Dryden is a poet who solidified beauty and majesty in the English language by taking rougher words and turning them into refined verse. Even though Dryden's poems were recognized for their artistic promise and innovation, they were scrutinized because of misplaced or excessive conceits and similes. Critics also find most of Dryden's prose very occasional. One exception though to this was Dryden's Essay of Dramatick Poesy, a dialogue platonic in its framework and general conduct. It has also been said that Dryden was an exemplary poet of public events and was able to infuse even the most ordinary incident with dignified, original art is not disputed. However, his poems have been charged with displaying a disturbing impersonality. Nevertheless, several modern critics have detected a clear, confessional tone in Dryden's later poems, Religio Laici and The Hind and the Panther. Although the theological viewpoints in them are disparate, critics have observed that both these works forcefully document the poet's personal reactions to the political milieu as well as to the power of religious faith in his era.
