Restoration period in England. He is often called the “Father of English Criticism” and was also a poet, dramatist, translator, and essayist. He became England’s first official Poet Laureate in 1668. His major works include Poetry - “Absalom and Achitophel” (1681), “Mac Flecknoe” (1682), Plays- “The Conquest of Granada” (1670-71) “All for Love” (1677), and Criticism -  “An Essay on Dramatic Poesy”

Characters in the Play:

1.     Mark Antony – Roman triumvir, tragic hero torn between love and duty.

2.     Cleopatra – Queen of Egypt, passionately devoted to Antony.

3.     Octavia – Antony’s Roman wife, sister to Octavius Caesar

4.     Ventidius – Roman general and Antony’s loyal friend

5.     Alexas – Cleopatra’s eunuch and servant

6.     Dolabella – Antony’s friend, secretly in love with Cleopatra.

7.     Serapion – Egyptian priest of Isis; provides prophecy and solemn commentary.

8.     Octavius – Octavia’s brother

9.     Charmion- Cleopatra’s maid

10.  Iras and Myris – Priests in Temple of Isis

11.  Agrippina and Antonia – Daughters of Antony and Octavia

 

Introduction:

John Dryden’s “All for Love” (1677) is a Restoration tragedy written in blank verse and modelled after Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra.” Subtitled The World Well Lost, it is regarded as Dryden’s finest play and a masterpiece of neoclassical drama.

Plot and Structure

The play dramatizes the downfall of Mark Antony, who is torn between his political duty to Rome and his passionate devotion to Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Dryden observes the classical unities of time, place, and action: the action takes place within a single day, in Alexandria, and revolves entirely around Antony’s fatal conflict between love and duty. This focus lends the tragedy.

The characters represent contrasting values:

Antony is the tragic hero, noble yet fatally flawed by his inability to resist passion. His downfall is not due to vice, but to an excess of love, making him a figure of pathos.

Cleopatra, unlike Shakespeare’s complex portrayal, is depicted as tender, constant, and sincerely devoted. She becomes Antony’s partner in both love and death.

Octavia, Antony’s Roman wife, embodies duty, reason, and restraint. Her dignified attempt to reclaim Antony highlights the opposition between Rome and Egypt, duty and passion.

Ventidius, Antony’s loyal general, represents military honor and rational counsel. His failure to persuade Antony to abandon Cleopatra shows the triumph of passion over reason.

Through these characters, Dryden presents the central conflict of passion versus duty, love versus reason, and private desire versus public responsibility.

Style and Technique

Unlike his heroic plays written in rhymed couplets, Dryden composed “All for Love” in blank verse.  The language is noble, balanced, and restrained, in line with neoclassical ideals.

Moral and Critical Significance

Dryden himself acknowledged that Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” was the greater play, but he aimed to present a version more suited to the tastes of the Restoration audience, who valued the unities and moral clarity. The play suggests that passion, when uncontrolled, leads to destruction, but it also elevates Antony and Cleopatra’s love as something sublime—“the world well lost.”

Conclusion

“All for Love” is both a tribute to Shakespeare and a work of original power. The play is a neoclassical play which reflects the values of his age. It remains a landmark of Restoration theatre, notable for its noble language, disciplined structure, and poignant exploration of love, honour, and duty.