John Dryden dominated the literary life of the Restoration Period of England so much so that some refer to this period as the Age of Dryden.  He was an English poet, literary critic, translator and playwright.  In fact, he was England’s first Poet Laureate in 1668.

Among his works, All For Love, or The World Well Lost (1677) is a heroic drama that stands out as his best known and most performed play.  It is a tragedy written in blank verse.  It focuses on the last hours of the lives of Antony and Cleopatra.

This work for all of its complexities of war, politics and love deserves far more attention than time will allow me to do at this point.  As I best that I recall in mapping out these works for the coming year, we will have at least one more opportunity to discuss these themes in the context of this literary masterpiece.  For now, I can simply offer the following for the enjoyment of all.

All For Love, Act V may be read here:

http://www.bartleby.com/18/1/5.html

The entirety of this work may alternatively be listened to in its audiobook format here: