The Dunciad, a Satirical Critique: How the Use of References to Satan and to The Bible Contribute in Alexander Pope's Strikes against Colley Cibber

Abstract

[eng] Alexander Pope’s mock-heroic The Dunciad in Four Books (1743) is full of allusions and references to other works, the Bible and Paradise Lost (1674) by John Milton prominent among them. Various parallelisms can be found between the main characters of said works and those from Pope’s piece, the resulting contrast of mixing Milton’s Satan’s characteristics with those of the main biblical characters being mainstream in the construction of Pope’s discourse. This essay aims at analyzing the impact that these references have in The Dunciad, both in the portrayal of the characters and in achieving the main purpose of the work, a critique of different authors of the time. This paper will pay special attention to how, through these allusions and through the character of Dulness –a personification–, Colley Cibber is thoroughly debased, as the main target of the critique, demonstrating Pope’s prowess in satirical criticism.