Original artwork, not a still
Absalom and Achitophel · 1681
A fiery soul, which, working out its way, Fretted the pygmy-body to decay, And o'er-inform'd the tenement of clay. A daring pilot in extremity; Pleas'd with the danger, when the waves went high He sought the storms.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Dryden sketches a figure whose fiery spirit is too big for its small body. That energy wears the body down, like a soul overflowing its housing. He also calls this figure a bold pilot who enjoys danger and heads for storms when the waves rise.
Context reviewed
