John Dryden
/ˌdʒɒn ˈdraɪdn/
/ˌdʒɑːn ˈdraɪdn/
- (1631-1700) an English poet and writer of plays. He was made Poet Laureate by King Charles II in 1668, and most of his poems are about national events of his time. Absalom and Achitophel (1681), for example, is about the Duke of Monmouth's attempt to become king. His best-remembered play is All For Love, a new version of Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra.