The Works of John Dryden, Now First Collected in Eighteen Volumes. Volume 04

John Dryden, England's first Poet Laureate and the defining voice of Restoration literature, comes alive in this volume of his dramatic works. Here lies "Almanzor and Almahide," a sweeping tragedy set amid the Moorish siege of Granada, where valorous warriors, betrayed kings, and star-crossed lovers clash beneath the walls of a kingdom tearing itself apart. The eponymous Almanzor strides onto the stage as a force of nature, defending honor with a sword and commanding loyalty through sheer will. Meanwhile, Dryden's penetrating essays on heroic plays dissect the very machinery of drama he wielded so masterfully, offering a window into the intellectual framework behind the spectacle. These aren't dusty relics: they crackle with political intrigue, religious conflict, and the eternal human hunger for power and love. For readers seeking to understand how English drama evolved from Shakespeare to the Augustan age, this volume traces the vital thread.