"Hudibras"

Kimberlee Vander Most--1B (taken in part from the Norton and lecture)

Hudibras, by Samuel Butler (1612-1680), is a burlesque. It takes a serious subject-in this case the English Civil War- and mocks it by either 1) a low, base style or 2) exaggeration. It is written in Iambic pentameter to only to ridicule the cause of the Commonwealth.

His hero, Sir Hudibras, is taken from Spenser's Faerie Queene. There is also a reference to Cervantes Don Quixote in the relationship the knight has with his squire Ralph. These references only serve to further mock the romantic cause of the Puritans since both Spenser and Cervantes were concerned with the warmth and chivalry humanity is capable of.

The basic purpose of Hudibras is to mock the entire Civil War. Bulter is trying to make the point that the War was a silly and pointless experiment since the monarchy was restored anyways. Therefore it is almost impossible to read this poem without understanding the political and historical context. For example, the first 14 lines have 3 important footnotes that explain his terms in their historical context (re-look at these lines, I think they might be important if he does pull any quotes from Hudibras)